THE BURMESE WHITE-CRESTED LAUGHING-THRUSH. 33 
Subfamily GAKRULACIN^. 
Genus GARRULAX, Less. 
33. GARRULAX BELANGERI. 
THE BURMESE WHITE-CRESTED LAUGHING-THRUSH. 
Garrulax belangeri, Less. Bel, Voy. aux Indes, p. 258, pi. 4 ; Wald. P. Z. S. 1866, 
p. 548; £1 B. Burm. p. 107; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 122; Oates, S. F. v. p. 156; 
IIu7ne ^ Bav. S. F. vi. p. 286 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 96, ix. p. 292. 
Description. — Male and female. Base of the upper mandible, lores, 
cheeks, ear- coverts and a narrow line over the eye black ; head and 
crest, chin, throat, breast and sides of the neck white, the hinder part of 
the crest turning to smoky grey; upper wing-coverts, back, scapulars, 
rump and upper tail-coverts, the sides of the body, the vent, under tail- 
coverts and thighs rich ferruginous, brightest on the upper back ; centre 
of the abdomen white ; tail brown, tinged with rufescent at the base ; the 
inner webs of the primaries and secondaries brown, the outer webs and the 
whole of the tertiaries rufescent olive-brown. 
Bill black ; gape yellow ; mouth flesh-colour ; iris pinkish hazel ; legs 
plumbeous ; claws pale horn-colour ; eyelids purplish grey. 
Length 11*5 inches, tail 4*6, wing 5, tarsus 1*65, bill from gape 1*4. The 
female is about the same size. 
The Burmese White-crested Laughing-Thrush is found abundantly in 
all the wooded parts of Pegu. Mr. Davison states that it is common in 
Tenasserim as far south as Tavoy. Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay does not record 
it from Karennee, and it is doubtful whether it is found in Arrakan. 
The birds of this genus are most of them well known to all who wander 
in the forests on account of their loud notes, the character of which has 
caused them to be called Laughing-Thrushes.^^ The presence of a 
stranger, be it man, dog or other enemy, is at once a signal for these 
remarkable birds to break out into a deafening chorus of demoniacal 
laughter, which continues at intervals till the cause of anxiety is removed. 
They associate in rather large flocks, feeding on the ground like ordinary 
Thrushes, and moving about in trees and brashwood. They execute won- 
derful capers at times, erecting their crests, drooping their wings and 
spreading out their tails. A charming account of their habits has been 
given by Mr. Davison, which I regret is too long for me to quote. 
I have frequently found the nest of this species in May and June. It is 
VOL. I. D 
