“Habits similar to those of P. basilanica. Our specimens all show the differences pointed out by Dr. Steere between the Mindanao and Basilan birds, and we consider the two birds to belong to distinct species.
“A male from Mindanao measures: Length, 174; wing, 75; tail, 51; culmen, 22; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 27. A female, length, 152; wing, 69; tail, 46; culmen, 20; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 26. Iris light yellow or nearly white; legs, feet, and nails drab; upper mandible black, lower gray.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
502. PTILOCICHLA MINUTA Bourns and Worcester.
LESSER GROUND BABBLER.
- Ptilocichla minuta Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Paper (1894), 1, 24; Grant, Ibis (1897), 230; Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 40; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 81.
Samar (Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Leyte (Whitehead).
“Sexes alike.—Feathers of the head and nape black, with heavy rufous-brown shaft-lines; feathers of back and upper wing-coverts bright reddish brown, with conspicuous, nearly white shaft-markings for their entire length; tips of feathers black; the elongated feathers of back, which reach to tail-coverts, with white shafts and white shaft-markings broad at base and narrowing at tip, edges and extreme tips of feathers being dark rich fulvous-brown; upper tail-coverts rufous-brown; tail-feathers fulvous-brown edged with rufous-brown; lores white; superciliary line white, extending as far as hind neck; ear-coverts fulvous with light shaft-stripes, the latter becoming rufous on hind neck, malar stripe black; chin and throat pure white; feathers of breast and abdomen have very broad white shaft-stripes, giving a streaked appearance to the under surface; feathers of flanks much elongated, light fulvous-brown with distinct white shaft-stripes, broadest at base; under tail-coverts colored like flanks; under surface of wing fulvous-brown, brighter on coverts.
“Readily distinguished from P. basilanica by having all the feathers of back, head, rump, and upper wing-coverts with prominent shaft-lines, by the darker color of the long feathers of the back, and by its much smaller size. Exceedingly rare. Length, 136; wing, 69; tail, 42; culmen, 19; tarsus, 24.” (Bourns and Worcester.)
“Iris dark reddish brown; legs, feet, and nails dark brown; bill black, except base of lower mandible, which is yellow.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
“‘This bird is always found on the ground; when moving it does not hop like the thrush-tribe, but has a most decided walk like the starlings. Its note is a ‘chic-chic-chic’; it is most shy and very difficult to obtain. Iris dark brown, tip of upper mandible black, lower light gray; feet brown.’—J. W.” (Grant.)