324 Capt. Beavau on various Indian Birds. 



the secondaries ; the bill and legs are fleshy, the latter with a 

 tinge of plumbeous ; the irides brown. In the adult the bill 

 is black, and the legs and claws greenish-fleshy. 



These specimens were obtained at Simla. Some females are 

 very nearly equal to the males in size ; and I should say, as a rule, 

 that there is not much difference in this respect between the adults 

 of both sexes. As I have before mentioned (Ibis, 1867, p. 143), 

 this species frequents a much lower zone than the preceding. 



355. Geocichla citrina. Orange-headed Ground-Thrush. 



This bird is No. 34 of Col. TickelFs paper on the birds of 

 Borabhun (J. A. S. B. ii. p. 577). I procured the first speci- 

 men that I had seen, at Ambekanuggur, in February 1865, and 

 a second shortly afterwards at Baramussia. The species fre- 

 quents thick bush-jungle, near the open, and was found also by 

 me in damp ravines where there is plenty of bushes. The na- 

 tives told me that its powers of song are great : the bird is ap- 

 parently rare in the Maunbhoom district. 



357. TuRDULUS WARDi. Ward^s Pied Blackbird. 



Very abundant at Simla in 1866; and I can in consequence 

 add a good deal to the information previously recorded with re- 

 gard to this beautiful bird. Dr. Jerdon^s description of the 

 male is rather meagre ; for he omits all mention of the colour of 

 the underparts. In the characteristics he assigns to the genus, 

 he says "Bill rather short " (B. Ind. i. p. 520), whereas in this 

 species I have found it long and rather attenuated. 



The following description is taken from a male bird in good 

 plumage, procured at Simla, June 15th, 1866: — the throat and 

 breast pure black to about half-an-inch below where the shoulder 

 of the wing touches the body, at which point white suddenly meets 

 the black, forming a distinct line across the breast ; the flanks 

 are black and white mixed, the feathers being white with a black 

 bar across them ; the thighs are dusky, the rest of the under- 



