1920.] Dicruridse in the l^ritish Museum. 443 



see attached table). Quill-lining generally light, contrasting 

 strongly with under wing-coverts, but this character is 

 subject to a certain amount of variation ; tail long and 

 markedly forked ; bill heavy. 



Range. Cape Colony, Damaraland, Natal, Zululand. 

 Single birds have been obtained (1) on the Limpopo river 

 ('* Vlei poort'^j, (2) at Tati on the borders of southern 

 Khodesia and Bechuaiialand, both in the country inhabited 

 by iA a. divaricatus. 



Number of skins in the British Alnseuni : 37. 



Table of wing-measurements of Dicrurus 

 adsimilis adsimilis. 



Variation Average 

 in wing- wing- 

 No. of Adult measurement nieasiireuient 

 skins. skins. of adults. of adults. 



Cape Colony 13 9 132-13!) 135--4 



Damaraland 11 9 131-139 134-5 



Natal 8 5 130-141 13.5-6 



Zululand 3 1 134 



Orange Free State . . 1 1 140 



*Limpopo Kiver 1 1 139 



*S. Matabeleland 1 1 139 



" These districts come into the range of D. a. divuvicalns. 



4. Dicrurus adsimilis divaricatus. 



Muscicapa diouricata Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. Zool. 

 Mas. Berlin, 1823, p. 52 — Type locality : Senegal. 



Chief characters. Upper parts glosseil Avitli blue. Size 

 smaller. Wing-measurements 115-136 mm. (for average see 

 attached table). Bill slightly smaller. Quill-lining gener- 

 ally light, but this character is subject to a certain amount 

 of variation, freshly moulted quills having a much darker 

 lining than old quills, which wear lighter. 



Range. Senegal, Portuguese Guinea, Gold Coast, Nigeria, 

 Angola, Transvaal, Swaziland, Bechuanaland, N. llhodesia, 

 S. llhodesia, Portuguese East Africa, Nyasaland, Zanzibar, 

 the late German East Africa, British East Africa, Uganda, 

 Abyssinia, Somaliland, Sudan. 



y amber of skins in the British Museum : 170. 



