PASSERES-MUSCICAPID.K 123 



Africa. Occurs on passage Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Corsica, 

 Egypt. Winters in tropical Africa, NAV. India, China. Casual 

 in IJrilain. 



Monticola solitarius solitarius (L.). Blue Rock 

 Thrush. F?: Merle bleu ; Go: IMaiidrossel ; Ital. Passera 

 solitaria. 



^ Dark grey blue, wings and tail slaty black with blue edges 

 (in winter many feathers edged whitish). Bill, legs and feet 

 black. Wing $ ? 1 13-128. Tarsus 27-31. Bill 18-23. 9 

 Above brown, tinged bluish, with faint cross bars of grey brown ; 

 beneath grey blue with similar bars, but broader. Young : 

 above brown, no blue tinge ; below dark bufif with dark subter- 

 minal bars. 



Breeds. — Mountains of C. and S. Europe ; France, Spain, 

 Portugal, Balearic Islands, Italy, Austria, Balkans, Greece and 

 its islands ; Malta ; N.W. Africa ; Asia Minor to Caucasus and 

 Persia. Partial migrant ; occurs Egypt on passage, and in 

 v.inter N.E. and W. Africa. 



M. solitarius transcaspicus Hartert. ^ paler blue, 9 paler, 

 more greyish, than ^ and 5 of typical form. 



Breeds. — W. Asia. Occurs on spring migration in Egypt, and 

 has also occurred there in winter. 



CEnanthe. 



Chats about 6" long, allied to Thrushes and Redstarts; 

 generally with upper tail coverts white ; frequenting rocky 

 or sandy localities in plains, mountains, or deserts; insecti- 

 vorous ; nest in holes in walls, on ground or in burrows ; 

 eggs blue, sometimes faintly red spotted. 



CEnanthe oenanthe oenanthe (L.). Wheatear. Fr. 



Cul-blanc ; Ger. Graucr Stcinschmiitzer ; Ital. Culbianco ; Sived. 

 Stenskviitta. 



^ summer. Above grey ; lores, ear coverts, wings, and 

 apical third of tail black (central tail feathers two-thirds) ; fore- 

 head, supercilium, upper tail coverts, and basal part of tail white ; 

 beneath reddish cream, under wing coverts and axillaries black 

 and white. Bill, legs and feet black. Wing ^ 92-100, 9 89-98. 



