BLACK-THROATED WAGTAIL. 39 



than in ours, and in both is continued over the eye, 

 and on the sides of the head and ears ; here, however, 

 the similarity ceases. In the African bird the whole 

 of the chin and throat, as far as the breast, is deep 

 black, beyond which all the under parts are pure 

 white. The upper plumage is cinereous, with a 

 tinge of grey on the back, which changes to deep 

 black on the rump and upper tail-covers. The 

 wings reach to about half the length of the tail ; the 

 middle of the scapulars and tertials are deep black 

 with whitish margins, and some of the secondary 

 covers are edged with the same, but the primaries 

 have not the white borders seen in M. alba. The 

 shoulder- covers are entirely grey, the lesser covers 

 blackish in the middle and grey on the edges, while 

 the side covers of the tail are half black and half 

 white. The tail itself is even and quite black, 

 excepting the two external feathers which resemble 

 those of M. alba in being pure white, with an 

 oblique black margin to the inner web, but none 

 upon the outer. 



Total length, 6^ inches ; bill, from the front, ^ ; 

 wings, 3 T 5 o ; tail beyond, 1 -^ ; ditto from the base, 

 3| ; tarsus, T 8 ; hind toe and claw, J ; middle 

 ditto, T 6 5 . 



