Birds of Celebes: Turdidae. 



511 



"Bill yellow, above blackish; eyelid sulphui-yellow; iris sepia; legs yellow-brown" 

 (P.&F. S.). 



Female. Browner on the breast (Hartert). 



Young. Above warmer brown (bistre) than the adult, darkest on the head, palest on the 

 rump, tail blackish; on the mantle and scapulars some fulvous shaft-streaks; the wing- 

 coverts vfith rufous tips; under-parts rufous, less clear than in the adult, spotted 

 with dusky, most thickly on the breast; crissimi whitish; thighs grey-brown and 

 cinnamon; suj^ercihary stripe, eyehd, and submalar stripe fulvous rufous, below the 

 last a dark stripe on either side of the throat {(^ juv., Lompo Batang, c. 2400 ui, 

 6. XI. 95: P.&F. Sarasin). 



Measurements. 



Bill from 

 nostril 



13 



13.5 

 12 



a. (SarasinColl.) c?ad., LompoBatang, c. 2000m, 16. X. 95 

 ft. (SarasinColl.) ad., Lompo Batang, c. 2600m, 15. X. 95 



c. (SarasinColl.) rf juv., LompoBatang, c. 2400m, 6. XL 95 



d. (SarasinColl) q^ juv., LompoBatang, c. 2400m, 6. XI. 95 



Distribution. South Celebes (Teijsmann 1), Bonthain Mountains (P. & F. Sarasin, Everett 3, 

 Doherty 4). 



It is pointed out by Mr. Biittikofer that this species is "very closely 

 allied to M. javanica, but more olive-green, instead of brown, on back, rump, ujjper 

 tail-coverts, upper vping-co verts and scapulars, the chestnut colour on the under 

 surface richer and reaching higher, covering the whole breast, and the white 

 subterminal spots on the sides of the rump much larger and more numerous". 



Other species nearly related to it are M. ivhiteheadi Seeb. of East Java, 

 distinguishable from the West Javan form by the much more pronounced white- 

 ness of its head; M. seehohmi Sharj^e of Kini Balu, Borneo, of a blacker plumage; 

 M. schlegeli (Sclat.) of Timor, pale above, with the entire abdomen and anal region 

 chestnut like the breast and sides, not white; M. ceiaenops Stejn. of the Parry 

 and Bonin Islands, also, according to Seebohm, an allied form, with a black 

 head and neck in the male sex. Seebohm remarks that in the tropics the 

 species of the genus Merula seek the greatest elevations that they can find. 

 Thus, M. javanica is known from an elevation of 8000 — 10,000 feet in West 

 Java, M. ivhiteheadi from 7000 feet in East Java, M. seehohmi is most plentiful 

 at 9000 feet on Kini Balu, was never observed below 8000, but was seen as 

 high as 12,000 feet (Whitehead, Ibis 1889, 268), M. schlegeli was obtained by 

 Salomon Milller in the Penpoan Valley in the mountainous interior of Timor 

 (Buttikofer). Although the type of M. celebensis is labelled "Macassar" it is more 

 likely that it came from the high mountains 20 — 30 miles away in the interior 

 of the Southern Peninsula, where Lompo Batang attains to a height of nearly 

 10,000 feet. On these mountains at heights of 6000 feet and upwards it was 

 found by the Sarasins, Everett, and Doherty. 



