Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Month in Tripoli. 97 



the Stonechat — which no one ever dreams of confounding, any 

 more than an observer of the living birds would confound the 

 Palestine species, or the Stapazine and Eared Chats. 



There are few more interesting birds in the Holy Land than 

 the Blackstart, Pratincola melanura, Riipp. {Cercomela asthenia, 

 Bp). It was first described from Abyssinia and Arabia, but is 

 also mentioned by Dr. Jerdon as apparently extending to Sindh. 

 Its Palestine range is most limited — the mouths of the wadys 

 opening on the Dead Sea, up which it extends sometimes a few 

 miles, so that it may be found sparsely up the whole ravine of 

 the Kedron. It is a Uvely and fearless bird, perching rather 

 more frequently on a bare twig than on a stone, and recalling the 

 Stonechat much more than the Wheatear. Its note is only heard 

 during the breeding-season, and is loud and not varied as it 

 sits for some time motionless but for the jerking of its tail. 

 The nest is placed in a chink among the boulders ; and the eggs 

 are like those of the Stapazine, but smaller, clear blue, with 

 russet spots sparsely scattered over the surface. We first met 

 with it not very far from Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho, and 

 found it most abundant at Engedi, where we might have shot 

 fifty in a morning. It is also common about the salt-mountain, 

 but eschews the fertile oases, while it hangs about their out- 

 skirts. There is no difference whatever between the sexes. The 

 only other members of the genus Pratincola are the Whinchat 

 and Stonechat. The former (P. ruhetra) we only observed on 

 passage in spring passing to the northward, but never remain- 

 ing to breed. P. rubicola was extremely abundant in every part 

 of the country, from the Mediterranean shores to the Dead Sea, 

 in winter, but took its departure in the beginning of March, 

 not remaining even in the highlands of Lebanon. Accentor mo- 

 dularis only just makes good its claim as a bird of Palestine by 

 residing in the Lebanon throughout the year, where, however, 

 it is very scarce. 



IV.— ^ Month in Tripoli. By W, T. H. Chambers. 



Believing that the ornithology of Tripoli is a subject about 

 which little has hitherto been known, I am induced to hope 



N. S. — VOL. III. H 



