W. E. OGILVIE-GEAXT — AYES. 379 



TuRDiNUS FULVESCENS (Cassin). 



Turdirostris fulvescens Cass. P. Ac. Philad. 1859, p. 54 (part.) [R. Gamma]. 



Turdinus fulvescens Reich. Vijg. A£r. iii. p. 736 (1905) [part.] ; Sliarpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 120 



[Cameroon]. 

 Turdinus albipectus Reicli. Viig. Afr. iii. p. 738, pi. xxx. (1905); Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 121 



[Cameroon]. 

 Turdinus bocagei Salvad. Boll. Mus. Tor. no. 442, p. 1 (1903) [Feruando Po]. 

 Turdinus baraka Jackson, Bull. B. 0. C. xvi. p. 90 (1906) [Toro]. 



a. d . Irumu, Eturi Forest, 3000 ft., 17th Oct. [No. 3630. B. B. W.'\ 



Iris brown ; bill and feet dark horn-colour. 



Dr. Tleichennw has doubtfully referred T. cervmiventris Sharpe, from Conde, near the 

 mouth of the Congo, to the synonymy of T. fulvescens Cassin, the types of which were 

 procured by Du Chaillu on the Cam ma River, Gaboon. The British Museum possesses 

 the type of the first-named species and two cotypes of the latter, also from the Camma 

 River (Bu Chaillu), and on comparing these it is at once apparent that they belong to 

 two totally different species. I quite agree with Mr. Alexander in regarding T. albi- 

 pectus Eeichenow as synonymous with T. fulvescens. They are separated from one 

 another in Dr. Reichenow's " Key to the Species " by the length of the wing, which is 

 said to be 80 mm. long or more in T. fulvescens. This, however, is not the case and 

 the length is quite correctly given by Cassin as 3 inches ( = 76 mm.). In T. albipectus 

 the wing is said to measure 73 mm. 



The British Museum now possesses a series, both adult and immature, of typical 

 examples of T. hocagei Salvad. from Fernando Po, and there can be no doubt that this 

 name must also be added to the synonymy of T. fulvescens. 



In my opinion Dr. Reichenow has admitted far too many species of Turdinus, and 

 the bird he describes as T. bocagei is certainly the redder-winged, redder-tailed, and 

 whiter-breasted immature stage of T. fulvescens (Cass.). 



T. barakce Jackson is no doubt also referable to T. fulvescens, and is founded on a 

 nearly adult female of that species. Mr. Jackson compared it with the grey-throated 

 T.jacksoni Sharpe, to which it is not very closely allied. 



Adult males have the breast and underparts greyer, with less olive-brown on the 

 flanks and less white in the middle of the belly. 



Adult females and younger birds have the sides and flanks olive-brown and the 

 middle of the belly white, sometimes very white in younger birds. 



Totmger birds have also the upperparts, wings, and tail much more rufous, and the 

 feathers of the breast indistinctly margined with brownish-olive, producing a faintly 

 scaled appearance. 



[This Babbler was j)lentiful in the Eturi Forest, where it frequented the darkest 

 parts and was generally to be seen in small parties of four or five individuals hopping 

 along close to the ground among the densest undergrowth and continually uttering a 



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