HENICURUS. 71 



black, tipped with white, and their basal third also white ; wing coverts black, 

 the larger ones broadly tipped with white ; tail feathers black, broadly tipped 

 with white, the base of each feather and the whole of the outer pairs also 

 white. The young are sooty black where the adult is deep black, and there 

 is no white on the forehead and over the eyes. Bill black ; irides brown ; feet 

 and claws pale yellowish white. 



Length. g-% to 10 inches; wing 3-95 to 4; tail 5-1 to 5*3; tarsus i; 

 culmen O'8. 



Hab. The Himalayas, ranging through the Indo-Burmese countries to the 

 hill tracts of Eastern Bengal, Sikkim and Nepaul. It is found over the whole 

 of the Pegu hills, and is very common in Arracan in all the mountain streams. 

 Blyth records it from Tenasserim. It frequents rocky hill streams, where there 

 is water in pools, along the edges of which it searches for insects, incessantly 

 wagging its tail in the same way as the wagtails. Its short jerky, wavy flights 

 too are not unlike those of the Motacillina. Mr. Hume has no account of its 

 nidification, but Gates says it breeds in April, placing its nest, which is 

 cup-shaped and constructed entirely of moss bound together with earth, on a 

 bank of a stream, either under a rock or among tree roots or even on a log of 

 wood which may have been caught in the stream during the past rains. The 

 eggs are usually three in number, and are pale greenish blotched with reddish 

 brown. 



502. HeniCUfUS SChistaceUS, Hodgs.> Asiat. Research, xix. 

 p. 189; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 157; Bp. Consp. i. p. 251; Jerd., 

 B. hid. ii. p. 214, No. 586 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, Ind. B. p. 3765 Bl. 

 and Wald.) B. Btirm. p. 97 ; Godwin-Aust., J. A. S. B. xlv. p. 80 ; Hume 

 and Dav,, Sir. F. vL pp. 361, 517; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 103; Scully, 

 Str. F. viii, p. 31 1 ; Bingham, Sir. F. 1880, p. 189 ; Oates, B. Br. Bunn. i. 

 p 28; Sharpe^ Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p. 315. The SLATEY FORK-TAIL. 



Base of bill black ; forehead and a line extending over the eye and behind 

 it white ; lores, cheeks, throat and under ear coverts black ; ear coverts, head, 

 sides of the neck and back with the lesser wing coverts and flanlts slaty ; fore- 

 neck, breast, thighs, under tail coverts, rump, upper tail coverts and lower 

 plumage white ; tail feathers black, the basal portion and the tip of each feather 

 white ; primaries, secondaries, and primary coverts black ; the greater coverts 

 broadly tipped with white, also the quills, the basal portions of which from the 

 third to seventh primaries are white, and form a large and conspicuous alar 

 speculum. Bill black ; legs and feet pale fleshy white, tinged with blue ; irides 

 dark brown. 



Length. 9-5 to 10-5 inches ; wing 3-8 ; tail 4*8 to 5 ; tarsus ri ; culmen cr8. 



Hab. Himalayas extending to Burmah. Occurs in every part of Ten- 

 nasserim. It has been obtained in the Karin hills, and Blyth records it from 

 Arracan. It is also found in Bhootan, the Khasia and Eastern Bengal hills. 



