IANTHOCINCLA OCELLATA.
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IANTHOCINCLA OCELLATA.
Ocellated Ianthocincla.
Cinclosoma ocellatum, Vig. in Proc. of Comm, of Sci. and Corr. o f Zool. Soc., part i. p. 55.— Gould, Cent, of Birds,
pi. xv.
Garrulax ocellatus, Blyth, Joum. Asiat. Soc. Beng., voi. xii. p. 951, voi. xiv. p. 599.—Id. Cat. of Birds in Mus.
Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 96.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 255, Garrulax, sp.—Gray, Cat.
o f Mamm. and Birds pres, to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 82.—Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds
in Mus. East-Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 205.— Jerd. Birds of India, vol. ii. part i. p. 41.—Id. Ibis, 1872,
p. 304.
Crater opus ocellatus, Blyth, Joum. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xi. p. 179.
Janthocincla ocellata, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., tom. i. p. 371, Ianthocincla, sp. 1.
Lho-karreumpho of the Lepchas (Jerdon).
T h e present species is figured in my ‘ Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains,’ and is here repeated
to show the slight difference which exists between it and the Chinese Ianthocincla Artemisiæ. M. Verreaux
states, on the authority of the Abbé Armand David, that the latter differs from the former in having the spots
with which it is ornamented yellowish, and not white : but on reference to my fine specimens I find these
markings are not constant as regards colour ; for in some they are white, in others they are buff. Neither is
the colouring of the bill, which is also pointed out as a distinguishing character, to be depended upon ; still it
is darker in the Chinese bird than in its western ally. They are clearly representatives of each other in the
respective countries they inhabit.
The late Mr. Jerdon states that he had “ seen no record o f this handsome bird having been procured
elsewhere than in Nepaul and Sikkim. About Darjeeling it is not found below 8000 feet, and is most abundant
between that elevation and 10,000 feet.” He “ saw it between Darjeeling and Tongloo in large flocks,
with a fine loud clear call, which, when began by one, was immediately answered on all sides. I t was feeding
on various fruits and seeds.
“ Captain Bulger mentions the fine clear and mellow notes of this bird, and says they sounded to him like
‘ away, away, awed,’ whistled in rapid succession. The birds not only (he says) answered one another, but
they replied readily to the imitation o f this call.|P^p
The following is Dr. Jerdon’s description of this bird “ Forehead, sides of the head, and body above
reddish brown ; top of the head and the front of the neck blackish brown ; nape, back, wings, and upper
tail-coverts marked with white ocelli, black anteriorly ; quills and lateral tail-feathers greenish dusky, with
white tips ; outer webs of the middle quills grey, showing a grey alar band ; lower wing-coverts variegated
with red, black, and white ; beneath, the breast whitish rufous, with black bands ; abdomen pale rufous ; bill
yellowish, dusky on the ridge and tip ; legs dull yellow; irides yellow brown.”
There appears to be little or no difference in the colouring of the sexes.
The -figures are of the size of life.