264 Lloyd's natural history. 



Gentians muthura, Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p 

 301 (1893)- 



Adult Male. — Differs from the male of G. albocristatus in hav 

 ing the crest black, the upper-parts with a brighter purplish 

 gloss, and the feathers of the lower back and rump glossed 

 with deep purplish-blue and without white terminal bands. 



Adult Female. — Quite similar in plumage to the female of G. 

 lencomelanus. 



Range. — Forests of Sikhim, Native Sikhim, and Western 

 Bootan. Perhaps found in Eastern Nepal. 



Habits. — Mr. Gammie furnishes the following excellent ac- 

 count of this species : — 



11 In Sikhim the Black-backed Kalij is abundant from about 

 1,000 up to 6,000 feet, and it is occasionally found at both 

 lower and higher elevations. It frequents forest and scrub, 

 rarely coming out to cleared land, except in the mornings and 

 evenings to feed, and even then seldom leaving the cover for 

 many yards. 



" At no time of the day is it a shy bird, but in the evenings 

 and early mornings it is almost as tame as a domestic fowl, 

 and, if feeding on the road, will leasurely walk but a few steps 

 out of the way of a passer-by. 



" It appears to dislike sunshine, and scarcely leaves the 

 shade of trees or shrubs while the sun is up. 



" It seldom, if ever, perches in the daytime, but keeps to 

 me ground, unless suddenly disturbed by dogs or wild animals, 

 when it may take refuge in a tree as a last resource. If 

 alarmed by men it always runs along under the scrub if the 

 circumstances are favourable for that mode of escape ; but if 

 not, it flies within twenty feet of the ground for forty or fifty 

 yards, and then again alights on the ground. By making a 

 short detour they will be found close to where they alighted. 



" Usually it is a silent bird, but when suddenly alarmed it 

 utters a sharply repeated ' koorchi, koorchi, koorchij as it rises 





