154 TURDID^!. 



Length about 10'5; tail 3'6 ; wing 5-2 ; tarsus 1*2 ; bill from 

 gape 1-5. 



Distribution. The hill-ranges of Southern India, from the Nilgiris 

 to Travancore, above 2000 feet, where this Thrush appears to be a 

 permanent resident. 



Habits, $~c. Represented to be a very fine songster. Breeds 

 from March to June, constructing a nest of green moss in trees, 

 and laying three eggs, which are greenish blue speckled with rusty 

 brown, and measure 1'21 by *82. 



700. Oreocincla imbricata. The Ceylon Thrush. 



Zoothera imbricata, Layard, A. M. N. H. (2), xiii, p. 212 (1854). 

 Oreocincla gregoriana, Nevill, Hume, S. P. i, p. 437 (1873). 

 Oreocincla imbricata (Layard}, Hume, Cat. no. 372 quat. ; Leyye, 



Birds Ceyl. p. 455, pi. xix. 

 Geocichla imbricata (Layard}, Seebohm, Cat. B. M. \, p. 159. 



Coloration. Resembles 0. dauma in general appearance, but has 

 the upper plumage darker olive-brown, the tips of the feathers 

 blacker, and the subterminal pale bars absent ; tips of wing-coverts 

 inconspicuous ; the whole lower plumage a rich ochraceous buff, 

 with the bars very black ; the bill is much larger, resembling that 

 of a Zoothera. 



Iris brown ; bill blackish brown, paling at the base of the lower 

 mandible ; legs and feet fleshy brown, some with a bluish tinge ; 

 claws brownish at the tips (Legge). 



Length about 9'5; tail 3-2; wing 4-9; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from 

 gape 1-4. 



Distribution. Confined to Ceylon, above 3000 feet. 



701. Oreocincla mollissima. The Plain-backed Mountain- 

 Thrush. 



Turdus mollissimus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 188 (1842). 



Oreocincla mollissima (Blyth}, Blyth, Cat. p. 160 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. 

 i, p. 193 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 533 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. ii, 

 p. 36; Hume, Cat. no. 370; id. 8. F. xi, p. 132; Gates in Hume's 

 N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 108. 



Geocichla mollissima (Blyth}, Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v. p. 159. 

 Phanaiok-kiok-pho, Lepch. ; Teliakanrim, Bhut. 



Coloration. The whole upper plumage rich olive-brown ; wings 

 dark brown, the feathers all broadly edged with olive-brown, the 

 median and greater coverts very narrowly and indistinctly tipped 

 with fulvous ; the four middle tail-feathers olive-brown, the next 

 three pairs blackish faintly tipped with white, the outermost pair 

 black on the basal two thirds of the inner web, olive-brown else- 

 where and tipped with white ; a ring of fulvous feathers round the 

 eye ; sides of the head mingled black and fulvous ; chin, throat, 

 breast, and sides of the body ochraceous, each feather with a 

 terminal black band ; abdomen white, with similar bands ; under 

 tail-coverts greenish brown streaked with white ; axillaries white 



