292 MOTACILLID^E. 



Motacilla inaderaspatana, Briss. apud Blyth, Cat. p. 137 ; Horsf. $ 



M. Cat. i, p. 347 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 217; Hume, N. fy E. p. 377. 

 The Pied Wagtail, Jerd. ; Mamula, Bhuin Mamula, Khanjan, Hind. ; 

 Sdkala sarela-gadu, Tel. 



Coloration. Male. A broad supercilium from the nostril to the 

 end of the ear-coverts, the whole head, neck, upper plumage, and 

 lesser and median wing-coverts black ; greater wing-coverts almost 

 entirely white ; quills black, edged with white, the edging on some 

 of the secondaries extending to half the outer web ; the middle 

 four pairs of tail-feathers black, narrowly margined with white, the 

 other two pairs white, with a small portion of the inner web black ; 

 breast and lower plumage white, the sides of the breast and body 

 infuscated. 



Fig. 80. Head of M. maderaspateiisis. 



Female. Appears to resemble the male, but the upper plumage 

 is more or less tinged with grey. 



I cannot discover that there is any seasonal change of plumage 

 in this species. 



The young bird has the same pattern of colour as the adult, but 

 the black is everywhere replaced by greyish brown, the superciliuin 

 in front of the eye is not indicated, and the white parts of the 

 plumage are tinged with fulvous. In the first spring the change 

 to adult plumage first takes place by the assumption of some black 

 feathers on the head, and the full plumage is entirely assumed at 

 the succeeding autumn moult. Some males retain a few white 

 feathers on the chin and throat to a late period. 

 Iris dark brown ; legs, feet, and bill black (Butler). 

 Length about 9 ; tail 4-3 ; wing 3*9 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 

 8 ; the female is considerably smaller than the male, of which the 

 above are average dimensions. 



Distribution. A permanent resident throughout India, from 

 Kashmir and Sind on the west to Sikhiin and Western Bengal on 

 the east, and from the lower ranges of the Himalayas down to 

 Ceylon. 



Habits, fyc. Breeds throughout the plains of India, and also in 

 the Himalayas up to 3000 feet, as well as in the hills of Southern 

 India, up to 7000 or 8000 feet, constructing a nest of grass and 

 various other materials in holes of banks, under stones, amongst the 

 timbers of bridges, on roofs, and in other similar localities. The 

 nest is merely a pad, or sometimes cup-shaped. The eggs, four in 



