SPHENOCICHLA. 



51 



indistinct blackish cross lines ; wing coverts like the back, edged and obscurely 

 barred in the same manner ; some of the greater coverts more ochraceous 

 brown towards the tips ; quills blackish brown, obsoletely barred with lighter 

 brown and black externally, the bars a little more distinct towards the end of 

 the secondaries ; upper tail coverts and tail rather more reddish brown 

 numerously barred with blackish brown, the bars about 2 1 in number 

 forehead blacker than the head, with very distinct white shaft streaks ; the 

 lores and sides of the crown similarly coloured ; an eyebrow of light ashy 

 feathers tipped with white, drawn from above the eye to the sides of the neck, 

 which is also mottled with ashy spots; ear coverts and cheeks blackish, 

 narrowly streaked with white shaft lines, as also the fore part of the cheeks ; 

 under surface of body blackish brown, the feathers of the throat and breast 

 obsoletely margined with dull ashy, producing a scaly appearance ; chin 

 with distinct white shaft lines ; centre of breast ashy, the lateral feathers 

 blackish, tipped with ashy ; flank feathers and vent blackish, tipped with fulvous 

 brown ; under tail coverts entirely fulvous brown ; under wing coverts light 

 fulvous brown edged with blackish, the outer ones more ashy ; quills brown 

 below, ashy fulvous along the edge of the inner web. 



Total length. 6-3 inches; culmen I; wing 27; tail 2'6 ; tarsus 1-05 

 (Mus. CoL Godwin- Austen.) 



Adult Female (Konchungbum, Munipur Hills ; H. Robert : type of Sphe- 

 nocichla roberti.) Differs from the male in being reddish brown above, 

 the feathers edged with black and subterminally spotted with ashy, producing 

 a scaly appearance ; the ashy spots absent on the head, and more rufescenton 

 the lower back and rump ; the upper tail coverts numerously barred with 

 dusky ; wing coverts like the back and spotted with ashy in the same manner ; 

 greater coverts with numerous dusky cross bars ; quills dark brown, the 

 secondaries rufous brown externally, the innermost lighter brown and barred 

 across with dusky ; primaries externally barred with fulvous brown and 

 more narrowly with blackish ; tail feathers dull brown, with numerous bars 

 of dusky blackish, about 22 bars being perceptible on the central feathers ; 

 forehead a little clearer than the crown, the lores dusky ; upper edge 

 of eyelid white ; ear coverts blackish with nearly obsolete whitish shaft 

 lines, cheeks ashy whitish, the feathers with dark brown centres and blackish 

 margins, producing a scaly appearance ; throat and chest scaly, the feathers 

 being olive brown in the centre, blackish on the margin, with a subterminal 

 line of white ; the feathers in the centre of the breast ashy, with less 

 pronounced blackish edges, sides of body reddish brown, slightly washed with 

 olive, and mottled by the presence of a few feathers which are edged 

 with blackish, and subterminally marked with a line of dull white ; under 

 tail coverts rufous brown, subterminally marked with a line of dull white ; 

 under wing coverts brown, those near the edge of the wing ashy ; quills dusky 

 brown below, pale ashy rufous along the edge of the inner web. 



