GEOCICHLA AURATA, Sharpe. 
WHITEHEAD'S GROUND-THRUSH. 
Geocichla aurata, Sharpe, Ibis, 1888, p. 478. 
G. pileo aurantiaco-castaneo : pectore aurantiaco: dorso et tectricibus alarum majoribus schistaceis, mediis albo 
terminatis: abdomine imo et subcaudalibus albis, fulvo tinctis. 
Тит Ground-Thrush was discovered by Mr. John Whitehead on Mount Kina Balu, in Northern 
Borneo, in May 1888, and the typical specimens are in my collection. 
Whitehead's Ground-Thrush has the dark upper parts of Geocichla rubecula and the pale under- 
parts of Geocichla citrina. It agrees with these two species, which are obviously its nearest allies, 
and differs from the other species of this little group, in combining the two characters—no white on 
the throat, but white tips to the median wing-coverts. It differs from every other species in the 
group in having the under tail-coverts suffused with yellow or buff. 
I am indebted to Mr. Whitehead for the following note on the habits of this species :— 
"It was not until my final expedition from the village of Melangkap to a spur that runs in a 
south-westerly direction from the great central ridge of Kina Balu, that I first met with the genus 
Geocichla in Borneo. 
“ We had passed the night in the village of the Kappar Dusans, and the following morning 
started at daybreak for the forest above the village. We camped about mid-day at an altitude 
of 3000 feet, in old forest, and, during the building-operations of our tent-house, an immature 
Ground-Thrush was seen hopping about quite close to the clearing we were busy making. Several 
days later, one or two adult birds were obtained. Geocichla aurata frequents the ground in thick 
forest, where it doubtless obtains all its food. The young at the time of my visit had probably only 
just left the protection of the paternal wing; and birds—I mean parent birds—at that period of 
their existence are often most uninteresting; so it would be difficult for me to write the domestic 
history of Geocichla aurata. When in Java I met with б. rubecula, which species also frequented 
the ground in the coffee-plantations where the low growth is cleared away by the natives. In 
November, the month of my visit, this Ground-Thrush often flew up into the lower branches of the 
large trees, whence it gave forth a short but very pleasing song." 
The adult male and female do not differ in colour, and may be described as follows :—Entire 
head and neck orange-chestnut; the rest of the upper parts dark greyish-blue, each feather with a 
darker centre; lores orange-chestnut; eye-stripe obsolete; lesser wing-coverts bluish-grey ; median 
wing-coverts bluish-grey, with concealed black bases and broad white tips; greater wing-coverts 
bluish-grey, with brown inner webs; primary-coverts bluish-grey, with dark brown inner webs; 
tertials bluish-grey ; secondaries and primaries brown, more or less margined on their outer webs 
with bluish-grey ; tail-feathers brown, suffused with bluish-grey on both webs of the central pair and 
on the outer webs of the adjoining three pairs, the two outermost pairs narrowly tipped with white ; 
ear-coverts orange-chestnut. 
Underparts buffish-chestnut, shading into white on the belly and thighs, and into pale yellow or 
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