BLACK-THROATED WAGTAIL. 39 
than in ours, and in both is continued over the eye, 
and on the sides of the head and ears ; here, however, 
the similarity ceases. In the African bird the whole 
of the chin and throat, as far as the breast, is deep 
black, beyond which all the under parts are pure 
white. The upper plumage is cinereous, with a 
tinge of grey on the back, which changes to deep 
black on the rump and upper tail-covers. The 
wings reach to about half the length of the tail ; the 
middle of the scapulars and tertials are deep black 
with whitish margins, and some of the secondary 
covers are edged with the same, but the primaries 
have not the white borders seen in M. alba. The 
shoulder-covers are entirely grey, the lesser covers 
blackish in the middle and grey on the edges, while 
the side covers of the tail are half black and half 
white. The tail itself is even and quite black, 
excepting the two external feathers which resemble 
those of M. alba in being pure white, with an 
oblique black margin to the inner web, but none 
upon the outer. 
Total length, inches ; bill, from the front, ; 
wings, 3 T 5 5 ; tail beyond, I j s c ; ditto from the base, 
3i| ; tarsus, T 8 3 ; hind toe and claw, J > middle 
ditto, 
