ADELUBA. 109 



Etaticilla caeruleocephala (Vig.), Blyth, Cat. p. 168; Horsf. Sf M. 



Cat. i, p. 307 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 141 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, 



pt. ii, p. 42; Hume §• Haulers. Lah. to York. p. 211, pi. xiv ; 



Hume, N. $ E. p. 322 ; id. S. F vii, p. 391 ; id. Cat. no. 504 ; 



Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 353 ; Gates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. 



ii, p. 69. 

 Adelura (Iluticilla) caoruleocephala ( TV//.), Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 240. 



The Blue-headed Redstart, Jerd. 



Fig. 32. — Tail of A. cierideicephala. 



Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the forehead, crown, 

 and nape are pale blue, each feather with a broad brown fringe ; 

 back, scapulars, upper rump, sides of neck, chin, throat, and breast 

 black, the feathers broadly fringed with brown; lores, cheeks, and 

 ear-coverts plain black ; lower rump and upper tail-coverts black, 

 with very narrow brown fringes ; tail entirely black ; wings dark 

 brown or black, the median coverts, the inner greater coverts, and 

 broad margins to tertiaries and later secondaries white ; abdomen, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries black, with white tips. In spring all the fringes of the 

 feathers are lost, the forehead, crown, and nape become uniform 

 blue, and the black parts of the plumage deep black. 



Female. Upper plumage rich brown, the lower part of the rump 

 tinged with rufous, and the upper tail-coverts ferruginous ; tail 

 brown, narrowly edged with ferruginous ; wings brown, the 

 coverts and tertiaries broadly edged and tipped with fulvous-white ; 

 the other quills narrowly margined paler ; lower plumage ashy 

 brown tinged with fulvous, becoming almost pure white on the 

 abdomen and upper tail-coverts ; a ring of pale feathers round the 

 eye. 



The nestling is mottled all over, and the young male may be 

 known at all ages by the white margins on the wings. 



Bill dark brown ; legs, feet, and claws black ; iris dark brown 

 {Hume). 



Length about 6 ; tail 2 - 7 ; wing 3*2 ; tarsus - 8 ; bill from 

 gape - 65. 



Distribution. The Himalayas from Afghanistan and Gilgit to 

 Bhutan. 1 have seen no specimen of this bird from Sikhiin, 

 and only one from Bhutan, collected by Pemberton. This species 



