THE LIMESTONE THRUSH-BABBLER. 
61 
Genus GYPSOPHILA*, Oates. 
63. GYPSOPHILA CRISPIFRONS. 
THE LIMESTONE THRUSH-BABBLER. 
Turdinus crispifrons, Bl. J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 269 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 114 ; Wald. 
Ibis, 1876, p. 353 ; Hume, S. F. v. p. 87 ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 262 ; Hume, 
S. F. viii. p. 95 ; Bingham, S. F. ix. p. 179. 
Description. — Male and female. The whole top of the head_, the upper 
side of neck^ the back and scapulars olive-brown^ each feather edged with 
blackish ; wing-coverts, wings_, rump^ upper tail-coverts and tail plain 
olive-brown, the inner webs of the wing-quills darker brown^ and each of 
the tertiaries tipped with a minute spot of white; the tail obsoletely 
barred darker ; a very indistinct grey stripe over the eye ; the ear-coverts 
olive-brown_, with the shafts whitish; chin, throat and upper breast 
mingled brown and white, the brown presenting the appearance of stripes ; 
remainder of lower surface brown, tinged with ochraceous, the middle of 
the abdomen being more or less buffy white. 
The above appears to be the plumage in summer. In the winter the 
forehead, lores, supercilium_, chin, throat, sides of the head and neck, a 
portion of the breast and a collar at the back of the neck are pure white. 
It is, however, by no means clear whether the changes of plumage this bird 
undergoes are seasonal or whether they are due to age. Mr. Hume 
thinks it quite possible that they may be seasonal. I have only been 
able to examine three specimens, and cannot hazard an opinion. 
The irides were red, mostly deep red or rhubarb-red, in a few light red ; 
the upper mandible varied from black to dark brown, the lower from pale 
to very pale plumbeous ; the legs were a more or less dark brown, always 
tinged with red or purple of varying shades.^'' [Davison.) 
Length 7'5 inches, tail 3, wing 3*2, tarsus 1*1, bill from gape 1. The 
female is about the same size. 
The Limestone Thrush-Babbler is apparently confined to the clusters of 
limestone rocks found in the central portion of Tenasserim, at such places 
as Wimpong and the neighbourhood of Moulmein. It has not yet been 
found elsewhere. 
Mr.D avison remarks : — " This Turdinus is entirely confined to the ranges 
of limestone rocks that occur in Tenasserim. They are found singly, or 
occasionally in pairs, but more often in small parties about the rocks from 
* I propose this generic name for the bird hitherto known as Turdinus cris}v'fro7is. 
Neither its structure nor its coloration permit it to be placed in any genus known to me. 
