292 MOTACILLA MELANOCEPHALA. 



The Black-lieacled Yellow "Wagtail ranges from the Trans- 

 vaal through Eastern Africa into South-eastern Europe, India 

 and Central Asia. 



With the exception of the one specimen in the British 

 Museum from the Transvaal, this species has never been 

 recorded from south of the Equator. Regarding this specimen 

 the late Mr. J. H. Gurney writes (Ibis, 1871, p. 155): "A 

 male with a fully developed black head was sent by Mr. Ayres 

 with seven specimens of B. flava. In common with many other 

 naturalists, he does not appear to consider this form as 

 specifically distinct." 



The most western range known to me for this species is 

 Lado, on the Upper White Nile, 5" V 33" N. lat., 31° 49' 35" 

 E. long., where Emin has met with it. Along the northern 

 shores of Victoria Nyanza Mr. Jackson shot a specimen at 

 Berkeley Bay and writes : " Two or three others seen running 

 about on water-lilies and other aquatic plants in a secluded 

 nook in Berkeley Bay. First individual of this species seen. 

 In company with M. melanope." To the north-east Lord 

 Lovat shot a specimen at Lake Harrar Meyer. Along the 

 shores of the Red Sea the species has been procured at Aden, 

 and on the western side at Assus in Samhar in April. 

 Here Antinori met with an extraordinary flight of this, and 

 probably the allied species of Yellow Wagtails, which lasted 

 for some days, after which time only a few isolated pairs 

 remained. These pairs, I should fancy, breed in north-east 

 Africa, for according to Riippell, they remain in Egypt and 

 the Abyssinian highlands throughout the year. Mr. Blanford 

 writes from Abyssinia : " Common everywhere during the 

 winter, and I suspect many remain and breed in the highlands 

 of Abyssinia, for birds of this species were still abundant 

 around Lake Ashangi at the beginning of May, although they 

 had then assumed the nuptial plumage more than a month." 



