510 Birds of Celebes: Turdidae. 



Fischer also sent four examples of this Thrush from some parts of the 

 Minahassa, but up to the present specimens are rare in collections. Meyer, 

 who met with it at three places near Manado, including the churchyard of the 

 Europeans there, remarked that it lived on the ground, was very shy and only 

 to be shot from far. Platen met with it in a journey from Rurukan to Mount 

 Klabat on the banks of a marsh in the virgin forest, and the Sara sins got it 

 at Rurukan and Tomohon. Beetles were found in the stomach by Meyer. 



G. erythronota is most like G. dohertyi Hart, of Lombok, which has a black 

 head. G. interpres Temm. of Java, Sumatra and Lombok, with which species 

 Mr. Gates (Faun. Br. Ind. B. II 1890, 138) believes G. avensis of Malacca to be 

 identical, may, as Seebohm points out, be distinguished by its having the back, 

 rump, wings and tail brown or slate- grey, the former colour being apparently 

 that of the females, or a seasonal or immature dress. Mr. H. O. Forbes (6) 

 describes his G. machiki of Timorlaut as intermediate between G. erythronota and 

 G. rubiginosa S. Miill. ( = G. peroni V.) of Timor, but it is at once distinguished 

 by its chin, throat and breast, which are huffish white, not black. 



GENUS MERULA Leach. 



The genus Merula is separable from Turdus only as a "colour-genus", the 

 adult males of the former having lost all appearance of spots, and the sexes 

 are usually dissimilar. 



Culmen about as long as the cranium; tomia slightly notched ; rictal bristles 

 moderate ; wing pointed, moderately long, the tip formed by the 3''* — S**" pri- 

 maries, the 2""^ rather shorter, the 1^' very small; tarsi and feet moderately large; 

 tail shorter than wing, square. 



Range: Europe, Asia to Australia, South America. Many, if not all, of 

 the tropical species are inhabitants of the mountains. 



+ * 210. MERULA OELEBENSIS Biitt. 

 Celebes Blackbird. 

 Plate XXXV. 



Merula celebensis (1) Blittik., Notes Leyden Mus. 1893, XV, 109; (2) Seeb., Ibis 1893, 

 •222; (3) Hart., Nov. Zool. 1896, 150, 165; (4) id., ib. 1897, 155. 



Adult male. Ujjper surface sepia (greener in a second example), darkest on the upper 

 tail-coverts and pi-imaries, tail itself blackish, palest and more olivaceous towards the 

 forehead; face, throat and chest, under wing-coverts and thighs similar grey- 

 browu, but paler; flanks and under tail-coverts more olivaceous, the latter with 

 whitish mesial streaks and tips, and the longest flank-feathers mostly white; lower 

 breast, abdomen, and sides dark orange-rufous; remiges below shining dusky, 

 with pale shafts; tail below blacker {(^, Lompo Batang, S. Oel., c. 2000 m, 16. X. 

 95: P.&F. Sarasinl 



