Birds of Paraguay. 6 1 1 



more or less into a zone : axis 1*2 inch, diam. 085. The 

 second egg is paler blue and much more thickly spotted and 

 blotched with chestnut, becoming more dense towards the 

 large end, which is almost entirely covered : axis 1*25 inch, 

 diameter 0*85. 



[The best singing bird in Paraguay. Nest firmly con- 

 structed of grass and mud, usually built in the fork of a tree 

 at an elevation of from 12 to 18 feet from the ground in dense 

 part of forest; 3-4 eggs in the clutch. The bird leaves the 

 nest when any person is passing, making its discovery easy. 



There is no possible way of distinguishing the eggs and 

 nest of this bird from those of M. leucomelas or M. alb iv enter 

 other than by shooting the bird on the nest, as their nesting- 

 habits are identical. 



This bird is resident and very common, living in the large 

 forests and searching for food on the ground. — W. F.~\ 



180. Merula amaurochalina. 



Turdus amaurochalinus Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 5 (1850 : 

 Brazil); Berlepsch, J. f. O. 1887, p. 113 (Paraguay); 

 Hellmayr,Abbandl.Akad.Wiss. Miinchen, xxii.p. 618(1906). 



Merula amaurochalina Sharpe, Hand-1. B. iv. p. 124 (1903). 



Turdus leucomelas Seebohm, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. v. p. 213 ; 

 id. Monogr. Turd. i. p. 235, pi. 53. fig. 1 (1898). 



a. $ ad. ; b, c, d. ? ad. et imm. Sapucay, April 1903. 



e. $ imm. Sapucay, May 8, 1903. 



Bill yellowish horn-coloured ; feet horn- coloured. ; iris 

 brown. 



/. <$ ad. Sapucay, March 30, 1904. 



g, h. £ ; i. ? ad. Sapucay, April 1904. 



Two eggs obtained on December 23, 1902, are pale blue 

 with chestnut-brown spots and blotches, which become 

 confluent at the larger end, and underlying spots of lilac- 

 grey. Axis 1"15 inch; diameter 09. 



Two eggs taken on October 3, 1903, are pale blue, sparsely 

 spotted and blotched with pale chestnut, more thickly at the 

 larger end, but the spots are not confluent. Axis l - 05-l'l 

 inch ; diameter 0'8. 



