GARRULAX. 149 



(131) Garrulax delesserti. 

 THE WYNAAD LAUGHING-THRUSH. 



Crateropus delesserti Jerd., Madr. Jour. L. S., x, p. 256 (1839 ) 



(Wynaad, S. India). 

 Garrulax delesserti. JBlanf. & Gates, i, p. 82. 



Vernacular names. Poong Karuvi (Tel.). 



Description. Lores, ear-coverts and round the eye black ; fore- 

 head, crown, mantle and sides of neck deep slaty-grey, the forehead 

 mottled with lighter grey ; back, rump and visible portions of 

 wing chestnut-brown, except the outer webs of the first few 

 primaries which are duller; upper tail-coverts brighter chestnut ; 

 tail black, tinged with rufous at the base ; extreme point of chin 

 black ; remainder of chin, cheeks and throat white ; breast and 

 upper part of abdomen ashy-grey ; lower part of abdomen, vent, 

 thighs and under tail-coverts deep chestnut. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris crimson ; upper mandible blackish 

 brown, lower mandible pale fleshy ; legs, feet and claws fleshy- 

 white. 



Measurements. Total length about 250 to 260 mm. ; wing 

 100 to 105 mm. ; tail 98 to 102 mm. ; tarsus about 38 mm. ; culmen 

 about 24 mm. 



Distribution. The hills of S. India from the "Wynaad to the south 

 of Travancore. 



Nidification. Mr. J. Stewart describes the nest as varying 

 greatly in character. In some it is a rather bulky, deep cup, 

 almost semi-domed, in others it is a cup hardly bigger than that 

 of Molpastes. It is composed of grass, leaves, weed stems, etc. 

 lined with roots and placed either in a bush or in a tangle of 

 creepers and briars. The breeding season is March to May, but 

 Mr. Stewart has taken eggs in February and again in August, 

 the latter possibly a second laying. 



The eggs are generally two or three in number, very rarely 

 four. They are in appearance a link between those of the G. leuco- 

 lophits group and those of the other Laughing-Thrushes. Pure 

 white and very round in shape like the eggs of the former they 

 are a little less hard-shelled and have no pits ; on ihe other hand, 

 they are harder shelled and different in texture to the eggs of the 

 latter. 50 eggs average 27'5 x 20*5 mm. 



The birds appear to breed at all heights up to 4,000 feet, but 

 principally between 1,500 and 2,500 feet. 



Habits. Apparently found from the level of the plains up to 

 the highest hills, haunting thick underwood and having the same 

 noisy and gregarious habits as others of the genus. 



