48 COBVID^. 



Dendrocitta rufa. 



Tliis species extends over a very wide area and, as might be 

 expected, varies greatly in different portions of its range, though 

 their variations liave until now been almost entirely overlooked. 



Lanius rufus of Linue *, the name which has generally been 

 accepted as applicable to this bird, cannot be used as it is pre- 

 occupied by hiui in an earlier page of the same work. Curiously 

 enough, however, Latham* independently named it Corvus rufus 

 a few years later from a bird obtained on the Malabar coast, so 

 the name rufus will, therefore, still hold good. 



Fig. 11. — Head of B. rufa rii/a. 

 Keif to Siihspecies. 



A. Colours of head and back contrastiug 



strongly. 



a. Lighter both above and below and not 



nearly so richly coloured D. rufa rufa, p. 48. 



b. Darker and more richly coloured above and 



below D. r. vagabunda, p. 50. 



B. Colours of head and back blending with one 



another, 

 e. Tail 195 to 241 mm. ; dark dull plumage. 



a'. Darker, more brown D. r. saturatior, p. 51. 



b'. Paler and redder I), r. kinjieari, p. 51. 



d. Tail 242 to 287 nun. ; pale dull plumage Z>. r. sclateri, p. 50. 



(26) Dendrocitta rufa rufa. 



The Indian Tree-pie. 



Corvus rufus Latham, Ind. Orn., p. 161 (1790) (Malabar Coast). 

 Dejidrocitta rufa. Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 30. 



* Laniut rufus Linne, Syst. Nat., i, 1766. 



Corvus rufus Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 161, 1790. 



The description given is very poor, but it is founded on Sonnerat's plate, 

 vol. ii, p. 161. ' Voyage de Sonnerat,' and cannot be mistaken. Although called 

 "de Chine" it was apparently obtained on the Malabar Coast. Oa p. 171 

 Latham describes C. vagabunda and liere lays stress on the black head and red 

 back, evidently having obtained a N.E. Indian bird, possibly from the vicinity 

 of Calcutta. 



