48 CORVID^E. 



Dendrocitta rufa. 



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

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

 their variations have until now been almost entirely overlooked. 



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

 accepted as applicable to this bird, caunot be used as it is pre- 

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

 enough, however, Latham* independently named it Corvus rufun 

 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 D. rufa ruja. 

 Key to Subspecies. 



A. Colours of head and back contrasting 



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. 



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



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



b'. Paler and redder D. r. kinneari, p. 51. 



d. Tail 242 to 287 mm. ; pale dull plumage D. r. sclateri, p. 50. 



(26) Dendrocitta rufa rufa. 



THE IXDIAN TBEE-PIE. 



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

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



* Laniu* 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. On p. 171 

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

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

 of Calcutta. 



