In N.E; Cachar Mr. J. Inglis found this Ouzel rather rare and only met with during the cold
weather {of. Hume,-Str. F. v. p. 30, 1877). Mr. Stuart Baker says that in Northern Cachar it is not
only very common during the cold weather, but a good many stay and nest, though the majority
migrate to the higher ranges in the Naga Hills and some to Manipur (J. Bomb. Soc. Nat. Hist. ix.
p. 137, 1894). Colonel Godwin-Austen has met with it in the North Cachar Hills at Hungrum and
on Hernes Peak, again at Asalu, and in the Naga and Khasia Hills.
In Manipur Mr. Hume noticed the species on the wooded slopes of the Barak Valley in the
western hills, but this was the only place that he found it (Str. F. xi. p. 128, 1888). Colonel
Godwin-Austen has also procured it at Aimul and Tankung in the Manipur Hills.
The Grey-winged Ouzel is universally admitted to be a fine songster, but Jerdon thinks that it is
hardly so good as the Nilghiri Ouzel. I t is tolerably common, he says, in the Himalayas, but
is rather shy, and does not show itself in the open or in gardens, like its Nilghiri congener (B. Ind.
i. p. 525).
The following a’ccount of the species is given in Mr. Oates’s edition of Mr. Hume’s ‘ Nests and
Eggs of Indian Birds,’ ii. p. 93, 1890):—g The Grey-winged Ouzel breeds throughout the outer ranges
of the Himalayas, at any rate from Darjeeling to Murree, in and about the skirts of forests, from an
elevation of say 4000 to 7000 feet. I t lays from the end of April to the early part of August, but
the great majority lay in May and June.
“ The situation of the nest varies : it is sometimes placed on the ground, in some Follow of a
massive root, or in a fallen trunk; sometimes on a ledge of rock, and sometimes in a fork of some
thick tree of moderate size, at no great elevation from the ground.
“ The nests of this species closely resemble those of the Nilghiri Blackbird. There is the same
internal wattle-and-dab framework, the same massive external coating of moss and delicate ferns, and
the same soft internal lining, in the case of this species most commonly of fine dry grass. The
specimens before me are fully inches in external diameter—beautiful masses of moss, lichen, and
dry feathery fern, standing something like 5 inches high, with deep egg-cavities, 3J inches across by
2^ in depth. As far as I can judge, M. boulboul employs less mud in the construction of its nest
than the southern allied species; but their general appearance is very similar, though the Himalayan
nests seem to be generally rather the lightest, although the largest.
“ Four is the normal number of the eggs, but I have taken five.
“ From Nepal Mr. Hodgson notes that he ‘ found a nest on the 6th of June at Jaha-powah
containing three fresh eggs; a dull verditer green, much obscured by reddish-brown freckles. The
nest measured externally 6 inches in diameter, and 2*6 inches in height; the cavity was T5 inch in
diameter and 1'6 inch in depth. The nest was in a wood, on a thick stump of a cut tree about
two feet high, and completely hidden by the new shoots springing up from the stump. The nest was
entirely composed of moss, firm and compact, and lined with hair-like fibres.’
“ Mr. Gammie says:—* I took a nest of this species out of a large tree within reach of the ground
at an elevation of about 4000 feet on the Government Cinchona plantations, Sikhim. This was on
the 20th May, and the nest contained three fresh eggs. The nest was a very beautiful, finely woven
cup, composed entirely of fine roots, but with a little green moss and a few dead leaves intermingled
externally. No mud at all had been used in the construction of the nest. The cavity measured
3*5 inches in diameter and over 2 inches in depth, and was nowhere above an inch in thickness.
The eggs were of the usual type : a delicate sea-green ground richly blotched and streaked with red
and brownish red, and with a little pale purple intermingled at the larger end, where also the
markings are more dense, in fact almost confluent.’
“ Later on, he again wrote:-^‘ This Ouzel breeds in the Darjeeling district from May to August,
most commonly about the elevation of 5000 feet, near the edges of large forests. I t sometimes builds
in forks of trees at no great distance from the ground, but its favourite position is, at the height of
20 or 30 feet, right on the summit of a stump of a Ficus-tree, from which the Bhutias have cut the
top, and pollaTded for the sake of the leaves for their milch-cows. The nest is kept in its place, and
concealed, by the upright shoots springing away from below the stump end, and, usually, the bottom
of the nest fits the end of the stem. For better concealment a little loose moss is allowed to hang a
short way down the stem. A rather isolated tree is generally chosen, the bird, I suspect, objecting
to the drip off lofty trees. In building, a neat compact shell is first made of twigs and moss, then
a good coating of mud, and finally a thick lining of fibry roots. Externally it measures about
6 inches across by 3'*2 in height; internally the cavity is 3'5 inches in diameter by 2 in depth. The •
number of eggs is four.’
“ Mr. Brooks writes to me on 29th August, 1868 :—‘ Before I left, Mr. Horne sent me two eggs
of Merula boulboul. They measure 1*33 by *9 inch and 1-22 by -91 inch ; ground-colour pale
greenish, very thickly speckled and mottled all over (almost hiding the ground-colour) with
brownish re d ; the markings quite confluent and darker on the large end. These two eggs are the
richest coloured Thrushes’ eggs I have ever seen. These eggs were takeh at Binsar, 12 miles from
Almorah, on the 8th of August. I never found the nest, but Horne found several, the earliest in
April. Indeed I myself shot a full-sized' young one in June. Horne told me that the nest was
sometimes placed on a rock-side, Ring-Ouzel-fashion, and sometimes in low trees, and was composed
principally of moss and lined with grasses.’
“ From Mahasoo, near Simla, it is recorded by. Sir E. C. Buck: * June 30th. Nest on a branch of
a pollard holly, 12 feet from the ground, in fork between branch and trunk, constructed externally
of moss and lichen, internally lined with strong dry grass and with a layer of mud below, between
external and internal layers.’ ”
Adult male. General colour above black, including the tail; wings also black, excepting the
ends of the median coverts and the outer edges of the greater coverts and inner secondaries, which
are lavender-grey, more or less inclining to white externally; entire under surface of body black, the
under tail-coverts with ashy-whitish margins and indistinct shaft-streaks; under wing-coverts and
lower surface of quills black: “ bill orange-red; feet brownish-orange; iris brown; edges of
eyelids orange-yellow” (A. O. Hume). Total length 10 inches, culmen 1*0, wing 5*65, tail 4-2
tarsus 1*35.
Adult female. Dark olivaceous-brown both above and below; the tips of the median win^-coverts
and the greater coverts lighter brown than the back and with paler ends, inclining to whitish near
the tip s; quills and tail brownish-black, the inner secondaries lighter brown on their outer webs *
throat and fore-neck with indications of dusky black streaks; under tail-coverts with pale ashy
margins: “ bill dark brown, yellow on the edges and gape; feet yellowish-brown; iris brown; edges
of eyelids pale yellow” (A. O. Hume). Total length 1Q;5 inches, culmen 1-0, wing 5*5, tail 4*2
tarsus 1-2.
Young male. Black above, with pale buff or whitish shaft-streaks to the feathers of the upper
surface; wings and tail as in the adult; under surface of body rich ochraceous-buff, mottled with
black edges to the feathers and having pale shaft-streaks; lower breast, abdomen, and under tail-
coverts black with white shaft-lines, the feathers of the abdomen mottled with sub-terminal bars of
ashy: “ bill horny-brown, reddish on the edges; feet dusky reddish-brown” (W. Davison).
The male and female birds described are from Sikhim, in the Hume Collection, and the pair
figured in the Plate are from Sikhim, in the Seebohm Collection. [r . jj g j