narrow and distinctly notched near the tip ; culmen between nostrils elevated
and rounded, towards the point of bill strongly curved; nasal fossa large and
membranous, the nostrils narrow longitudinal slits near to the edges of mandible
; wings short and rounded, and when folded they reach over the first half
of the tail; the first quill feather rudimentary, the third rather the longest,
the second and fourth of equal length and scarcely shorter than the third, the
fifth a little shorter than the fourth, and the remaining primaries diminish in
length successively. Tail short and slightly forked. Legs long; tarsi robust,
anteriorly indistinctly scutellated, posteriorly entire; toes strong, the
inner and outer toes of the same length; claws strong, much curved and
pointed.
DIMENSIONS.
Length from the point of the bill to
In. Live».
Length of the wings when folded___
In.
.. 5
mes.
the tip of the tail.....';;......... 8 6 of thé tarsus.......................... 3
of the tail..........................HR! 3 0 of the middle to e ................. .. 0 8è
of the bill from the angle of the of the outer to e .................... .. 0
mouth.................................. 1 2 of the inner toe.............. .. 0
The colours of the female differ little if at all from those of the male.
Immediately upon reaching Kurichane, this thrush began to appear in the thickets, and we
continued to acquire occasionally a specimen even in the vicinity of the Tropic. It seeks its
food upon the ground, and when so occupied, its resort is readily discovered by the natives
from the noise it makes in scratching the ground, or in displacing rubbish and decayed leaves
which conceal the insects it is seeking. The name by which it is known in the country it inhabits
is characteristic of the vigour with which it employs its feet, the nearest translation we
can give of it is the “ Ground-Scraper.”
The form of its bill, particularly towards the base, the length of its legs, and the shortness of
its tail, are all characters which remove it from the more typical species of the genus Ta rd u s
yet there is in its structure and habits what necessarily constitutes it a true thrush.