276 MR. R. SWINHOE ON THE BIRDS OF CHINA. [JunC 23, 



leaving however the cheek and side of neck white as before ; the 

 plumage remains otherwise the same. 



Hub. Eastern Siberia ; China ; Formosa ; through Amoorland to 

 Kamtschatka. Some stay all the year in South China and Formosa. 



From the appearance of Mr. Tristram's specimens, it strikes me 

 that the true M. luguhris in summer has the entire head and neck 

 black, leaving only the white eyebrow. If this be the case, it would 

 be more nearly affine to M. maderaspatana, Briss., of Hindostan, from 

 which, however, it differs in its smaller size and in the different dis- 

 tribution of white on its wings, I am strongly of opinion that its 

 affinities are, strictly speaking, rather with this South Asiatic form, 

 and not with the East Asiatic species, both of which have broad 

 white foreheads, and in full summer plumage the cheeks and sides 

 of neck white. In winter our two Eastern species can always be 

 distinguished from M. alba and cognate I'aces hy the black eye-line. 

 In that season M. lugubris and M. maderaspatana approach our 

 birds by retaining the black eye-line, but it is in them much broader, 

 and their backs vary from a pale to a dusky brown, and have none 

 of the blue-grey tint that is to a great extent acquired even by M. 

 japonica. Bree is certainly wrong in the blue coloration of the back 

 in his plate, for neither of Mr. Tristram's birds shows any trace of it. 

 The rarity of the true M. lugubris in collections has doubtless led to 

 all the confusion that exists ; but whether we regard them as races 

 or good species, it is worth while, for the sake of scientific accuracy, 

 that these variations should be correctly identified and localized. 



87. Nemoricola indica, Gmel. 



Noticed by me near Pekin (Ibis, 1861, p. 333), and afterwards 

 brought home from same locality by Mr. Fleming (Ibis, 1863, p. 94). 



ClNCLID^. 



88. Henicurus leschenaultii. 



Turdus leschenaultii, Vieill. 



Motacilla speciosa, Horsf. ; Ibis, 1861, p. 265. 



Enicurus coronatus, Temm. PI. Col. 113. 



Never observed by me in China except on the hills round Foochow, 

 where I have procured it both in winter and summer. My speci- 

 mens from that locality correspond entirely with Javan skins. 



89. Henicurus schistaceus, Hodgs. As. Res. xix. p. 190; Ibis, 

 1861, p. 409. 



The only Chinese specimen I ever saw of this bird was procured 

 in February 1861 by M. De Grijs, Netherlands Consul at Amoy, in 

 the tea-hills some 150 miles inland of Amoy. The skin was, I be- 

 lieve, forwarded to the Leyden Museum. It was kindly lent to me, 

 and I took down the following note from it : — "Bill black ; legs and 

 claws pale flesh-colour ; upper parts slate-colour ; a white streak 

 crosses the forehead and runs over the upper half of the eyelid ; 

 nostrils, throat, and cheeks black ; under parts pure white ; smoke- 

 grey on the flanks, and black under the shoulder ; wings and tail 



