PHYLLORNIS JERDONI.
Jerdon’s Phyllornis.

],

Phyllornis Jerdoni, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng,, vol. xii. p. 392, vol. xiv. p. 566.—Ib. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat.
Soc. Calcutta, p. 212.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., vol. i. p. 396, Phyllornis, sp. 4.—Jerd. Ill. Ind. Orn.,
Index.—Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 259.—Layard in Ann.
and Mag. Nat. Hist., 2nd ser. vol. xii, p. 176.

Chloropsis Jerdoni, Jerd. Tl. Ind. Orn., pl. 43.—Ib. Madras Journ. of Lit. and eel, vol. xi pt mp, 124.

——— Casmarhynchus, Gray, in Griff. An. Kingd., vol. vi. p. 391.

—_.— cesmarhynchos, Tickell, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xi. p. 577.—Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soe. Beng.,
vol. xii. p. 956.

Phyllornis casmarhynchus, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i, p. 124, Phyllornis, sp. 5.

—————- cochinsinensis, Jerd. Madr. Journ. of Lit. and ct., vol. x. p. 247, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng.,
vol. xii. p. 957.

Blue-chinned Thrush, var. A, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. 93 (young).

 

I wave much pleasure in adopting Mr. Blyth’s name of Jerdoni for this species of Phyllornis, as by so doing
I shall assist in perpetuating the name of a gentleman who has contributed so largely to our knowledge of
the birds of the Indian peninsula, and whose scientific papers on the ornithology of that part of our Eastern
possessions so justly entitle him to the distinction of having one of its fine birds named after him.

“This species,” says Mr. Jerdon, ‘is spread over a great part of the continent of India, wherever there is
a sufficiency of woodland ; it is extremely common in all the western provinces, and in the jungles of the
Eastern Ghauts, but it is rarely met with in the open country of the Carnatic, Mysore, or Hydrabad, and
there only in the vicinity of well-wooded towns. It is usually met with in pairs, flitting about the extreme
branches of trees, examining the leaves for various insects, after which it occasionally takes a short flight of
a foot or two, searching for some suitable fruit. It has a somewhat varied note, its usual call being, as
Mr. Blyth remarks, not unlike that of the King Crow (Dicrurus macrocercus), though softened down and
mellowed, and occasionally is very agreeable. I have seen a nest of this species in the possession of
S. N. Ward, Esq.; it is a neat but slight cup-shaped nest, composed chiefly of fine grass, and was placed
near the extremity of a branch, some of the nearest leaves being, it was said, brought down and loosely
surrounding it. It contained two eggs, white, with a few claret-coloured blotches; its nest and eggs, I
may remark, show an analogy to those of the Orzoles.”

Captain Tickell informs us that ‘this bird is a beautiful songster and an excellent mocker, and imitates
the notes of almost every small bird of the country.”

In the volume of the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ above referred to, Mr. Layard says the
bird is “‘ extremely common in the south of Ceylon, but rare towards the north; it feeds in small flocks on
seeds and insects, and builds an open cup-shaped nest. The eggs, four in number, are white, thickly
mottled at the obtuse end with purplish spots.”

The male has the face, chin and throat deep velyety black, with a shining small blue moustache within
the black below the angle of the lower mandible; general plumage green, lighter beneath, and passing
into a yellow hue on the forehead and round the black gorget; shoulders verditer blue; primaries and
secondaries brownish black on their inner, and green on their outer webs; tail grass-green ; irides brown ;
bill brownish black ; legs greenish grey.

The female differs in having the throat pale verditer green and the moustache bluish green.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the size of life, on the Thunbergia Harrisi.