BIEDS Or'TEGTPT. 71 



Blue Rock-Thrush is only a visitor in Egypt and Nubia 

 diu-ing the spring and autumn months ; and he considers it 

 less abundant than the Rock-Thrush, whereas from my own 

 observations it appears to be the commoner bird of the two. 

 I have frequently met with it among the rocks in Upper 

 Egypt in April, where I think that it probably breeds. 



Entire plumage indigo, with cobalt reflections on the 

 head and throat ; wings brown ; tail black ; legs and beak 

 black ; irides dark brown. 



The immature birds differ in their prevailing tint being 

 ash-brown, with more or less blue on the back, while the 

 under surface of the throat and body is mottled, owing to 

 the centres of the feathers being generally very pale brown, 

 barred on the chest and abdomen with dusky. 



Entire length 9 inches ; culmen 0'9 ; wing, carpus to tip, 

 5 ; tarsus 12. 



Fig. Sharpe and Dresser, B. of Eur. part viii. 



Fam. SYLVIID^. 



11. Saxicola CENANTHE (Linn.). Commoji Wheatear. , ^-. /c 



This well-known Chat is a very regular visitant to Egypt , 

 and Nubia in the spring and autumn, when it is abundant ^'^ 

 throughout the country. 



Male in breeding-plumage. — Forehead and eyebrows white ; 

 lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts black ; top of the head, hind 

 part of the neck, back and scapulars grey ; rump and upper 

 tail-coverts white ; wings brown, with a pale edging to some of 

 the feathers ; tail white, with the two centre feathers and the 



