112 TTJEDIDJi. 



The White-tailed Blue Robin frequents the ground, flying up 

 into trees when disturbed, and expanding and closing its tail 

 frequently. It does not appear to be shy, and it is said to be very 

 silent. 



659. Notodela leucura. The White-tailed Blue Robin. 



Muscisylvia leucura, Hodys. P. Z. S. 1845, p. 27. 



Myiomela leucura (Hodqs.}, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 280 ; Jerd. B. I. 



ii, p. 118; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 161 ; Blyth $ Wald. 



Birds Burm. p. 100 ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 334 ; Hume, Cat. 



no. 477 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 23 ; Hume, 8. F. xi, p. 190. 

 Notodela leucura (Hodgs.), Blyth, Cat, p. 166 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 306 ; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 23 ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. 



ii, p. 70. 

 The White-tailed Blue Chat, Jerd. ; Mangshia, Lepch. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead, eyebrow, and the smaller upper 

 wing-coverts near the bend of the wing bright cobalt-blue ; the 

 whole upper plumage black suffused with blue ; lores, sides of the 

 head and neck, and lower plumage deep black, with a few of the 

 feathers of the abdomen fringed with blue ; a concealed patch of 

 white on the side of the neck ; wings black with bluish edges ; 

 tail black, all the feathers except the outermost and the middle 

 pair with a large patch of white on the outer web, increasing in 

 size towards the middle of the tail ; under tail-coverts fringed with 

 white. 



Female. The whole plumage rufescent brown, and the exposed 

 parts of the closed wings and tail bright ferruginous ; no concealed 

 white spot on the side of the neck : tail brown with white patches, as 

 in the male, but smaller in extent ; the feathers of the chin, throat, 

 lores, and sides of the head with paler shafts ; a ferruginous ring- 

 round the eye. 



The young are reddish brown, with bright shaft-streaks and 

 with ferruginous tips to the feathers of the upper wing-coverts ; 

 the white patches on the tail-feathers are present from the earliest 

 age ; in the young male the tail and wings are black, in the female 

 rufous ; the adult plumage appears to be acquired by a moult when 

 the young are about a year old. 



Bill, legs, feet, and claws black ; iris deep brown (Hume $ 

 Davison). 



Length about 7 ; tail 3 ; wing 3'8 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 

 9. 



Distribution. Nepal, Sikhim, the Daphla hills in Assam, the Khasi 

 hills, Cachar, Manipur, Karennee, Muleyit mountain in Tenasserim. 

 Blyth. in his catalogue, recorded a specimen obtained by Hutton 

 at Mussoorie, but no specimen is contained in the British Museum 

 from any locality west of Nepal. This bird is found from about 

 4000 to 9000 feet, and appears to be a constant resident in the 

 parts it affects. 



Habits, fyc. Breeds in April and May, constructing a cup-shaped 

 nest of roots and leaves, sometimes hooded, on the ground under 



