72 tuediDjE. 



619. Saxicola capistrata. The White-headed CJiat. 



Saxicola leucomela (Pall.), apud Jercl. B. I. ii, p. 131. 



Saxicola capistrata, Goidd, Birds Asia, iv, pi. 28 (1865) ; Hume, 



S. F. iii, p. 475 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 368. 

 Saxicola niorio (Hempr. fy Ehr.), apud Hume, Cat. uo. 490 ; Barnes, 



Birds Bom. p. 203. 



The White-headed Stone-Chat, Jerd. 



Fig. 25. — Head of S. capistrata. 



Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult, the forehead, crown, 

 nape, and hind neck are greyish white, somewhat whiter over the 

 eye and ear-coverts ; sides of the head, chin, throat, neck all 

 round, back, scapulars, wings, under wing-coverts, and axillaries 

 black ; remainder of lower plumage with rump and upper tail- 

 coverts white ; tail white, except the terminal half of the middle 

 pair of feathers and a broad band on the tip of the others, which 

 are black. Soon after the autumn moult the tips of the crown- 

 feathers become reduced, and the crown is much whiter than 

 before. When these feathers become still more worn, the crown 

 has a tendency to exhibit patches of black. There is no other 

 seasonal change of plumage. 



Female. Eesembles the female of S. picata, but the upper plu- 

 mage is more sandy ; the chin, throat, and breast are light fulvous, 

 very little darker than the remainder of the lower plumage. 



The young resemble the adult female, but are mottled below. 

 After the first autumn the males are blackish brown with broad 

 brown fringes, and the crown is always conspicuously paler than 

 the back. 



Bill and legs black ; iris brown (Hume). 



Length about 7 ; tail 2-7 ; wing 3*6 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from 

 gape '75. 



Distribution. A constant resident in the plains of the Punjab, 

 Sind, and Rajputana, extending in this latter area as far south only 

 as Jodhpur and Sambhar ; and apparently not passing east of the 

 Jumna river. This species extends on the west to Kandahar. It 

 appears to be somewhat rare, but I have seen specimens killed in 

 the above localities in every month of the year except May and 

 July.. 



Seebohm records this bird from the cultivated districts of Turk- 

 estan, apparently on the authority of Severtzoff ; but this gentleman 

 states (S. F. iii, p. 429) that 8. lur/ens, Licht., of his Turkestan list, 



