THE WOOD-SWALLOWS 333 



^Ir. Jlilligan also described a very dark form of this bird 

 from the Kimberley District of Western Australia, under the 

 name of A. housei, or the Black Grass-Wren. The throat is 

 striated with black and white, each feather being white with 

 black margins, the breast and abdomen light-chestnut, under 

 tail-coverts blackish with rufous shafts and the upper wing- 

 coverts chestnut with whitish shaft-lines. 



Dr. E. Hartert describes another form, A. woodwardii, from 

 North Australia {Arnhem Land), which differs from A. housei 

 in having the throat and fore-neck white, instead of striped with 

 black and white ; the tail much longer ; and a uniform black 

 malar stripe. The sides of the head, neck, top of head, hind 

 neck and upper back black, as in A. housei, each feather with a 

 white shaft-line, Avith fine branches. Wing 7-4 to 77 mm. tail 

 106 to 114, bill 13.5 to 15.5. 



'Sir. T. Carter also describes one from Broome Hill, South- 

 western Australia, A. vaiia, or the ^Marloch Grass-Wren, very 

 similar to A. megalurus, but has no chestnut patches on body 

 or shoulders. The upper surface has three distinct 

 shades, the dark head and neck being very pronounced; all 

 six rictal bristles well developed and visible, bars on tail feathers 

 very distinct; length 7.50, wing 3.0, tail -4.20. 



Family Artamidce. 

 Nostrils placed low in the bill, nearer to the gape than to the 

 crest. One genus in the Indian and Australian Regions, the 

 others in West Africa. 



Genus Artamus. 

 Bill long and pointed, the culmen exceeding in length the 

 hind toe and claw. Central tail feathers not produced into a 

 spine. Indian and Australian Regions. Wood-Swallows. 



Key to the Species. 

 I. Lower rump and upper tail-coverts pure white, breast 



■^^liite. A. leucogaster. 



II. Rump brown like back, upper tail-coverts ashy-white. 



1. Breast pale vinaeeous brown; a. broad white eyebrow. A. superciliosus. 



2. Breast beautiful grey ; no white eyebrow. A. personatus. 



