THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 235 



encircled by a broad velvety black crescent-shaped border ; on the 

 rump the ground colour passes into a dull olive yellow (olivengelb), 

 and on the feathers of the top of the head in front of the black tip, 

 it is of a pure yellow. All the .lower parts are white ; the largest 

 feathers of the flanks and belly being pure white, those of the 

 upper breast suffused with olive ; and on the sides of the breast 

 tinged with light buff colour (rostgelb). The feathers of these 

 parts, too, with the exception of those of the belly and throat, have 

 each a deep velvety black crescent-shaped border, which is very 

 broad on the sides of the breast and on the flanks, particularly in 

 the males, so that it covers a large part of the ground colour ; 

 towards the middle of the belly, however, it gets narrower, and is 

 gradually lost towards the forepart of the neck. The white under- 

 tail-coverts have only small and very narrow crescent-shaped 

 terminal spots. 



The tail-feathers are of a blackish olivaceous brown (olivenbraun), 

 the outer webs being of olive colour, which passes partially into a 

 beautiful ochreous yellow (okergelb). The greater whig-coverts 

 have their outer webs likewise of an olive colour, and their tips of a 

 bright ochreous yellow (okergelb)] the median and lesser wing- 

 coverts are deep black, but their terminal third is of a whitish 

 ochreous yellow (weisslich okergelb); this colour extends broadly 

 on the shaft as far as the middle of the feather. The under side 

 of the wing displays a very striking marking, which seems to be 

 peculiar to a whole group of eastern Asian and Australian Thrushes. 

 This marking consists of two stripes, one broad and pure white, the 

 other deep black, which spread across the expanded wing from the 

 posterior flight-feathers forward to the second flight-feather. This 

 strikingly peculiar marking at once enables us to recognise the 

 bird when on the wing. 



The tail has fourteen feathers. The upper surface of the two 

 central pairs of feathers is of an olive yellowish brown (olivengelb- 

 braun), the inner webs being somewhat darker ; in the next pair 

 the inner webs, and the lower third of the outer webs, are blackish. 

 The two next following pairs are black ; their outer webs have 

 olive-coloured edges, and they have a white spot at the tip. In 

 the next following pair the white marking is very large, and 

 extends along the shaft, where it is very blurred, over half the 

 length of the feather; only the basal portion of the outer web 

 being still black In the outermost pair of feathers the blackish 

 colour does not advance beyond their basal portions, the greater 

 portion of the inner web being pure white, while the outer web is 

 very light whitish olive coloured (weisslich olivenfarben). 



The measurements of this beautiful Thrush, as taken from seven 



