284 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 



always noticed about the skirts of the central woods, often 

 alighting on the ground and runuing along pretty quickly, and 

 feeding- in damp spots. Mr. Hodgson gives a good figure of 

 the species in his drawings. 



358.— CJeocichla dissimilis, Ely. 



Female, Sheo-puri Forest^ 18iA May, — Length, 8 ; expanse, 

 12-9; wing, 4'2 ; tail, 3'15; tarsus, TO; bill from gape, I'O ; 

 bill at front,, 0*7; closed vsings short of tail, 1'5. 



Bill yellowish dusky ; gape yellow ; irides deep brown ; 

 feet fleshy yellow ; claws horny yellow. The upper tail- 

 coverts reach to within 1*15 of the end of the tail ; the 

 rectrices and upper tail-coverts are faintly cross-barred with 

 dusky, and there is a naked spot behind the eye ; the 

 sides of the breast and flanks are bright ferruginous, the upper 

 breast being spotted with dark brown. This specimen differs 

 from my Nepal example of unicolor (which is also a female) in 

 being smaller and more brown above, in the orbits and 

 supercilium being buffy, in wanting the ashy rump, in having 

 the bill broader at the base and not so deep as in unicolor, but 

 most markedly in having the sides of the breast and flanks 

 ferruginous instead of dull olive brown. It unquestionably 

 belongs to the species figured in the Ihis, 1871, Plate VII, and 

 there called by Dr. Jerdon Geociclila dissimilis. Amongst Mr. 

 Hodgson's drawings there is also a plate of this species very 

 similar to the one given in the Ibis in illustration of Dr. Jer- 

 don's Supplementary Notes to the Birds of India. Mr. Hume 

 has a specimen from Nynee Tal, labelled dissimilis, which 

 exactly resembles the figure in the Ibis above referred to ; but 

 an examination of a series of unicolor in his collection leads 

 one to doubt whether the females of dissimilis and unicolor can 

 always be satisfactorily discriminated. So many competent 

 authorities have considered the two forms distinct that I dare 

 not even suggest a doubt as to the correctness of their views ; 

 but I hope that Mr. Hume will, in an early number of " Stray 

 Feathers,^' give us a note on the specimens of S. unicolor 

 and dissimilis in his museum, with reference to this 

 point. * 



This species was only notic ed in the Sheopui-i Forest, in 

 May, at an elevation of about 7,500 feet. It was decidedly 

 rare, and the only specimen obtained flew out of some 

 bushes and perched on the branch of an oak tree, where it 

 was shot. 



* As I mentioned to Dr. Scully wlien he examined my pretty large series, I do not 

 believe in the distinc tness' of the two forms. All Blyth's museum specimens are in my 

 opinion unicolor. 



