i f ; '!■: GEUCICHLA DAUMA.
, '2 H i PARVIROSTRIS
GEOCICHLA DAUMA {Lath.).
THE SMALL-BILLED GROUND-THRUSH.
Dauma Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. p. 145 (1790).
Turdus dauma, Lath. Ind. Om. i. p. 362 (1790):
Oreocincla parvirostris, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 136.
Turdus varius (nec Pall.), Jerd. Madr. Joum. x. p. 254 (1839).
Turdus whitei (nec Eyton), Blyth, Ann. Nat. Hist. xii. p. 98 (1843).
Oreocincla dauma, Blyth, J. A. S. Beng. xvi. p. 142 (1847).
Geocichla dauma,, Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. v. p. 154 (1881).
G. suprk olivaceo-brunnea, nigro lunulata: pileo notaeoque ochrascenti-fulvo variegatis: rectricibus 12:
remigibus 3, 4, et 5 (minime 6) indentatis : al& 152-134 millim.
This Ground-Thrush breeds on the hill-ranges of the Himalayas, up to 7000 feet, from Huzara
and Kashmir to Assam and the Burmese hills. In the cold* season it visits the plains, and has
been found in Behar and other portions of Bengal, Chutia Nagpur (Ball, Str. F. ii. p. 408, 1874),
and Orissa (Ball, Str. F. vii. p. 213, 1878), while Jerdon records it from Central India, as far
south as the Wynaad (B. Ind. i. p. 532); but I expect that the bird here intended is really
O. nilgiriensis. It is found in Upper Pegu, and is probably a cold-weather visitant to all portions
of the Indo-Burmese countries (Oates, B. Burm. i. p. 6). Major Wardlaw Ramsay met with the
species in the Karen Hills at 5000 feet in April (Ibis, 1877, p. 462).
The alleged occurrence of G. dauma on the island of Heligoland (Gatke, Yogelwarte
Helgoland, p. 245) is an error. The specimen in question is in the Museum of Lund, and was
originally bought about the year 1836 from the dealer Brandt in Hamburg by Baron von Gyllenkrog,
and after his death it became the property of the Lund Museum. Brandt sold it as having been shot
on the island of Fuhnen or Fyen, south-east of Jutland, but Gatke maintains that it came from
Heligoland. I have carefully examined this specimen, and that it originally came from North-east
Australia is certain enough, but whether it was brought from the Antipodes by an enterprising
sea-captain, or found its way by easy stages halfway round the world to a Danish seaport, it were
idle to guess. There can be no doubt as to what the species is, viz. Geocichla heinii of Cabanis,
and G. iodura of Gould. The type of G. heinii is in the Museum of Oberamtmann Ferdinand
eine at Halberstadt, who purchased it of a dealer (probably the same Brandt of Hamburg)
as having come from Japan!
The statements that G. dauma has occurred near Vienna (Pelzeln, Verh. zool.-bot. Gesellsch.
len, 1871, p. 703) and in. Italy (Giglioli, Avifauna Italica, 1886, p. 103) cannot be regarded as
supported by satisfactory evidence.
he Zoological Society of London possesses a valuable manuscript work on Indian ornithology,
written nearly half a century ago, by Colonel Tickell, and illustrated by original water-colour
rawings. This work contains some interesting particulars respecting the habits of this Ground-
rus . Colonel Tickell met with the species in its breeding-grounds near Darjiling, 5000 feet
ove sea-level, but it was presumably near the end of its summer stay on the hills, as he states
v o t . I.