314 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXIll. 



Tkochaloptebum lineatxjm imbkicaium, Blyth. 



The Bristly Laughing Thrush. 



Garrulax imbricatus, Blyth, J, A. S. B., xii., p. 951 (1843) ; Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. M., i., p. 379 ; Gates, F. B. I., i., p. 102. 



Descnption, etc. — as in Gates, F. B. I. 



This is nothing but a geographical race of T. lineatum from its type of 

 plumage, some specimens being barely separate from T. I. lineatum from 

 Nepal. 



Section II.— (PTERGOYOLUS). 



Genus — Pterocyclus, Gray. 



Type — P. erythroce^lialum. 



Bill moderate, and rather slender, with the culmen gradually 

 curved, and the sides compressed to, the tip ; the nostrils basal, with 

 the opening large, lunate and partly covered by a membraneous 

 scale. (Gray, Genera of Birds, i., p. 225). 



Charactenstics. — Bill slender, narrow and slightly curved ; compressed 

 towards the tip, which is slightly hooked and notched ; nostrils placed near 

 the base of the bill, with a large sunken opening, the actual nostril consist- 

 ing of a long, narrow, lunate opening ; a few hairs overhanging the gape ; 

 tail, greatly graduated and longer than the wing ; Aving, the first four 

 primaries graduated. 



All the birds of this group whose nidification is known, lay spotted eggs. 

 The Southern Indian birds, I think might be placed in a sub-group by 

 themselves, they all have a dull plumage, otherwise, from the shape of their 

 bills and nostrils, and from the colour of their eggs they belong to this group. 



Key. 



A. — Either crown, or nape, or both chestnut . . T. erythrocephalum. 

 B. — No chestnut on head. 



a^. Wings brightly coloured, 



a^. Wings chiefly crimson ; tail back . . T. phcenicium. 

 b^. „ „ ,, tail crimson. T. milnei. 



c^. „ „ bright yellow. 



a'. Tail not tipped with white . . T. affine. 



\y'. Tail tipped with white . . . . T. variegatum. 



b\ Wings of a dull colour 



d". Breast rufous . . . . . . . . T. cachinnans. 



e^. „ whitish streaked ashy . . T. jerdoni. 



Trochaloptekum ekythrocephaltjm — melanostigma. 

 The Chestnut-headed Laughing Thrushes. 



This sub-section falls into two further natural sub-divisions, the first of 

 which T. e. erythrocephalum (Vigors) may be taken as the type, has the upper 

 back and breast conspicuously spotted, and extends from the N. W. 

 Himalayas, through Nepal, Sikhim and Bhutan to Assam and Manipur, 

 from thence down the Chin Hills on the West of Burma, and most probably 

 along the unexplored ranges to the north of Burma to the Bhamo HiUs. 



The second sub-division of which T. m. melanostigma (Blyth) is the type, 

 have the upper back, neck and breast uniform, and not spotted. These 

 inhabit the mountains of the Malay Peninsula, extending northwards into 

 Tenasserim, the Shan States and Karannee 



