37. HIMANTOPUS. 313 



(1873); id. Str. F. i. p. 248 (1873: Sind) ; Adam, t. c. p. 397 

 (Sambkur); id. op. cit. ii. p. 339 (1874: Sambhur, breeding); 

 Hume, Str. F. iii. p. 183 (1875 : Pegu) ; Legge, t. c. p. 373 (Ceylon, 

 breeding) ; Butler, Str. F. iv. p. 18 (1876 : Mount Aboo) ; Scully, 

 t. c. p. 190 (Yarkand) ; Butler, Str. F. v. p. 233 (1877: Deesa); 

 Murray, Vertebr. Faun. Sind, p. 258 (1884). 



Hiruantopus melanocephalus, Brehm, Vogelf. p. 324 (1855). 



Himantopus nigricollis (nee V.), Brehm, t. c. p. 324. 



Ilimantopus leucocephalus (nee Gould), Brehm, t. c. p. 325. 



Himantopus brevipes, Brehm, t. c. p. 325. 



Ilimantopus minor, Natterer, MSS. ; Hartl. J. f. 0. 18G0, p. 170 

 (Madagascar) ; id. Faun. Madag. p. 78 (1861) ; Gray, Hand-l. B. 

 iii. p. 48, no. 10297 (1871). 



Ilimantopus autumnalis, Hasselq. ; Finsch, Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. 

 p. 300 (1870: Senafe) ; id. $ Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 758 note 

 (1870) ; Gray, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 47, no. 10292 (1871) ; Gurnei/ in 

 Anderss. B. Dam. Ld. p. 315 (1872) ; Holdsxo. P. Z. S. 1872, p.475 

 (Ceylon) ; Heuyl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. ii. pt. 1, p. 1177 (1873) ; Blyth 

 # Wald.B. Burm. p. 154 (1875 : Arakan ; Karen Hills) ; Reichen. 

 J. f. O. 1877, p. 12 (Loango) ; Finsch, Yerhandl. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 

 xxix. p. 253 (1879 : Sassyk-Ala-Kul) ; Bocage, Orn. Angola, p. 470 

 (1881); Milne-Edwards fy Grandidier, Hist. Nat. Madcuj., Ois. 

 p. 635 (1882) ; Bohm, J.f O. 1885, p. 72 ; Matschie, J.f. 6. 1887, 

 p. 159; Frivaldsky, Av. Hung. p. 141 (1891); Emin, J.f O. 

 1891, p. 345. 



Ilimantopus europams, Sand, teste Gray, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 47 (1871). 



Ilvpsibates himantopus /3. niyricollis, Severtz. Turkest. Jevotn. p. 69 

 (1873 : Turkestan, breeding). 



Ilimantopus himantopus, Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 114 (Fao) ; Reiehen. 

 J.f. (). 1892, p. 8 (Mengo, Uganda, Dec.) ; id. Yog. Deutsch-Ost- 

 Afr. p. 40 (1894: Wembaere Steppes; Massai Steppes; Tanganyika). 



Adult male in breeding-plumage. General colour above black 

 with a greenish gloss ; entire back and rump pure white ; upper 

 tail-coverts pale ashy grey, the outer feathers with a certain amount 

 of white on the inner web ; wings entirely black, glossed with green ; 

 head and neck all round, upper mantle, and entire under surface of 

 body pure white ; under wing-coverts black ; axillaries white : 

 bill blackish ; feet rose-pink ; iris deep carmine. Total length 

 i3 inches, culmen 2*5, wing 9-G, tail 3, tarsus 4"65. 



The changes of plumage through which this species passes are 

 extremely difficult to understand. Young males and females are 

 at first alike, and have brown backs and inner secondaries, and 

 may be distinguished by the white tips to the inner primaries aud 

 secondaries. 



In the next plumage, when the black back is assumed, the hind- 

 neck is ashy grey, and the crown of the head is dusky brown. It 

 is possible that the white head and neck are only assumed in the 

 third or fourth season; but there is another stage, which probably 

 follows the ashy-necked one, when the forehead and lower hind- 

 neck are white, but the crown is glossy black, this colour extending 

 down the hind-neck. This may be a stage of coloration worn for a 

 very short period in the spring, as it appears to merge into the 

 pure white of the head and neck. 1 strongly suspect tli.it the species 

 has a brown-backed winter plumage, but have been unable to prove 

 it to my satisfaction. 



