80 
white’s thkush. 
difference in the general form, and also of that of 
the bill, between the true thrushes and the Merula 
varia with some species from Alpine India, 
which seem all to be very closely allied to it, 
and may hereafter be found to constitute a small 
section or sub-genus. 
Two specimens of this bird have been ob- 
tained, the original one shot by Lord Males- 
bury, on his estate of Heron Court, near Christ- 
church, the other procured by Mr Bigge, and 
shot in New Forest, Hampstead. Two speci- 
mens seem also to have been obtained on the 
Continent in every way identical ; and on com- 
parison of these birds with specimens of M. varia 
from New Holland, Java, and Japan, there seems 
to be a little discrepancy between some and 
a tolerable agreement between others. Neither 
the distribution, nor the history of the British or 
European specimens, are yet understood. Mr 
Eyton thus describes Lord Malesbury’s bird : — 
“ The general colour of White’s Thrush, on the 
uppersurface, is ochraceous yellow, with a greenish 
tinge on the crown ; tips of all the feathers black or 
dusky, forming narrow transverse lunated spots ; 
auriculars with a black line extending from the 
occiput over their posterior edges ; under surface 
white, with an ill-defined ochraceous fascia across 
the vent ; all the feathers tipped with a black or 
dusky lunule, within which is one of light ochra- 
ceous ; the throat and under coverts pure white ; 
thighs dusky ; quills tipped with light ochraceous, 
the edges of each extreme web, near the points 
