BIEDS OF EGYPT. 83 



Male. — Throat, a band across the lower part of the fore- 

 head, extending to the eyes, and ear-coverts black, the feathers 

 on the throat more or less edged with dirty white ; forehead 

 white ; top of the head, back, and scapulars grey, more or less 

 tinted with brown ; rump and tail bright rufous, except the 

 two centre feathers, which are almost entirely brown ; wings 

 brown, with pale edgings to the feathers ; chest and flanks 

 rufous; abdomen white; legs, beak, and irides dark brown. 



Entire length 5" 5 inches; cidmen 4; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 3 ; tarsus 0'9. 



Female. — Plumage much duller than the male, with no 

 black on the throat or head, and no white forehead. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 95. 



28. RuTiciLLA TITHY8 (Scop.). Black Redstart. 



I cannot speak of this bii'd from personal observation, as 

 I never met with it in the country. It is rather more partial 

 to buildings than the last species. According to Von Heuglin 

 (Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 334), it is not very common in North- 

 eastern Africa in the winter, and does not travel so far 

 southward as R. phcenicura, but is plentifid in Southern 

 Nubia in September. Mr. S. Stafford Allen (Ibis, 1864, 

 p. 237) observes that it arrives from its southern winter 

 quarters in April; while Mr. E. C. Taylor (Ibis, 1867, 

 p. 61) says that it is " resident in small numbers throughout 

 the winter, frequenting ruined buildings." From the above 

 evidence we may conclude that the present species is a resi- 

 dent, but that its numbers are recruited by additional birds 

 migrating in the spring. 



G 2 



