S e e b o h m Th r u s h e s ,H . X L I .
Haiihacb imp.
TURBÜS AURITUS .
J.&Keulemaos îfli
TÜRDÜS AURITUS, Verr.
CHINESE SONG-THRUSH.
Turdus auritus, Verr. N. Arch. Mus. vi. Bull. p. 34. (1870) ; id. op. cit. vii. p. 31 (1871) ; id.
op. cit. ix. pi. v. (18.73) ; Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. v. p. 103 (1881).
Turdus musicus (nee L.), Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 366.
Hylocichla aurita, Stejneger, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 464 (1885).
T. similis T. musico, sed remige secundo breviore quam sextus, et gastræi maculis nigris triquetris majoribus et
valdè conspicuis distinguendus.
T he Chinese Song-Thrush is very like our Turdus musicus in appearance, but it is distinguished by
the larger size of the spots on the under surface of the body, especially on the flanks. The crescentic
black mark on the hinder ear-cùverts, from which the specific name is derived, is hardly more
pronounced than in T. musicus, and is not a good specific character. The different proportion of
the wings, however, noticed hy Seebohm (Cat. B. v. p. 185) seems to hold good, the second primary
being shorter than the sixth in T. auritus, whereas in T. musicus it is longer than the fifth.
Abbé David, who first procured the species, states that he met with it at Moupin, in Western
Szechuen, and also at Pekin (David & Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 157). Mr. Styan has also received the
species from Szechuen (Ibis, 1894, p. .300). Prjevalski met with it only in Kan-su, which he
supposes to be the northern boundary of the species. It inhabited the wooded parts of the mountains
and was tolerably common (Prjevalski, in Rowley’s Om. Misc. ii. p. 196). The species is also recorded
by Berezowski and Bianchi as having been found by the first-named author in Kan-su (Aves Exped.
Potan. Gan-su, p. 99).
The late General Pijevalsky gives the following note on its habits in Kan-su:—“ Its song in
spring is very pleasant, and exactly like that of our Song-Thrush. We found two nests in the
middle of May ; one was constructed on the broken stump of a tree, and the other on the branch
of a willow ; both were about seven feet from the ground. In the former there were four, and
in the latter two eggs (an incomplete set). They are quite different from those of T. musicus,
being rounder, and marked on a dull reddish-white or whitish-grey ground with irregular brown
and pale reddish-brown spots and streaks. The larger diameter measures l /,-02-l"'08, the smaller
0,,-76-0H'84. The first fledged young we observed on the 30th of June.”
Mr. Swinhoe, in his list of the Birds of China (P. Z. S. 1871, p. 366) refers to this species
as Turdus musicus, and quotes a Foochow specimen in the collection of the late John Gould. He
adds^^^ I have compared this bird, in company with Mr. Gould, with other specimens of this
species. The Chinese bird does show some differences from home-shot examples, but a bird from
Malta differs still more.” The specimen from the Gould Collection is now in the British Museum,
and it is undoubtedly an ordinary Song-Thrush (Turdus musicus). Whether it was really obtained
in Foochow must remain an open question, but my own opinion is that a mistake has occurred
in labelling the specimen. Certain it is that the bird is T. musicus and not T. auritus, and
though there would be nothing improbable in an individual of our Song-Thrush wintering in