GEOCICHLA.. 137 



683. Geocichla wardi. The Pied Ground-TJirusli. 



Turdus wardii, JenL J. A. S. B. xi, p. 882 (1842) ; id. III. Ind. Om. 



pi. viii ; Lc(/qe, Birds Ceyl. p. 453. 

 Merula wardiV (Jerd.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 163 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat, i, 



p. 402. 

 Turdulus wardii (Je.rd.\ Jerd. B. I. i, p. 520 ; Hume, Cat. no. 357 ; 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 172. 



Cichloselys wardii (Jerd.}, Hume, N. fy E. p. 231. 

 Oreocincla pectoralis, Legge, S. F. iv, p. 244. 

 Geocichla wardi (Jerd.}, Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 178 ; Gates in 



Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 97. 



Ward's Pied Blackbird, Jerd. 



Coloration. Male. The whole head, neck, breast, upper plu- 

 mage, wings, and tail black ; the lesser and median wing-coverts 

 very broadly tipped with white ; the greater wing-coverts and 

 quills tipped with white, except the earlier primaries, which, with 

 the primary-coverts, are partially margined with white ; the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts with crescentic white tips; tail with a con- 

 siderable amount of white, increasing in extent from the middle 

 feathers to the outer ; a w r hite supercilitnn to the nape ; abdomen, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts white ; sides of the body and the 

 axillaries white, each feather with a subterminal black bar ; under 

 wing-coverts black tipped white. 



Female. Upper plumage and wings olive-brown, all the wing- 

 coverts and tertiaries with buff tips, the outer webs of the quills 

 suffused with russet, the longer feathers of the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts tipped with dull white ; tail olive-brown, the portion 

 next the shafts darker, the four outer pairs of feathers tipped 

 white ; a broad buff supercilium to the nape ; sides of the head and 

 of the throat mixed buff and black ; chin nearly plain white ; 

 middle of throat and the upper breast pale huffish white, each 

 feather margined with dark brown ; lower breast, upper abdomen, 

 and sides of the body barred with olivaceous and suffused wit h 

 ochraceous ; middle of abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts 

 white. 



Iris brown; bill ochre-yellow, the tip of upper mandible black ; 

 legs and feet fleshy ochre (Hume). 



Length about 8'5 ; tail 3'3 ; wing 4-5 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from 

 gape 1'15. 



Distribution. Summers in the Himalayas from the Sutlej valley 

 to Sikhim and the Bhutan Doars up to 6000 or 7000 feet ; \vint crs 

 in Southern India and Ceylon. The chief winter-quarters of this 

 species appear to be the Nilgiris and other hill-ranges down to 

 Cape Comorin and Ceylon. It must necessarily occur over a great 

 part of India when migrating, but it has seldom been observed at 

 that period. Major Lloyd records it from the Konkan, and Jerdon 

 from Nellore in the Carnatic. 



Habits, Sfc. Brooks remarks that this species has a strange song 

 of two notes and quite unmusical. It breeds in the Himalayas 

 from May to July, constructing a nest of moss and fibres, with or 



