MOTACILLIN-E. 223 



a yellowish tinge, and a few brown marks on the breast : a white 

 supercilium always present. 



Bill black; legs black; iridr- iusky brown. Lenoth about 6^ 

 inches; extent 9^; wing 3^; tail 2f ; bill at front ^-; tarsus nearly |. 



Some naturalists consider that the Black-headed TVa^tails of 

 India are a distinct species from the common one. and Horsfield 

 yet retains Sykes' melanocephala, as Mr. Blyth and myself formerlv 

 did. Mos: late writers on the ornithological Fauna of South-eastern 

 Europe maintain melanocephala as distinct from the other European 

 species, not, however, stating its identity with the Indian bird, 

 but recording it to be much more rare than the grey-headed species. 

 The distinctions between the various closely allied races are not 

 very exactly laid down. The species usually recognised are, 

 B. Ravi of Western Europe only ; B. flam, L. {neglecta, Gould) 

 of Europe generally: B. cinereo-capilla, Savi, from South-eastern 

 Europe ; and the so-called B. melanocephala. of Lichtenstein and 

 Piiippell, from Africa and S. Europe. Bonaparte has also B. 

 ■nigricapilla (melanocephala. Savi), from various parts of Europe; 

 and M. Feldeggi is recorded, said to be intermediate between 

 cinereo-capilla, and melanocephala, pro": ably idis in a state of 

 change. Of these, B. Punji, at the breeding season, has the head, 

 lores, ear-coverts, pale olive, with a yellow supercilium, chin a'so 

 vellow. B.jlava has. in the breeding plumage, the head, lores, and 

 ear-coverts always grey, with a white supercilium, and a white 

 chin, the throat being yellow, bordered by a white line ex- 

 tending from the gape to below the ear-cover:s ; B. cinereo-capilla 

 appears bv the description merely to differ iiomjlava bv having 

 no superciliary mark, and the chin and throat being always white : 

 whilst B. melanocep/ialt is stated to h»ve the head black without 

 anv supercilium, and the throat yellow. B. pilla is not describ- 



ed bv Bonaparte, but is stai .in Italy, Dalmatia. Scan- 



dinavia, and Lapland. Temminck tates that B. jlava, of Ecu 

 is also fouj.d in Japan, in India, and the Moluccas, not. however, 

 dist ; n£ruishin£ it specifically from cinereo-capilla and melanocephala, 

 which he gives as racrs of flax 



From the description of melanocephala of Southern Europe, there 

 is very little doubt that it is our Indian bird, which thus appears also 



