TROCUALOPTERUM. 97 



Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 46 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 306 ; Hume, N. $ E. 

 p. 260 ; id. Cat. no. 420 ; Sharpe, Cat. E. M. vii, p. 367 ; Gates in 

 Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. i, p. 61. 



Tarmal-pho, Lepch. ; Nabom, Blmt. 



Coloration. A black streak over the eye from the lores to the 

 nape ; 'lores and sides of head rufous ; upper tail-coverts chestnut ; 

 with this exception the whole upper plumage is rufescent olive- 

 brown, each feather with a terminal lunate black tip ; wing-coverts 

 chestnut, dusky internally ; primary-coverts dusky edged with 

 black ; winglet bluish ashy ; the outer primaries with the outer 

 webs pale blue, the others with them entirely black ; basal portion 

 of the outer webs of the secondaries chestnut, extending slightly 

 to the tertiaries ; remainder of wing black, the later quills minutely 

 tipped white ; tail bronze-colour, the tips chestnut ; lower plumage 

 fulvous, each feather with a terminal black bar ; under tail-coverts 

 and thighs castaneous. 



Legs and feet fleshy ; bill blackish, pale greyish horny at base 

 of lower mandible and tip of both mandibles ; iris brilliant white 

 with a faint greenish tinge (Hume). 



Length about 10 ; tail 4 ; wing 3*8 ; tarsus 1*5 ; bill from gape 1. 



No writer appears to have noticed the two very distinct varieties 

 of this bird which seem to be found together in every locality in 

 the same manner that Garrulax pectoralis and G. moniliger occur 

 together. In T. squamatum, to which the above description applies, 

 the tail is bronze-colour ; in T. melanurum the tail is deep black, and 

 moreover the crown of the head is ashy and the lower plumage and 

 sides of the head olivaceous. Hodgson collected both varieties 

 and he figured the latter bird. There is a very large series of this 

 bird in the British Museum and it is quite evident that the colour 

 of the tail is not a question of sex, nor does it appear to be one of 

 age. I keep the two races together at present and content myself 

 with pointing out the differences in hopes that the question may 

 be worked out by those who have the opportunity. 



Hume informs us that in this species the male has grey lores, 

 and the female fulvous-brown ones. This is certainly the case in 

 the only two specimens in the Hume Collection which are sexed; 

 but I question if the inference drawn from it is correct, as it is 

 altogether opposed to the rule which obtains in all the Cratero- 

 podince the perfect identity of the sexes. 



Distribution. The Himalayas from Nepal to the Daphla hills ; the 

 Khasi hills ; the Lhota Naga hills ; Manipur. This species appears 

 to be found from 2000 to 6000 feet. 



Habits, $c. Breeds from April to June, constructing a nest of the 

 usual form in a bush near the ground and laying from three to five 

 eggs, which are spotless blue and measure 1-2 by T87. 



93. Trochalopterum cachinnans. The Ntiyiri Laughing-Tlirusli. 



Crateropus cachinnans, Jerd., Madr. Journ. x, p. 255, pi. 7 (1839). 

 Garrulax cachinnans (Jerd.), Blyth, Cat. p. 97. 

 VOL. I. H 



