90 WHITE-WINGED PIED WAGTAIL. 



standing Mr. Swinhoe's remark. I think, however, this can be easily 

 explained. The Canon also sent me what may be called the type 

 specimen, being one of the skins captured by Dr. Kirk on the 

 Zambesi. Now the grey rump is faintly visible in this specimen also, 

 and is quite evident when the wings are moved. It appears, how- 

 ever, as if this grey character of the feathers was the permanent 

 condition, which in Mr. Medlycott's specimen had been partially 

 removed, but which is also more or less visible in Dr. Kirk's spe- 

 cimen. In the description, p. 153, I remark, " The adult male in 

 winter plumage has the whole of the upper parts, except the rump, 

 black, owing to the ends of the feathers being of that colour; the 

 basal half of the feathers is ash grey.'''' If the ends of some of the 

 feathers are not developed or worn off, then the black will have a 

 more or less grey tinge like Mr. Medlycott's bird, which in fact has 

 the "rump ash grey, mingled more or less with dusky feathers," 

 although the normal condition is doubtless that the back should be 

 altos: ether black. 



I look upon Mr. Swinhoe's three birds as varieties of the true 

 White-winged Pied Wagtail, the Motacilla vidua of Sundevall. 



The skin figured, kindly sent me by Canon Tristram, is from one 

 of the specimens killed by Dr. Kirk on the Zambesi. 



The adult male in winter plumage has the whole of the upper 

 parts black, owing to the ends of the feathers being of that colour; 

 the basal half of the feather is ash grey. Upper tail feathers black. 

 Throat, lore, ear coverts, belly, under tail and wing coverts, and two 

 outer tail feathers on each side, white. The white of the belly 

 rather tinged with cream-colour, and the second tail feathers on each 

 side having a slight border of blackish brown. First four wing pri- 

 maries of nearly equal length, the second longest, the fifth, sixth, 

 and seventh each one third of an inch shorter than the preceding 

 feather; seventh and eighth of equal length. First primary entirely 

 black, all the rest and the secondaries having the basal half of each 

 feather pure white; tips of the inner five primaries, and a border on 

 the inner web of the secondaries, white. Lesser wing coverts and 

 distal half of primaries black; distal half of secondaries black, except 

 the outer border; middle wing coverts with the inner web black, and 

 the outer white, the black prevailing more as they approach the 

 entirely black lesser coverts. Beak, feet, and tarsi black. 



The female only differs from the male in being half an inch less, 

 in having less white about the wings, and that of the belly and throat 

 more decidedly cream-colour. 



It has also been figured by Gould, pi. 142. 



