TURDINiE. 49 



lected by Mr. Ringer at Nagasaki ; and Mr. Pryer has recorded it 

 from the central group of the Loo-Choo Islands (Seebohm, Ibis, 1887, 

 p. 174). 



Eggs of this species in the Pryer collection resemble finely streaked 

 examples of those of the Blackbird. 



The nest is made of much coarser materials than that of Merula 

 cordis, and is composed of twigs bound together with long fibres of 

 grass. It is placed in bushes. This bird is said to be a sweet songster 

 (Biakiston and Pryer, Trans. As. S<oc. Japan, 1882, p. 166). 



Dr. Stejneger has described what he supposes to be a new species 

 of Thrush from the mountains north of Yokohama, under the name 

 of Turdus j'ouyi (Stejneger, Proc. United States Nat. Mus. 1887, 

 p. 4) . It is said to have a smaller bill, and to be more or less sufl^used 

 with chestnut on the axillaries and under wing-coverts. The ex- 

 amples obtained were a breeding pair, but both appear to have been in 

 female plumage. They were probably birds of the previous year of 

 Merula chrysolaus, possibly of a late brood, and more immature than 

 usual. The colour of the axillaries is more liable to variation than 

 that of some other parts. In Merula fuscata it varies from pale grey 

 to deep chestnut, and in Merula cordis from slate-grey to orange- 

 chestnut. I have five examples of Merula obscura in which the 

 axillaries are suffused with buff; and there is an example of Merula 

 chrysolaus itself in the Paris Museum, collected by I'Abbe Pauire near 

 Hakodadi, in which the axillaries and under wing-coverts are con- 

 siderably suffused with buff'. 



9. MERULA OBSCUEA. 



(DUSKY OUZEL.) 



Turdus obscurus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 816 (1788). 



The Dusky Ouzel has pale grey axillaries and a white eye-stripe, a 

 combination found in no other Japanese Thrush. The white patch 

 at the tip of the outer tail-feathers is small, and the upper parts are 

 olive-brown. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, pi. 27 

 (male adult and bird of the year) ; Dresser, Birds of Europe, ii. pi. 9 

 (male adult, and young in first plumage) . 



The Dusky Ouzel is a very rare winter visitor to Japan. There are 



