6 BRITISH BIRDS. 



II. — The Black-eared Wheateae. 



Saxicola stapazina (LiniiEeus), nee Vieillot. 



The story of the transfer of a Avell-known name is much 

 more sad than the announcement of a mere change, but it 

 must be told. Count Salvadori ("Ibis/' 1904, p. 77) has 

 clearly shown that the scientific name Saxicola, stapazina, 

 which very many writers (myself in my Manual among 

 others) had applied to the 'Blac^^-throated Wheatear, really 

 belongs to the Black-earec? species, which was not recorded 

 as a visitor to the south of England until 1902. To com- 

 plicate matters, our esteemed colleague, Mr. J. I. S. 

 Whitaker has enunciated his reasons (" Ibis," 1898, p. 624 ; 

 op. cit., 1903, pp. 408-410 ; B. of Tunisia, pp. 25-34) for 

 conferring the new sj^ecific name, 8. caterinoe, on the repre- 

 sentative found in and to the west of Tunisia, while 

 reserving 8. stapazina for the form which prevails to the 

 eastward. He admits that " in Spain, Sicily, and the 

 Riviera, as well, perhaps, as in some other Mediterranean 

 districts, both species occur''; adding that "in localities 

 where the two species meet, it is by no means unlikely that 

 they may interbreed." 



On May 28th, 1902, a male was shot near Polegate, 

 Sussex, and, being exhibited by Mr. W. R. Butterfield at 

 the British Ornithologists' Club, was pronomiced by Mr. 

 Whitaker to be 8. caterince (Bull., XII., p. 78). On 24th 

 May, 1905, Mr. Butterfield exhibited an adult male shot 

 near Hoo [not Hove], Sussex, on May 22nd, 1905, and this 

 was also referred to S. caterinoi (Bull., XV., p. 72). On 

 18th October, 1905, Mr. M. J. NicoU exhibited an adult male, 

 shot by himself on September 9th, 1905, near Pett, Sussex, 

 and this was referred by him (Bull., XVI., p. 22) to the 

 Eastern form for which Mr. Whitaker reserves the name 

 8. stapazina. For the present I must ask the last to 

 excuse me from accepting his sub-division and allow me to 

 use stapazina for both forms. 



