62 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



Among the Thrushes are to be found the finest sing- 

 ers of all birds, such as the Nightingale of Europe and the 

 Shama of India. They are also much admired generally 

 for their neat and trim appearance ; though to my mind 

 far less interesting and less animated than the compara- 

 tively plebeian Babblers. 



None of them are extremely small, but the largest is 

 not bigger than a Jay. This is 



THE HIMALAYAN WHISTLING THRUSH (Myiophoneus 

 temminckii) called Kastura by the natives. This beautiful 

 bird is over a foot long, and strongly made, though 

 without the coarse appearance of most birds of the size. 

 Its colour is a rich deep violet-blue, the tips of the body- 

 feathers having a curious glazed or varnished appearance ; 

 the bill, which is strong, is yellow, and the legs black. 



The hen is like the cock, but the young are different, 

 being duller, and without the glossy tippings mentioned 

 above ; moreover, their bills are nearly all black. As 

 they are not spotted with buff like most young Thrushes, 

 for this reason this bird is sometimes, as in the Fauna 

 of British India volumes, classed with the Babblers; but 

 it does not agree with these in any other point, so that 

 I keep it here with the Thrushes. 



The Whistling Thrush is found all through the Indian 

 hills, giving place in Burma to another species which is 

 barely distinguishable, and probably not really distinct 

 (Myiophoneus eugenii). The Indian bird ranges in sum- 

 mer up to ten thousand feet, but comes lower down in 

 winter, even to the plains. It frequents the sides of hill- 

 streams, feeding on snails and other small animals. It 



