149 



white line but faintly marked, but in the other it is more distinct, the specimen figured as 

 M. paradoxa having it but slightly more developed. I may remark that I have a specimen of 

 Motacilla melanocephala which differs greatly from any other I have ever seen in having the 

 black extended far down the nape, the back rich dark orange with an olive-green tinge, 

 indistinctly marked with blackish, and the underparts deep rich orange instead of yellow ; but I 

 should be very sorry to describe it as new, and to found a new species on this single specimen. 

 The bird in question was obtained by Capt. Marshall at Umritzur, India, 31st March, 1872. 



Dr. Radde (Orn. Cauc. pi. xi.) figures a peculiar albino of M. melanocephala which, he says, 

 has the beak and legs nearly white, the crown and nape, instead of being black, are pure white, 

 and the back rich yellow, a few feathers slightly marked with greyish black. 



Dr. Sharpe discards Lichtenstein's name of melanocephala, given in 1823 to this species, in 

 favour oifeldeggi, given by Michahelles in 1830, because Gmelin (Syst. Nat. i. p. 970) described a 

 bird under the name of Motacilla melanocephala ; but as Gmelin's bird was a Sylvia (S. melano- 

 cephala) and not a Motacilla, I cannot see that he had any justification for so doing. 



On the other hand, it appears to me that Dr. Sharpe was justified, for the reasons above 

 given, in describing the form with a yellow superciliary stripe as a distinct species, and I have 

 therefore included Motacilla xanthophrys, Sharpe, op. cit. p. 532, as a good species. 



The specimen of M. xanthophrys described is in the collection of Mr. H. Seebohm, and those 

 figured are in the foreground a specimen from Batoum, for the loan of which I am indebted to 

 Professor Menzbier, of Moscow, and in the background the specimen in Mr. Seebohm's collection. 



Unfortunately I have been unable to obtain a specimen for my own collection, and the only 

 specimens I have been able to examine are the following : — 



E Mus. H. Seebohm. 

 a, d ad. Lenkoran (type of the species). 



E Mus. Muscov. 



a, 3 ad. Batoum, March 26th, 1894; b, ad. Batoum, April 8th, 1893 {Menzbier). 



