BIEDS OF EGYPT. 79 



plumage black, with the feathers on the pinion narrowly 

 edged with white ; beak and legs black ; irides brown. 



Entire length 6-8 inches; culmen 0-6; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 4-3 ; tarsus 0'9. 



Female in hreeding-plumage.—\]^^GY parts hair-brown, 

 shading off to cream-colour on the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts ; tail cream-colour shaded with rufous, excepting three 

 quarters of the two centre feathers as well as half the exterior 

 web of the outer rectrices, and the ends of all of them brown ; 

 underparts dull white, shaded with hair-brown on the sides 

 of the crop ; legs black ; beak and irides dark brown. 



Entire length 6-8 inches; culmen 0-6; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 4 ; tarsus O'Q. 



As will be seen by the plate, the sexes are very different in 

 colour; and I have placed the hen bird in the foreground for 

 the sake of comparison with S. isahellina of Riippell, which 

 is supposed by some naturalists to have been founded on a 

 female of the present species. 



22. Saxicola leucoptgia, Brehm. JFMte-mmped Chat. ^^ 



This Chat remains throughout the year in Egypt and (■ ' 

 Nubia. It is generally first met with by the Nile-tom-ist at 

 Assouan, and on entering Nubia becomes extremely abundant. 

 Brehm separated this species into two, under the names 

 S. leucocephala and S. lemopygia, the former being dis- 

 tinguished by a white head ; this, however, is only a mark of 

 age ; so, as Brehm is the author of both names, I have selected 

 the latter as most appropriate for this species. For proof of 

 the identity of 8. leucocephala and S. leucopygia, see my paper 

 (Ibis, 1871, p. 53). They appear to breed very early ; for in 



