THE BLACK-HEADED CUCKOO-SHRIKE. 235 
on the inner webs and narrowly margined with white on the outer ; the 
secondaries more broadly margined and all tipped with the same ; central 
tail-feathers grey, the others black broadly tipped with white. 
Female. The upper plumage including the head grey, becoming lighter 
on the rump and upper tail-coverts, which are cross-barred with dusky ; 
cheeks, sides of neck and the whole lower plumage whitish, closely and 
narrowly barred with black, the bars becoming obsolete on the abdomen ; 
vent and under tail-coverts pure white ; wing-coverts and quills dark 
brown, each feather margined with greyish white j ear-coverts greyish 
mottled with brown, and the shafts white ; tail with the central pair of 
feathers grey narrowly tipped with white ; the other feathers blackish 
brown broadly tipped with white, the white tippings on the outer feathers 
being mottled diagonally with brown. 
The young of both sexes are very similar to the adult female, but when 
very immature the feathers of the nape are barred with blackish and tipped 
with white. The black head of the male is assumed very slowly. 
Iris brownish red ; bill black ; legs and feet black, with slaty edges to 
the scales of the tarsi ; claws black. {Legge.) 
Length 7*5 inches, tail 3, wing 4, tarsus '8, bill from gape "85. The 
female is of about the same size. 
I introduce this species into the Burmese list on the authority of Mr. 
Blyth, who states that it occurs in Upper Pegu. I have never met with 
it, but this of course is no reason for doubting its occurrence there. It is 
found in Eastern Bengal, and is a most likely species to occur in Burmah. 
This bird cannot be confounded with any other species of the genus 
likely to be found in Burmah. Mr. Sharpe has described a closely allied 
race from Madras under the name of Lalage melanothorax. It differs in 
being larger and in having the black of the neck extending much further 
down on the breast and back. 
The Black-headed Cuckoo- Shrike, according to Mr. Blyth, has occurred 
in Upper Pegu, and I cannot find that it has been recorded from any other 
part of British Burmah. 
It is spread over the whole peninsula of India and Ceylon, and will 
probably be found in the countries intervening between India and British 
Burmah. 
Mr. Blewitt found the nest of this species in Bundelkund in July. It 
was placed at the end of two small outshooting branches of a mowa-tree, 
and was slightly made of thin twigs and roots, and partially covered with 
spider ^s web. The two eggs in it were green mottled with dark brown. 
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