MERULIN^. 511 



what pointed, 3rd quill longest, 2nd and 4th only a little shorter ; 

 tail rather short, even ; tarsus and toes moderate ; the scutse 

 distinct ; lateral toes very slightly unequal ; claws small, slender, 

 moderately curved. 



The Blue Eock-thrushes are found over the greater part of the 

 Old World (not in Australia) ; and frequent desert, rocky and open 

 ground. There are only a few species, which very closely resem- 

 ble each other. 



351. Petrocossyphus cyaneus, Lm. 



Turdus apud LiNNiEUS — Blyth, Cat. 960— P. pandoo, Sykes, 

 Cat. 64 (the male) — P. maal, Sykes, Cat. 65 (the female) — 

 Jerdon, Cat. 81 — Jkrdon, 111. Ind. Orn., pi. 20— P. longirostris, 

 Blyth, J. A. S., XVII., 150— P. affinis, Blyth, Cat. 961— 

 HoKSF., Cat. 254 — Shama, H., in the South of India, — Pandu, 

 Mahr. — Poda kachi-pitfa, Tel. — Ningri-plio, Lepch. 



The Blue Rock-thrush. 



Descr. — Male, throughout of a dull indigo or Antwerp blue, 

 more- or less marked with dusky, and the feathers of the abdomen, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts, pale tipped : in some specimens with 

 a tinge of deep ferruginous on the feathers of these parts. 



The female is dingy greyish-brown, with a faint blue or ashy 

 tino-e, greyer on the tail ; some of the feathers edged with whitish, 

 and the under-parts fulvescent-greyish, with dusky cross-bands ; 

 some being rufescent on the lower parts, especially on the vent and 

 under tail-coverts. 



In some the tail is nearly even, in others the outer tail-feathers 

 are half an inch shorter than the penultimate pair. 



Bill and legs black ; irides deep brown. Length 8| to 9 inches ; 

 wing 4^ to 5 ; extent 14 ; tail 3;^ to 4 ; bill at front j-^y to /^ ; 

 tarsus 1. 



Colonel Sykes separated the Indian Eock-thrush from the 

 European one, and in this is followed by Horsfield in his Catalogue. 

 Blyth united them in his Catalogue, but subsequently described a 

 P. longirostris from Cashmere, which he has since referred to the 

 European race cyaneus ; and on carefully examining specimens from 

 Europe with Indian ones of pandoo, in company with Mr. Blyth, wc 



