646. Ehyacornis faliginosus. The Plumbeous Redstart.
Phoenicura ftdiginosa, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 35. Kuticilla fuliginosa (Vig.), Blyth, Cat. p. 169; Horsf. 8? M. Cat. i, p. 308 ; Jerd. B. 2nd. ii, p. 142 ; Hume fy Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 212, pi. xv. Nymphseus fulipinosus ( Vig.}, Hume, N. 8f E. p. 322. Rhyacornis fuliginosa ( Vig. Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 50 ; Hume, Cat. no. 505 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 303 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 196 ; Oates in Humes N. fy E. 2ud ed. ii, p. 65. Xanthopygia fuliginosa (Viy.), Sliarpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 253 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 284. Chimarrhornis fuliginosa (Vig.}, Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. ii, p. 43.
The Plumbeous Water-Robin, Jerd. ; Suradum parbo-pho } Lepch. ; Chubbia nakki, Bhut.
Coloration. Male. The whole plumage dull cyaneous ; tail-coverts, both upper and lower, the veut, and tail bright chestnut ; wing black with bluish margins.
Female. The whole upper plumage dull bluish brown ; upper and under tail-coverts white ; base of tail white, the amount on the outer four pairs of feathers increasing towards the outside, the outermost feather being white with a narrow dusky margin ; lores and ear-coverts dusky mottled with white ; the whole lover plumage ashy brown, each feather with a whitish centre and a paler ashy margin ; upper wing-coverts and tertiaries brown, edged rufous and tipped with whitish ; quills brown, narrowly edged with rufescent.
The nestlings of both sexes resemble the female, and have the same amount of white in the tail, but the whole upper plurcage is closely spotted and streaked with -dull white or pale fulvous ; the lower plumage is mottled and cross-barred with brown.
Bill black ; gape fleshy white ; iris dark brown ; feet dark horny brown; claws black (Scully).
Length about 5'5 ; tail 2'1 ; wing 3 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from gape '65.
Distribution. The Himalayas from Eastern Kashmir to Assam ; the Khasi hills ; Cachar; Manipur ; Arrakan. Blyth records this species from Thayetmyo, where, however, I failed to meet with it. This Redstart is found on the Himalayas from low elevations up to 13,000 feet, according to season. It extends into China and Mongolia.
Habits, fyc. Breeds apparently in every portion of its extensive range. The nest is made of moss, lined -with hair, wool, or soft fibres, and placed on a shelf of a rock or in the hollow of a bank by the side of a stream. The nesting-season is May and June. The eggs are greenish white, thickly mottled Math yellowish or reddish brown, and measure about 76 by '6
