80 WHITE'S THRUSH. 



difference in the general form, and also of that of 

 the bill, between the true thrushes and the Merula 

 varia with some species from Alpine India, 

 which seem all to be very closely allied to it, 

 arid may hereafter be found to constitute a small 

 section or sub-genus. 



Two specimens of this bird have been ob- 

 tained, the original one shot by Lord Males- 

 bury, on his estate of Heron Court, near Christ- 

 church, the other procured by Mr Bigge, and 

 shot in New Forest, Hampstead. Two speci- 

 mens seem also to have been obtained on the 

 Continent in every way identical ; and on com- 

 parison of these birds with specimens of M. varia 

 from New Holland, Java, and Japan, there seems 

 to be a little discrepancy between some and 

 a tolerable agreement between others. Neither 

 the distribution, nor the history of the British or 

 European specimens, are yet understood. Mr 

 Eyton thus describes Lord Malesbury's bird : 

 " The general colour of White's Thrush, on the 

 upper surface, is ochraceous yellow, with a greenish 

 tinge on the crown ; tips of all the feathers black or 

 dusky, forming narrow transverse lunated spots ; 

 auriculars with a black line extending from the 

 occiput over their posterior edges ; under surface 

 white, with an ill-defined ochraceous fascia across 

 the vent ; all the feathers tipped with a black or 

 dusky lunule, within which is one of light ochra- 

 ceous ; the throat and under coverts pure white ; 

 thighs dusky ; quills tipped with light ochraceous, 

 the edges of each extreme web, near the points 



