WHITE-SHAFTED F ANT AIL. 125 



any period of the year*." The pure white shafts, 

 contrasted with the hlackish colour of the tail, 

 when expanded, gives to this bird an elegance of 

 appearance which it would not otherwise possess. 



The bill is remarkably short, so that the bristles, 

 which are thickly set, reach as far as the tip ; the 

 feathers of the head and throat are very full, resem- 

 bling, in this respect, those of a Parus^ or Titmouse ; 

 which group it represents in the circle of Mwcica- 

 pince. The general colour of the upper parts is 

 dark sepia brown, approaching to black ; the edges 

 of the tertials, and the tips of the greater and lesser 

 wing-covers, are dull white, the spots upon the les- 

 ser covers being very small. In young birds, or in 

 the females, these spots and borders are tinged with 

 ferrugineous ; the chin, and a stripe over the eye 

 and ear, are white ; so also are the shafts and tips of 

 the tail-feathers ; just below the chin is a narrow 

 collar of brown, beyond which the rest of the under 

 plumage is light buff colour; tail, and the upper 

 covers, black. 



Total length 6 inches ; bill, gape, T 4 5 ; front, \ ; 

 wings, 2| ; tail beyond, If ; base, 3| ; tarsus, ^ 6 5 . 



The next modification of form, or sub-genus, we 

 have named 



Linn. XT. XT. 243. 



