UROLESTES MELANOLEUCUS 233 
Adult female. Differs from the male in haying a portion of the long, 
- lanceolate feathers of the flanks white. Wing 5-2, tail 11-5. Transvaal, 
9 7. 7.73 (Buckley). 
Young. General colour above blackish-brown, most of the feathers edged 
with clearer brown, especially on the wing-coverts; scapulars white, tinged 
with brown at the tips; quills blackish, their tips and basal halves white ; 
lower back and rump greyish; tail black; sides of face and under surface 
of body bronzy, the feathers edged with fulvous; a patch of brownish-white 
on the flanks ; the tail not tipped with white. 
The Magpie Shrike ranges from eastern Cape Colony 
northward into Benguella on the west, and to the Equator 
in Hast Africa. 
Dr. Reichenow divides the species, at the Zambesi, into 
two, a southern and an east African species, and Mr. Oscar 
Neumann has proposed to separate the German §.-W. African 
birds as a subspecies, U. melanoleucus damarensis, but I fail 
to find any characters whatever for distineuishing these races. 
In several specimens from its southern range, in the British 
Museum, there is no brown shade on the plumage, and the 
white tips to the tail-feathers, which easily get worn off, are 
most strongly marked on one of the specimens from Damara- 
land, and are visible in others from Natal, the Transvaal and 
Nyasaland. 
The species is abundant in Benguella and Mossamedes and 
is known to the natives as the ‘‘ Bitocatoca,”’ according to 
Anchieta, who collected specimens at Quillengues, Huilla, 
Gambos and Humbe, while others have been obtained by 
Kellen in the Upper Cunene district. In German 8.-W. 
Africa, Chapman found it “not uncommon in the lake regions, 
but a scarce bird in the southern parts of Damaraland. 
Gregarious; at times very noisy, more especially if a bird of 
prey is approaching. Of such it entertains no fear, but 
warns the smaller birds of the enemy. ‘The moment the 
alarm cry of U. melanoleucus is sounded every little fellow 
