1. MOTACILLA. 489 



of under surface of body wMte, washed with brown on the flanks 

 and sides, 



Ohs. The absence of knowledge as to the life-history of this 

 species renders it very difficult to trace the sequence of plumages 

 through which it passes. As far as I can follow it with the help of 

 Mr. Seebohm's collection as well as that of the British Museum, the 

 young would appear to moult about April into a perfectly dark grey 

 back, in which signs of approaching black plumage may at once be 

 detected ; and this leads us to determine that the first full breeding- 

 dress will be black above. It may be described as follows : — 



Adult male. General colour above jet-black from head to taU ; 

 lesser wiug-coverts like the back ; median and greater coverts white 

 with concealed black bases, forming a conspicuous shoulder-patch ; 

 bastard-wing and primary-coverts black ; quiUs black, with white 

 bases, the shafts of which are black ; the innermost secondaries as 

 well as the innermost greater wing-coverts entirely black, the former 

 with slight ashy-white edgings ; upper tail-coverta black, the 

 lateral ones edged with white ; all but the two outer tail-feathers 

 black, with slight remains of a white edging on the centre ones ; the 

 two outer tail-feathers white, the penultimate one edged with black 

 along the inner web ; head like the back ; a broad white eyebrow ; 

 lores and ear-coverts black, joined to the sides of the nape ; throat 

 white, succeeded by a black patch on the fore neck, which is joined 

 above by a narrow lino to the ear-coverts and laterally to the sides 

 of the mantle, so as to enclose a large white patch on the sides of 

 the neck ; breast and abdomen white as well as the under tail- 

 coverts ; sides of breast and flanks ashy grey ; thighs black with 

 white tips ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, mottled with 

 blackish bases near the edge of the wing ; quills dusky blackish 

 below, with a broad white base to the inner web. Total length 

 8 inches, culmen 0*7, wing 3"(j5, tail 3"7, tarsus 1. 



Wivtcr plum age. Ashy brown above with a black head, instead 

 of being entirely black above. The black collar has remains of 

 white edges to the feathers. 



We have not yet been able to examine a specimen of the adult 

 female in breeding-plumage. 



Three specimens in the British Museum difl"er from the plumage 

 described, which is that of the majority of specimens, by having the 

 sides of the body black instead of grey, the sides of the breast black, 

 and the axillaries black edged with white. I cannot believe that 

 they belong to a difi"erent species, and at present consider them to 

 be the winter plumage of very old males. 



Hah. The whole of Africa, occurring as high as the First Cata- 

 ract on the Nile and in Southern Palestine. 



a. Imm. hiem. sk. Assouan, Egypt, Feb. 18G5 Gould Collection. 



{J. C. Haii'ksliaiv). 



h. 5 juv. sk. Nubia ( Verreaux). Sharpe Collection. 



c. S ad. sk. Abyssinia. M. Verreaux. 



d. .luv. hiem. sk. Lokoju, 1!. Niger. "\N'. A. Forbes, E.-^q. [P.]. 



e. Juv. hieiu. sk. Kabba^ R. Niger. W. A. Forbes, Esq. [P.]. 



