353. Orocetes cinclorhynchus, Vigors.

Petrocincla apud Vigors - Gould, Cent. Him. Birds, pl. 19 - Sykes, Cat. 66 - Jerdon, Cat, 82 - Blyth, Cat. 963 - hoesf.,Cat. 256 - Krishen patti, Nepal.

The Blue-headed Chat-thrush.

Descr. - Male, head, nape, and shoulders of the wings, pale blue ; lores, ear-coverts, back and wings, black, tinged with dusky-blue on the back, and on some of the wing-coverts and quills ; a white wing-spot, formed by a white bar on the outer webs of the secondaries ; rump and upper tail-coverts ferruginous ; tail black, edged with blue ; chin pale blue; breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts ferruginous.

Female, brownish-olive above, yellowish-white beneath, tinged  with rufous on the breast, and barred crosswise with olive- brown.

Bill brownish-black; legs reddish-brown ; irides hazel-brown. Length 7 1/2 inches ; wing 4  1/10-; tail 2 3/4 ; bill at front 9/10 ; tarsus ?

This Thrush appears to inhabit the whole of the Himalayan range, migrating to the plains in winter, in small numbers. It also is found on the slopes of the Neilgherries, the upland forests of Malabar, and along the chain of Western Ghats as far north as the latitude of Bombay. It has been occasionally procured in the neighbourhood of Calcutta. It frequents forests and thickly- wooded districts, is usually solitary, though I have seen four or five together, and it appears to feed much on various fruits and berries. Mr. Blyth kept one in captivity for some time, and says that it has a sweet plaintive, and tolerably loud song, delivered in the manner of a Robin's song.

Allied to this bird is the genus Petrocincla, as restricted by Bonaparte, which includes the P. saxatilis of Europe, P. eremita of the Philippines, and two African species ; and perhaps Bessonornis, with many species, all of them African, should be placed here rather than with the Saxicolinae.