352. Orocetes erythrogastra, Vigors.

Petrocincla apud Vigors - Gould, Cent. Him. B., pl. 13 - Blyth, Cat. 959 - Horsf., Cat. 252 - P. rufiventris, Jard. and Selby, III. Orn., pl. 129 - P. ferrugineoventris, Lesson - Ningri-pho Lepch.

The Chesnut-bellied Thrush.

Descr. - Head above, shoulders, and rump, bright light blue; back and wings duller blue, often more or less edged with whitish or pale brown; lores, ear-coverts, and sides of neck, black ; throat and fore-neck dull blue, edged with dusky-greyish; breast, belly, neck, and under tail-coverts, deep chesnut rufous ; tail dull blue with the inner webs dusky.

The female is ashy-brown above, some of the feathers faintly edged darker ; lores,  ear-coverts, and sides of neck, mixed fulvous and brown; a slight superciliary stripe from the gape, and spot on the side of the neck, fulvous; beneath, the ehin and .throat, pale fulvous ; the rest mottled brown and fulvous, each feather being fulvous, with a brown tip and bar.

Bill black ; legs brown ; irides dark brown. Length 9 1/2 inches ; extent 15 ; wing 5 ; tail 4; bill at front f ; tarsus 1 1/8.

In some adult males, there is a white patch apparent on the throat, formed by the base of some of the feathers, which is perhaps a sexual mark.

Young males have the head and neck brown, with pale spots ; wings and tail blue, and the lower plumage fulvous, with dark bars. The young female is dusky-brownish, with light spots above ; whitish beneath, passing to fulvous, with dark and rufous bars.

This Thrush has hitherto, I believe, only been found in the Himalayas,* generally at a considerable elevation. It is not rare about Darjeeling, frequenting high forest, feeding on the ground on various insects, and, when disturbed, taking refuge in high trees.

It is not a typical species of Orocetes ; having, by its more lengthened form and  coloration, tendencies to the last genus, with which it has generally been placed.