TROCHALOPTERON AFFINE. 



Allied Trochalopteron. 



Garrulax qfnis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. xii. p. 950.— Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 599.— Id., Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 97 



(1869).— Gray, Cat. Mamm. &c. Nepal Coll. Hodgson, p. 83 (1846). 

 Pterocyclus affinis, Bonap., Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 373— Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. i. p. 207 (1854). 



—Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 283 (1869). 

 Trochalopteron affine, Jerd , B. Ind. ii. p. 45 (1863).— Id., Ibis, 1872, p. 306. 



Why this very fine species should have received the name of affinis I cannot attempt to say, as it seems so 

 very distinct. The only species which approaches close to it is T. blythii ; and this is distinguished at a 

 glance by the absence of the white spot behind the ear, which is so conspicuous in the present bird. 

 Very little has been recorded of its habits ; and at present we are entirely ignorant of its mode of 

 nidification. Dr. Jerdon observes : — " This rare species of Laughing Thrush may be said in some measure 

 to take the place in the S.E. Himalayas of the last {T. mriegatum). It has been sent from Bootan, Sikhim, 

 and Nepal. I saw it in thick bamboo jungle between 8000 and 9000 feet of elevation, on the road from 

 Darjeeling to Tongloo ; and I imagine that it only frequents the higher mountains." 



The last-named gentleman gives the accompanying description, which I copy from his ' Birds of India.' 

 Above rufescent olive-brown, more or less mottled with paler on the back ; rump dingy greenish, and the 

 upper tail-coverts rufous ; sides of head, lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts black, occasionally this hue even 

 suffusing the crown ; shoulder of wings and wing-coverts like the back ; a jet-black spot on the primary- 

 coverts ; winglet and the outer margin of the quills pearl-grey ; those of the secondaries and some of the 

 tertiaries greenish yellow ; the rest of the tertiaries and tips of the secondaries slaty grey ; a broad white 

 moustachial spot, and one behind the ears also white : beneath, the chin is black ; the breast rufous brown, 

 the feathers edged laterally with grey ; the belly uniform faint rufous brown ; lower tail-coverts the same, 

 but darker. Bill black; feet reddish brown ; irides brown. Length 10? inches, wing 4, tail 4i, bill at 

 front nearly £, tarsus li. 



Nestling birds, of which there are examples in the British Museum, are similar in colour to the adults, 

 the wings and tail being exactly the same as in the latter ; they are, however, more uniform both above and 

 below, without any of the greyish edgings to the feathers. 



The figures in the accompanying Plate represent the species of the size of life, and are drawn from a 

 Nepalese specimen given to me by Mr. Hodgson. 



■BHKIC 





