SjÄ Iff CTRio OIL OR
PARADOXORNIS UNICOLOR, Hodgs.
Long-tailed Paradoxornis.
Heteromorpha unicolor, Hodgs. Joura. Asiat. Soc. Beng. vol. xii. p. 448, with a figure.—Gray’s Zool. Misc. p. 8 4,—
Blyth, Joum. Asiat. Soc. Beng. vol. xiv. p. 578.
Paradoxornis unicolor, Hodgs. Cat. o f Birds o f Nepal, p. I l l— Gray and Mitch. Gen. o f Birds, vol. iii. App. p. 18.
—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. p. 500, Paradoxornis, sp. 3.—Moore, Cat. Birds Mus. East Ind. Comp.
Mb. H o dgson, who has contributed so largely to our knowledge of the ornithology of Nepaul, is the
discoverer and desc'riber o f this new species o f Paradoxornis, which he considered to be distinct from the
type o f the genus, and for which he therefore proposed the term Heteromorpha: it is true that the bill is
not so deep, is less flattened on the sides, and has straighter tomise, and that the plumage is more lax and
loose in its texture; still the bird, in its general aspect, in the form of its wing, and in its large feet, is truly
a Paradoxornis; I am therefore induced to regard the differences above mentioned rather as specific than
generic.
Mr. Hodgson states that it “ inhabits the thick brushwood of the Cachar o f Nep au l; frequently alights on
the ground, but seems to feed aloft on wood bugs and other hard tree-insects ; occurs in small flocks, and
is not noisy.”
Judging from the other species, we may infer that there is no difference in the colouring of the sexes.
Specimens of this rare bird are contained in the collection a t the British Museum and in that at the East
India House.
All the upper surface, wings and tail rufous brown; the feathers of the forehead and face edged with
g re y ; breast greyish brown, passing into pale rufous brown on the abdomen; under side of the shafts of
the tail-feathers yellowish ; bill orange-yellow; feet greenish.
The figures are of the natural size.