TURDUS FUSCATUS, Paii.

Clouded Thrush.

Turdus fuscatus, Pall. Zoog., tom. i. p. 451. pl. xii.

dubius, Naum. Vog. Nacht., Edit. i. Add. p. 22. pl. 4. f. 8. tom. ii. pe 288. pl. 68: fies. Ib & 2

Naumannt, Temm. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 170; tom. iii. p. 96.— Brehm, Vog. Deutsch., p. 391.—Naum.
Vog. Nacht., 2nd Edit. tom. xiii. pl. 358. figs. 2 & 3 (according to M. Middendorff).—Gould, Birds
of Europe, vol. ii. pl. 79.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p- 219, Turdus, sp. 19.—Cat. of Spec.
and Draw. of Mamm. and Birds presented to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 80.—Temm. et
Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, p. 61.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. p. 270, Turdus, sp. 6.

eunomus, ‘Yemm. Pl. Col., 514.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 270, Turdus, Sp: 7.

 

 

 

 

Tue present bird is very widely dispersed over Siberia, the northern parts of China, and the island of Japan ;
solitary individuals have been taken in various parts of Germany, and from its wandering habits it is very
probable that its range will not be confined within these limits, and that it will some day or other be
included in the list of the Fauna of the British Islands. As is the case with many others of the Russo-
Asiatic birds, much confusion exists with respect to its synonymy; some writers being of opinion that the
Turdus dubius of Naumann and the Turdus dubius of Bechstein both have reference to it; but M. Temminck
distinctly states that the latter name has been given to one of the stages of plumage of Turdus atrogularis ;
and in order to prevent any confusion arising from the ambiguous term dubius, he has given it the name
of Maumanni, by which it is now generally known ; it is certain, however, that the bird was discovered by
Pallas in the last century, and accurately described by him in his ‘ Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica’ under the
name of Turdus fuscatus, a term which, in justice to this great traveller and naturalist, I have felt it only
right to retain.

“*"To judge from the great number of specimens killed in Japan by the Dutch naturalists,” say MM. Tem-
minck and Schlegel in their recently published and valuable ‘Fauna Japonica,’ “this bird appears to be
very abundant in that country; Pallas states that he met with it in the alpine forests of Dauuria, that it
has been observed by Gmelin and Messerschmidt on the borders of the rivers Selinga, Tongooska and
Jenisséi, and that Bellings and Merk brought skins from Kamtschatka and the neighbouring islands. Besides
a specimen taken at Anhalt K6then, Naumann mentions many others killed in Silesia and in the neigh-
bourhood of Vienna; but its appearance in Europe can only be considered accidental.” Mr. Hodgson
states that this species is very rare in the Himalayas, and that examples have been collected at Chusan by
Dr. Playfair.

The male has the head and upper surface very dark brown, each feather broadly margined with pale
greyish brown, with a tinge of red next the darker colour ; wing-coverts, secondaries and primaries very
dark brown, broadly margined externally with rufous, passing’ into greyish brown at the tip ; under surface
of the wing rufous ; a broad stripe over the eye; cheeks, chin and throat buffy white ; lores and ear-coverts
brownish black ; feathers of the flanks brownish black edged with greyish white, the grey margins becoming
larger and more conspicuous as the feathers proceed towards the vent ; abdomen white ; under tail-coverts
dark reddish brown largely margined with white; tail very dark brown, edged externally at the base with
rufous ; bill olive-yellow, passing into black at the tip; feet dark flesh-colour.

The female is similar in colour to the male, except that the superciliary stripe and the throat are more
buff, that on each side of the throat there is a series of small, nearly triangular black marks, and that the
colouring of the throat and flanks gradually blends instead of being separated by a distinct line of
demarcation.

The Plate represents both sexes of the natural size.