367.     Planesticus pilaris, Lin.

Turdus apud Linnaeus -  Gould, Birds of Europe, pl. 76 -  Blyth, Cat. 941 - Horsf., Cat. 270.

The Fieldfare.

Descr. - Head, back of neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts, grey ; mantle dull chesnut-brown ; wings and tail dusky-brown ; chin, throat, and breast, tinged ferruginous, with longitudinal streaks of dark brown, passing on the sides of the breast and body into transverse and cordate spots and blotches ; abdomen and vent white, with a few brown markings, chiefly on the flanks.

Bill yellow, with a dusky tip ; legs pale brownish ; irides brown.

Length 11 inches ; wing 6; tail 4; bill at front 5/8 ; tarsus 1 1/4.

The Fieldfare of Europe has been recently found, though once only, at Simla, in the N. W. Himalayas.   Adams records that it is tolerably common in the oak and pine-forests of Cashmere, but only, I presume, in the winter. The Fieldfare, as is well known, is gregarious in its habits. According to Gray, Kaup proposed for this bird the generic name of Arceuthornis; but whether limited to this, or synonymous with Planesticus, I know not.

Other Eastern Thrushes of this group are T. rufulus, Eyton (modestus, Blyth), from Burmah, the Malayan peninsula, and the Andaman islands ; T. pallidas, Gmel. (daudias, Temm.), P. C. 515, from China, which, judging from the figure, appears to be something similar to Merula castanea; T. obscurus, Gmel. (pallens, Pallas), from the North of Asia and China, and which has been killed in Europe; and T. chrysolans, Temm., from Japan and China, already alluded to. There are several African Thrushes, and many in America.