14 LAKID^. 



colour) ; webs deeply indented, but less so than in H. leucoptera. 

 Total length 11 inches, culmen 1-4, wing 9-25-9-5, tail 3-8, 

 tarsus 0-9, middle toe with claw 1-15. 



Indian birds, which are probably almost sedentary, are slightly 

 smaller in size. Some of the birds resident in South Africa are of 

 a distinctly darker hue both above and below than Northern 

 examples ; Australian specimens, on the other hand, are inclined to 

 be paler. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, or a trifle paler in general 

 tint. 



Adult in winter plumage. Upper parts of a paler grey than in the 

 breeding-season ; forehead white : crown and nape streaked and 

 mottled with black ; underparts entirely white ; bill and feet 

 reddish brown. 



Tounq in first plumage. Crown and nape blackish brown, mantle 

 mottled with brown and with warm ciunamon-brown edges to the 

 inner secondaries ; tail slightly mottled and edged with ash-brown ; 

 the rest like the adult in winter. By December the brown 

 markings are considerably diminished. 



Nestling. Down at the base of the bill black, forehead ruddy 

 fawn-colour ; upper parts paler fawn, mottled and streaked with 

 black ; undei-j^jarts white, except the throat, which is sooty black 

 for a few days. 



Hah. South-western, Central, and Southern Europe in summer, 

 and to about 55° N. lat. on migration; eastward throughout temperate 

 and warmer Asia to China ; southwards, by Malayasia to Australia, 

 as far as 35° S. lat. ; throughout Africa ; Barbados once. 



a. Pull. sk. Camargue, S. France, July H. Saunders Coll. 



(Rousillon^. 



h. S ad.sk. Andalucia, S.W.Spain, May 10 Col. L. H. L. Irby 



{L. H. L. I.). [P.]. 



c. S ad- sk. Andalucia, S.W. Spain, June 6 H. Saunders Coll. 



(S. S.). 



d, e. Ad. et juv. Andalucia, S.W. Spain, July H. Saunders Coll. 

 sk. (F. W. Forrester). 



f. Ad. ; <7, h. Juv. Valencia, E. Spain, July 26. H. Saunders Coll. 



sk. 



i. S ad. sk. Lower Volga, May {H. F. Gould Coll. 



Moschler). 



k. Pull. sk. Astrachan, July {S. F. Mosch- Gould Coll. 



ler). 



I, m. Pull. St. Algiers. Purchased. 



n. Ad. sk. Marocco. Tweeddale Coll. 



o,p. c? 2 ad. ; q, Lower Egypt {G. E. Shelley). Shelley Coll. 



r. Imm. sk. 



s. Ad. sk. Lower Egypt {G. E. Slielley). 11. Saunders Coll. 



t. Ad. St. White Nile. F. Galton, Esq. [P.]. 



u. Ad. sk. White Nile. 



V. Imm. sk. Lake Ngami (C. J. Andersson). H. Saunders Coll. 



w. Ad. sk. Kroonstad, Orange Free State. J. H. Gurney CoU. 



.r. S ad. sk. Newcastle, Natal, Dec. 6. Shelley CoU. 



y. Ad. sk. ; Cape of Good Hope. Sir A. Smith [P.]. 



z. Ad. st. 



