357. Turdulus Wardii, Jerdon.

Turdus apud Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn., pl. 8 - 2nd Suppl. Cat. 84 bis - Blyth, Cat. 953 - Horsf., Cat. 658 - Zoothera melanoleuca, Hartlaub - T. micropus and T. picoides,  Hodgson.

Ward's Pied-Blackbird.

Descr. - Male, above with the whole head and neck black ; eye- streak, a patch on the shoulders of the wings, tips of all the coverts, especially the medial coverts, white; tertiaries and secondaries also tipped white, the latter slightly, and the primaries narrowly edged with the same ; upper tail-coverts also tipped ; tail with the central feathers slightly white-tipped, the rest of the feathers successively more  broadly so, but chiefly on the inner webs, and increasing in amount to the outermost, which has the inner web white for two-thirds of its length ; the web black nearly to the tip.

The female is pale brownish above; the eye-streak, tips of the wing coverts and of the tertiaries, fulvous-white; upper tail-coverts' and tips of the tail-feathers whitish; beneath fulvous-white, variegated with dusky; under tail-coverts pure white ; the feathers of the throat, breast and flanks, with dusky spots; axillaries pure white.

Bill and legs yellow; irides brown. Length 8 1/2 to 9 inches ; wing 4 6/10 ; tail 3 3/8  ; bill at front 3/4 ; tarsus 1 2/10.

This Pied Blackbird is spread, but very sparingly, through the Himalayas, and during the winter in the plains of India. I first procured it, through Mr. Ward, from the foot of the Neilgherries, and afterwards obtained two specimens at Nellore in the Carnatic Hodgson procured it in Nepal; and it has also been obtained in the N. W. Himalayas, where it is far from uncommon.

Those which I obtained at Nellore, in the beginning of April, were in a large mango-grove, and were feeding on the ground on various insects. They were probably then migrating to the Himalayas. Whether those birds met with, near the Neilgherries also migrate northwards, or are permanent residents on the Neilgherries, and other mountain ranges, cannot now be decided. It has also been found in Ceylon. I am not acquainted with the vocal powers of this handsome species.