lANTHOCINCLA. 157 



Colours of soft parts. Iris pale huffish yellow to orange-yellow ; 

 lids pale lavender, edged dusky ; bill horny-hrown, tipped paler 

 and with whole lower mandible pale horny-yellow ; legs and feet 

 pale dull fleshy. 



Measurements. Total length 22-5 to 235 mm.; wing 86 to 

 89 mm. ; tail about 100 mm. ; tarsus about 32 mm. ; culmeu about 

 20 mm. 



Distribution. Naga Hills, Kbasiaand N. Cachar Hills, Manipur, 

 Lushai and Chin Hills. Does not apparently extend eastwards 

 to Lakhimpur. 



Nidification, Numerous nests were taken by Col. Tytler in the 

 Naga Hills in May and June and by Messrs. Mackenzie, Hopwood 

 and others in the Chin Hills in March and April. They are com- 

 posed of ferns, leaves, roots and grass, lined with tiner roots and 

 often bound round with tendrils and stems of plants ; they are 

 rather more compact than most nests of this group and are placed 

 in bushes or small saplings in forest. The eggs are generally 

 two only in number, sometimes three ; the texture is very flue 

 and close and the surface smooth and silky to the touch, not hard 

 and glossy as in D. ruJtcolUs. In colour they are pure unspotted 

 blue-green. 150 eggs average 25-3 x 18*6 mm. 



Habits. This is not a very gregarious bird, and though it may 

 sometimes be found in small family parties, it more often wanders 

 about in pairs, scratching on the ground amongst the fallen 

 rubbish for insects or clambering through the undergrowtli and 

 bracken. It constantly utters conversational notes, some sweet 

 and some harsh, but never breaks out into a paroxysm of sound 

 like some of the other Laughing-Thrushes do. It haunts 

 elevations of 6,000 feet upwards and is rare below 5,000 feet, 



(1^2) lanthocincla cineracea styani. 



Styan's Laughing-Tiikush. 



Trochaloptervm styani Oustalet, Bull, Mus. Par., 6, p. 226 (1898) 

 (Ta-tsien-lu). 



Vernacular names. None recorded. 



Description. This race differs from the preceding in having 

 the head dark ashy instead of black and the ear-coverts rufous 

 instead of black and white. The upper plumage is browner and 

 the breast is tinged with vinous. 



Colours of soft parts as in /. c. cineracea. 



Measurements. AVing 94 to 98 mm, ; tail 106 to 118 mm, ; 

 tarsus about 38 mm. ; culmen 22 to 25 mm. 



Distribution. Yunnan and the E. Shan States. 



Nidification. A single egg from the Styan collection measures 

 28-1 X 19-8 mm. 



Habits. Not recorded. 



