246 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



reddish-brown back, dark fuscous wings and tail, and light smoky- 

 gray feathers on the sides and flanks. A band of dusky brownish- 

 gray feathers crosses the breast, but the middle of the abdomen, the 

 chin, and the throat are bare. The feather tracts are well indicated 

 on the chin and throat and, as they are rather unusual, may be briefly 

 described. A malar band extends from the chin caudally as far as a 

 perpendicular dropped from the auriculars. A median line of feath- 

 ers extends from the chin down the upper throat to a point in line 

 with the middle of the eyes. Two oblique, transverse bands connect 

 this with the ends of the malar bands. 



A nest and three eggs were collected at Gato River on April 13. 

 The nest is a compact, deep cup 60 mm in diameter (outside measure- 

 ments) and 33 mm deep (inside dimension). It is made of dry plant 

 fibers, fine rootlets, and dead grasses, abundantly hung on the outside 

 with white, papery seed pods (8 and 9 mm long and 5 or 6 mm wide), 

 grayish "leaf skeletons," and pieces of dead leaves. The support is 

 from beneath, the nest being saddled in a crotch formed by four 

 small twigs. The eggs are whitish suffused somewhat with pinkish, 

 chiefly at the large pole. A circle of large, dull, clouded grayish- 

 brown spots and blotches is present near the large pole, and a few 

 blotches are present on each side of this band. Measurements — 20.5 

 by 15.5 mm. According to Mearns, a male white-tailed bird was seen 

 in the same tree as the nest. 



Along the Hawash River, Mearns saw this species occasionally, 

 usually in pairs. The call note is recorded as a long single note, 

 softly whistled. In another entry Mearns writes that "the long, 

 white-tailed flycatcher is one of the shiest birds; but when the old 

 male fancies himself alone and secure, he bursts forth in loud cries 

 of pee-wee-ioee^ often repeated. The alarm note is a chirp, and it 

 also utters a soft, round, single note, probably a call to the female." 



Family MOTACILLIDAE, Wagtails, Pipits 



MOTACILLA ALBA ALBA Linnaeus 



Motacilla alha Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 185, 1758: Europe; Sweden 



(Hartert). 

 Spectmens coiJaEcted: 



1 male, 1 female, Djibouti, French Somaliland, November 22, 1911. 



3 males, Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, December 4-19, 1911. 



1 female, Sadi Malka, Ethiopia, December 20, 1911. 



The white wagtail is another European bird that winters in Africa, 

 south as far as Gambia, northern Nigeria, the northern Belgian 

 Congo, southern Uganda, and south-central Kenya Colony. The 

 Indian race, dukhuensis, characterized by its lighter grayish upper- 

 parts, is said to migrate to Arabia, southern Ethiopia, and northern 

 Kenya Colony, but this is not definitely known as yet. The present 



