312 TIMELIID^. 



Group VI. HENICURI. 



The Fork-tails have many habits in comnion with the "Wagtails 

 (j\lotaciUidcp), which they also resemble in their style of coloration. 

 In the form of wing, however, they are essentially Timeliine, and 

 are placed in this family as an aberrant group. It is somewhat 

 curious that three genera so strikingly different in characters should 

 not have received names before, but, as far as I can find out, they 

 have all been hitherto included in one genus, Henicurus. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Tail longer than wing ; tail forked, the dif- 



ference between tip of centre and tip of 

 outer feather more than two thirds of the 

 length of wing 1. Henicuhxjs, p. 312. 



b. Tail and wing about equal in length, the 



latter slightly exceeding the tail ; tail 



forked 2. Hydeocichxa, p. 318. 



c. Wing much longer than tad; the latter 



nearly square 3. Microcichla, p. 322. 



1. HENICURUS. Type. 



Enicurus, Temm. PL Col. iii. pi. 113 (1824) H. leschenaulti. 



AUocoturus, Van der Soeven, Sandb. Zool. ii. p. 536 



(1856) II. leschenaulti. 



Cf . Elwes, Ibis, 1872, pp. 250-262. 



Range. India and China, ranging through the Burmese countries, 

 down the Malayan peninsula, to Java, 



Key to the Species. 



a. Back uniform, without spots or bars. 

 a'. Back black. 



a". Throat and breast black. 



a'". Rather smaller : white frontal patch 

 ending in a point on the crown; tail- 

 feathers with a white spot at tip leschenaulti, p. 313. 



b'". Larger: white frontal patch roimded pos- 

 teriorly ; tail-feathers with an oblique 



white bar at the end sinensis, p. 313. 



b". Throat only black immacidatus, 



[p. 314. 

 b'. Back grey schistaceus, p. 315. 



b. Back spotted or barred with white. 



c'. Back with a few rounded white spots guttatm, p. .316. 



d'. Back with white bars, not rounded spots .... maadatus, p. 317. 



