THE SHAMA 17 



except the thighs which are white. The 

 rump and the upper tail-coverts are white ; 

 and durins: excitement when the hird 

 puffs up its whole plumage, the downs on 

 these two parts show conspicuously in two 

 fluffy patches of snowy whiteness. The 

 wings are dark brown, and the primaries 

 eda^ed with lisrhter brown. The tail of the 

 Shama is a very important part of its 

 anatomy inasmuch as the length of the 

 tail gives to this extremely graceful bird 

 much of its grace. The central tail-feathers 

 are the longest while the lateral are muck 

 graduated, which means that they gradually 

 become shorter on both sides. The t^Yo 

 pairs of central tail-feathers are completely 

 black, while the others are white at the end, 

 the white increasing gradually on the outer 

 feathers. The l)asal end is always black. 

 The line of demarcation between the black 

 and the white is drawn in an irregularly 

 slanting direction. 



This pleasing coloration is denied to tlie 

 less assuming female Shama, in which black 



