5. AETAMIA. 107 



1. Artamia leucocephala. 



Lanius madagascariensis major viridis, Briss. Orn. p. 193, pi. 19. 



%. -2 (17tiO). 

 Grande pie-giieche verdatre de Madagascar, Daubenton, PI. Enl. 374. 

 White-Leaded Shrike, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. pt. i. p. 180. 

 Lanius leucocephalus, Gm. S. N. i. p. 307 (178'.l). 

 Leptopteryx leucocephalus, Wayl. Syst. Av. p. 109 (1827). 

 Artamia leucocephala, Lafresn. Did. Univ. ii. p. 166 ; lip. C. A. i. 



p. 344; Hartl. Faun. Maday. p. 47; Sclat. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 162; 



£. Newt. Ibis, 1803, p. 348 ; A. Xewt. P. Z. S. 1865, p. 834 ; 



Grandid. Bev. et Mag. ZjoI. 1807, p. 355 ; ScMey. S,- Pollen, Faun. 



Maday., Ois. p. 83; SJiarpe, P. Z. 8.1871, -p. 318, 1875, p. 77; 



Hartl. Viiff. Maday. p. 151 ; Milne-Edw. ^- Grandid. Hist. Maday., 



Ois. pis. 154, 155. 



Adult male. General colour above, wing-coverts, scapulars, upper 

 tail-coverts, and the whole tail deep black, all the feathers externally 

 with a strong glossy green lustre ; the head all round, all the under 

 surface of body, axillaries, and the rump pure white ; under wing- 

 coverts and edge of wing like the back; under surface of quills 

 deep black ; thighs white ; bill bluish silvery grey ; feet blue-grey ; 

 iris light chestnut-brown. Total length 7-5 inches, ctilmen 0-96, 

 wing 4'7, tail 3-25, tarsus 0*98. 



Adult female. Like the male, but the whole head and hind neck, 

 the throat, fore neck and breast, flanks and rump silvery grey ; 

 middle of breast, abdomen, and axillaries white. 



Immature. General colour above olivaceous grey, more or less 

 greenish glossy ; wing-coverts and quills brownish black, externally 

 very narrowly edged with reddish brown ; tail and upper tail- 

 coverts of the same colour as the back ; head ashy grey, with a very 

 faint darker spot immediately in front of the eye ; sides of the 

 head and ear-coverts pale ashy grey ; throat and chest duU grey ; 

 flanks, breast, abdomen, and under taU-coverts light buff; every 

 feather of the under surface of the body marked with two very faint 

 cross bars of brownish grey ; edge of wing and qmlls below brownish 

 black ; axillaries whitish grey. 



Yoitnci birds, especially females, are more crossbarred, and the ful- 

 vous or brownish colour is more prominent on the upper and under 

 parts of the body, thus approaching in general appearance to the 

 specimen figured and described by i^chlegcl and Pollen as A. bemieri. 



Ohs. Two specimens, collected by Tan Dam, are intermediate in 

 colotiring between the adult female and the adult male, having 

 the silveiy-grey head and hind neck of the former and the white 

 rump and under surface of the body of the latter. Both these spe- 

 cimens have a large dark grey spot in front of the eye, of which 

 spot no trace can be seen in the adult male. In the adult female 

 this spot is just indicated by a somewhat duller tinge of the grey 

 of the head. 



Hub. Madagascar. 



