150 TIMALIIIWE. 



(132) Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis. 

 THE INDIAN BLACK-GORGETED LA UGHING-THHUSH. 



lanthocincla pectoralis Gould, P.Z.S., 1835, p. 186 (Nepal). 

 Garrulax pectoralis. Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 80. 



Vernacular names. Ol-pho (Lepcha) ; Sura Penga (Bengali). 



Description. Forehead to tail and wing-coverts fulvous olive- 

 brown; a broad collar on the hind neck brighter fulvous; tail like 

 the back, the outer feathers broadly tipped with white and with 

 subterminal bands of black ; the middle tail-feathers uni-coloured 

 and the next two pairs with black bands only ; primary-coverts 

 black edged with hoary ; exposed parts of quills olive-brown, the 

 earlier primaries edged with hoary ; lores and a narrow supercilium 

 white ; ear-coverts black and white or almost entirely white or 

 entirely black ; a cheek-stripe from the gape, continued round the 

 ear-coverts to the upper part of the eye, and a broad pectoral baud, 

 black ; chin and throat whitish ; the remainder of the under parts 

 fulvous, albescent on the abdomen. 



Colours of soft parts. Upper mandible dark horn-colour; 

 the lower bluish-horn at the base and tip, dark brown in the 

 middle ; mouth bluish ; iris yellow, orange-yellow or orange- 

 brown ; eyelids and orbital skin dusky blue, edges of the eyelids 

 orange-yellow ; legs light to dark slaty-grey, claws pale horn. 



Measurements. Total length about 330 to 340 mm. ; wing 142 to 

 150mm.; tail about 130 mm.; tarsus about 49 mm.; culmen 

 about 30 mm. 



Distribution. Nepal to E. Assam, North and South of the Brah- 

 maputra, N. Burma and N. Shan States. 



Nidincation. Breeds from the end of March to early June, 

 many birds having second broods in July and August. The nests 

 are large, loosely-built cups of leaves, bamboo leaves, grass, roots 

 and stems of weeds, sometimes with moss added, and lined with 

 finer roots, tendrils and fern stems. They may be placed in any 

 thick bush, sapling or clump of bamboos, sometimes quite close to 

 the ground, at other times 20 feet from it. The eggs are generally 

 four in number, sometimes three and rarely five. In colour they 

 are a rather deep blue-green, but quite pale ones are not un- 

 common ; rather long in shape, the texture is smooth and there 

 is very little gloss. 200 eggs average 31-4 x 22'7 mm. The 

 extremes of size are 33'8 X 22-7 ; 29-2 x 24" 1 ; 28'7 X 21-6 and 

 30-2x20-9 mm. 



Habits. This Laughing-Thrush is a bird of low elevations; it is 

 common in the plains near the hills and breeds principally below 

 2,500 though it may be found up to 4,500 feet. It is very gre- 

 garious, and may often be seen associating with other Laughing- 

 Thrushes, especially with the Necklaced Laughing-Thrush. They 

 are not shy, but from their habit of keeping much to dense 



