256 MOTACILLID^E MOTACILLA 



Description. Adult male in summer. Head, upper surface of 

 body, upper tail and lesser wing-coverts jet-black ; middle and greater 

 wing-coverts white with black bases ; primary coverts and inner 

 secondaries black ; remaining quills black with white bases ; two 

 outer tail-feathers white, the penultimate edged with black on the 

 inner web, other tail-feathers black ; eyebrow, patch on sides of 

 neck and throat white ; ear-coverts black, joined to the nape and 

 a black patch on the fore-neck ; rest of under surface white, the 

 sides and flanks grey ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white ; 

 quills below dusky, the bases of inner webs white. 



Iris hazel ; bill and feet black. 



Length 8-00; wing 3-60; tail3'70; tarsus 1-00; culmen 0-70. 



Adult female. Like the male in colour, but with a shorter tail. 



Adult in winter. Upper surface of body ash-brown ; remaining 

 plumage as in summer. 



Young. Above, brown (becoming grey in a later stage), the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts dusky, the outer feathers of the tail- 

 coverts edged with white; tail-feathers dark brown, the two outer 

 white. Wing : the portion that is black in the adults is brown in the 

 young. Head : crown brown-black, some of the feathers with white 

 edgings ; eyebrow white ; lores and ear-coverts black ; cheeks and 

 sides of neck white. Below white, crossed on the lower throat by 

 a band of black, the sides and flanks tinged with brown. 



Distribution. The greater part of Africa south of the Sahara 

 extending into Egypt and Southern Palestine. In South Africa 

 it is somewhat local in its distribution. In the Colony it occurs 

 near Beaufort West and in the neighbourhood of Colesberg 

 and is abundant on the Orange Eiver near Upington and else- 

 where. It is common in many parts of Natal and occurs also 

 in the Orange Free State, the Transvaal and in Bechuana and 

 Mashonalands, ranging as far north as the Zambesi Eiver where 

 it is common nearly everywhere from the mouth to the Victoria 

 Falls. Andersson did not meet with this Wagtail in Damara 

 Land and in Namaqua Land only on the Orange Eiver, but 

 Anchieta collected a specimen at Humbe to the north of the 

 Cunene Eiver and Sala met with it in Benguela and Angola. To 

 the north of the Quanza it occurs on most of the rivers on the 

 west coast. In Eastern and North-eastern Africa it is a some- 

 what common, but at the same time local species. In Egypt it 

 ranges as far north as the first cataract. 



Habits. In summer this elegant Wagtail is easily recognised by 



