(- 89% -9) 
The Water-Ouzel lives, at all times on the best of terms with 
all rivals for aquatic diet on hill streams. The remaining species 
of dippers are found chiefly on the Western side of the Himalayas. 
(350) ZOOTHERA MONTICOLA, Large Brown Thrush, is a remark- 
able bird in many respects. It offers us a convenient gradation 
between the Pittas, Dippers and the Meruline thrushes. In size 
it is a shade smaller than Yellow-billed Thrush (343), being 12 inches 
in length. Bill of this species is longish, compressed, slightly curved 
and hooked; wings and tail short ; tarsus fairly strong; lateral toes 
equal and short; hind toe long; claws curved. Zoothera prefers 
high altitudes, a few may be met with, at times, in Darjeeling, 
chiefly in the cold weather. It is evidently more at home, on the 
Singalillas, in dense bamboo and Rhododendron jungle or where 
more or less luxuriant forests exist; where the ground beneath is 
damp and moist. Zcothera has given not a little trouble to get it 
to betray its nest, so as to learn a little of its midification. This 
thrush seldom perches on trees. It is generally found on the ground, 
scraping away dead leaves, which lie in thick layers, in some dense 
shady retreat, damp and forbidding ; tossing the leaves about with 
its ample sized bill, as though it were in the General Post Office 
sorting letters, it is not the leaves, however, that it directs its atten- 
tion to; but the tit-bits in the way of grubs which it is intent on. 
The nest of Zoothera, which I found by some lucky chance, is a 
biggish mound of damp green moss outside, neatly rounded of sides, 
broad at the base, and tapering a bit towards the top. Inside, 
the nest is a neat, cup shaped hollow, with soft fibres, black hair 
like moss roots, and fibrous shreds off a creeping plant. Eggs are 
Temminkiin. Plumage of this big thrush is dark olive brown, with 
a dark ashy tinge; wings brown and dark; throat and underparts 
of the body white ; breast spotted. 
Sup-FAMILY MERULINA (True Thrushes) 
Comprise Thrushes and the Blackbirds. The first few species 
are known as Rock-Thrushes Chat- and Ground-thrushes etc. having 
long and stout toes; strong claws ; bill stout, narrow, compressed 
and notched at the tip; rictal bristles scanty and weak; wings 
longish 3rd and 4th quills longest; broad and pointed. They are 
strong ou the wing; silvan in habits and feed chiefly on insects, 
earthworms aud bervics. 
