THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 329 



the latter twice. Emheriza ctesia again, which is resident much 

 farther south, has been killed here ten times, and the small Short- 

 toed Lark {Alaiula brachydacti/la) at least fifty times. 



The Desert Chat is at once distinguished from its near black- 

 throated relatives, by the tail being black almost up to the root, 

 the little of white there is on it being only visible quite at the upper 

 portion on the lateral feathers, while it is almost completely covered 

 by the upper and under tail-coverts. Further, m the summer 

 jilumage of the male, the upper parts are not pure white, as in 

 >b'. stapazina, S. erythrcea, S. melanoLeuca, but of a sandy rust yellow, 

 which colour is also characteristic of the autunm plumage of both 

 sexes, and of that of the young birds ; there is not the least ad- 

 mixture of ferruginous, in which respect also it strikingly differs 

 from the soft rust colour of the autmnn plumage in 8. stapazina and 

 <S'. aurita. The black markings on the head and throat, which on 

 the throat of (S'. stapazina do not extend farther than the ends of the 

 longest ear-feathers, in S. desert i not only occupy the whole of the 

 foreneck and sides of the neck, but are prolonged on both sides of 

 the upper breast down to the scapular portions of the wings. 



In spite of its very simple colours, the old male in sunmier 

 plumage is a strlldngly beautiful bird. 



The measurements of the example shot here on the 23rd of 

 Junel880 are as follows : — Total length, 5-94 ins. (151 mm.) ; lengthof 

 wing, 3'58 ins. (91 mm.) ; length of tail, 2-60 ins. (66 mm.) ; length of 

 tail uncovered by wing, -94 in. (24 mm.). The bill measures -51 in. 

 (13 mm.), and the tarsus 98 in. (25 mm.). 



The breeding home of the Desert Chat extends, according to 

 Tristram, from the Sahara Desert, through the desert regions of 

 Egypt, Arabia and Persia, as far as India. 



141. — Eastern Pied Chat [Scheckigeu Steinschmatzek]. 

 SAXICOLA MORIO, Ehrenberg.i 



Eastern Pied Ghat. Dresser, ii. 235. 



Saxicola leucomela. Tristram, Western Palestine, 35. 



Saxicola leucomela. Jerdon, Birds of India, ii. 131. 



This species, the eastern form oi Saxicola leiwomela, from which 

 it is distinguished by the black undcr-sido of the wings, which are 

 white in the latter species, lias been obtained by me twice on this 

 island: the tirst example having been an old male in breeding 

 plumage shot on the 9th of May 1867 ; the second, a beautifid old 

 female, shot on the 6th of June 1882 ; the value of the latter example 



' Saxicola capi-ftrala, Gould. 



