Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/80

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48
CORVIDÆ.

Dendrocitta rufa.

This species extends over a very wide area and, as might be expected, varies greatly in different portions of its range, though their variations have until now been almost entirely overlooked.

Lanius rufus of Linné[1], the name which has generally been accepted as applicable to this bird, cannot be used as it is pre-occupied by him in an earlier page of the same work. Curiously enough, however, Latham[1] independently named it Corvus rufus a few years later from a bird obtained on the Malabar coast, so the name rufus will, therefore, still hold good.


Fig. 11.—Head of D. rufa rufa.

Key to Subspecies.

A. Colours of head and back contrasting strongly.
a.
Lighter both above and below and not nearly so richly coloured
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
D. rufa rufa, p. 48.
b.
Darker and more richly coloured above and below
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
D. r. vagabunda, p. 50.
B. Colours of head and back blending with one another.
c. Tail 195 to 241 mm.; dark dull plumage.
a'.
Darker, more brown
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
D. r. saturatior, p. 51.
b'.
Paler and redder
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
D. r. kinneari, p. 51.
d.
Tail 242 to 287 mm.; pale dull plumage
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
D. r. sclateri, p. 50.

(26) Dendrocitta rufa rufa.

The Indian Tree-pie.

Corvus rufus Latham, Ind. Orn., p. 161 (1790) (Malabar Coast).
Dendrocitta rufa. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 30.
  1. 1.0 1.1
    Lanius rufus Linné, Syst. Nat., i, 1766.
    Corvus rufus Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 161, 1790.
    The description given is very poor, but it is founded on Sonnerat's plate, vol. ii, p. 161. 'Voyage de Sonnerat,' and cannot be mistaken. Although called "de Chine" it was apparently obtained on the Malabar Coast. On p. 171 Latham describes C. vagabunda and here lays stress on the black head and red back, evidently having obtained a N.E. Indian bird, possibly from the vicinity of Calcutta.