LIOPTILA ANNECTENS, j?/^. 



Slender-billed Chat-Thrush. 



Leioptila annectans, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xvi. p. 450 (1847).— Id. Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 337 



(1849).— Jerd. B. India, ii. p. 248 (1863).— Godwin- Austen, J. As. Soc. Beng. xxxix. p. 109 (1870). 

 Cutia annectans, Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 314, no. 4690 (1869). 

 Lioptila annectans, Hume, Str. F. 1877, p. 110. — Id. Str. F. 1879, p. 104. 



The present species has generally been considered a connecting link between the genera Cutia and Liothrioo ; 

 and its name "annectans" shows that Mr. Blyth regarded it as joining these two groups together. 

 Although its exact relations were believed by him to be with Sibia and Yuhina, I myself think that its affinities 

 are more with the Chat-Thrushes or Thamnobice, and that it is an eastern representative of the African genus 

 Cossypha. 



The range of the present species extends from Sikhim to the Khasia hills, and in the Karen and 

 Tenasserim hills it is replaced by a slightly darker race which was called L. saturata by the late Lord 

 Tweeddale. Of the latter bird Mr. Davison gives the following account: — "I only found this bird at 

 Mooleyit, quite near the top, usually in pairs, sometimes singly. I found it generally about the large trees 

 surrounding the ' sakans ' or camping-grounds — strange to say, climbing about the trunk and branches much 

 after the manner of a Nuthatch. I have also seen it hunting about the leaves and smaller branches of the 

 tree-tops. Those I killed had eaten only insects. I never remember to have heard it utter any note. It 

 was very rare even where it did occur, and I only saw some six or seven." 



The following description is of a specimen kindly lent to me by Captain Wardlaw Ramsay. 



Adult. General colour above rich orange-chestnut from the lower mantle downwards ; upper scapulars 

 black, the lower ones chestnut or bordered with black ; head, nape, and upper mantle black, streaked con- 

 spicuously with white, the feathers of the hind neck and mantle white on the inner web ; lesser and median 

 wing-coverts black, the feathers edged with ashy-grey; greater series black tipped with orange-chestnut, 

 forming a wing-bar; bastard wing and primary-coverts black ; quills black, margined with pale lavender-grey, 

 the inner secondaries tipped with white, the innermost orange-chestnut near the base of the outer web ; 

 tail-feathers black, the centre ones fringed with ashy whitish, the ends pure white on the other feathers, 

 increasing in extent towards the outermost ; lores and sides of face and ear-coverts black ; cheeks and under 

 surface of body white, the flanks and under tail-coverts orange-buff; thighs ashy with whitish edgings ; under 

 wing-coverts and axillaries pure white; quills blackish below, white along the inner margin; "bill black, 

 the base of the lower mandible yellow; legs pale fleshy brown ; iris brown " (Jerdon). Total length 6*5 

 inches, culmen 0*65, wing 3*1, tail 3*1, tarsus 0*95. 



The figures in the Plate represent two specimens, of the size of life, from the above-named skins lent me by 

 Captain Wardlaw Ramsay. 



[R. B. S.] 







