Mr. A. Hume on Indian Ornitlioloyij. ^9 



colour is constant, it is worthy of notice, and of some scientific 

 interest/^ 



491. Saxicola saltatrix, Menetries. 



I had long been certain that the bird described by Dr. Jerdon 

 as S. cenanthe, of which I had numerous specimens, ought 

 properly to be referred either to >S^. saltatrix (which is identical 

 with Motacilla stapazina, Pall. Zoogr. vol. i. p. 447) or to S. 

 isabellina, Riipp. Zool. Atl. t. 28. f. 2 ; but I had grave doubts 

 to which of the two our Indian bird really belonged, and also 

 respecting the distinctness of these two species. M. Verreaux, 

 after carefully examining my specimens, assures me that ours 

 are undoubtedly S. saltatrix, and that he has recently received 

 specimens from Siberia which are absolutely identical with ours. 



tt 491 bis. Saxicola kingi'^, sp. nov. 

 This is another species new either to science or to our Indian 

 avifauna, which I picked out of a collection of birds formed in 



* Saxicola kiiu/i, sp.nov. (female, liilled at Jodlipoor, October 29, 18G8). 



Dimensions. — Length 6-5, expanse 11 '.S, tail from vent 2-3; wings when 

 closed reach to within 1-05 of end of tail. Wing .3-7; the third primary 

 is the longest, the second 0'25, and the first 2-0 shorter than the third. 

 The tail is perfectly square. Bill, length at front 0-58. Tarsus 1-02. Foot, 

 greatest length l'2e5, greatest width 0-G; mid toe, to root of claw, 0'64, its 

 claw (straight) 0'21 ; hind toe, to root of claw, 0-28, its claw (straight) 

 0-25 ; outer toe, to root of claw, 0-42, its claw (straight) 0-11 ; inner toe, 

 to root of claw, 0*4, its claw (straight) 0'12. 



Description. — Legs and feet black ; bill black ; irides dark brown. 



Plumage. — A dark grey line fi'om the gape to and under the eve, a broad, 

 slightly greyish- white line from the nostrils over the eye. Ear-coverts 

 silliy rufescent brown ; forehead greyish brown ; crown, occiput, nape, 

 back, and scapulars nearly uniform gi'ey earthy brown, very slightly 

 tinged with rufescent towards the rump ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 bright rufous fawn; tail-feathers bright feiTuginous, with a subter- 

 minal blackish brown band extending over both webs, and a narrow 

 tipping of rufous white, which jets in at the shafts for about the tenth of 

 an inch. The dark baud is about 1'2 broad on the centre tail-feathers, 

 about 0-7 on the feathers next to the centre, and 0-45 on the exteraal 

 ones. Tlie tertiaries and most of the coverts are hair-brown, broadly 

 margined with pale rufescent; the winglet, primaries and secondaries, 

 and primary greater coverts are a slightly darker hair-brown, very nar- 

 rowly tipped with white, and some of them, the secondaries especially. 



