84 BIEDS OF EGYPT. 



Male. — Top of the head, nape, back, scapulars, and abdo- 

 men pale slaty grey ; sides of the face, neck, throat, and breast 

 black ; primaries and secondaries dusky, the latter with broad 

 white outer edges ; wing-coverts dusky, bordered with ashy ; 

 some of the feathers on the rump white ; tail-coverts and tail 

 bright rufous tipped with brown, and the two centre feathers 

 dusky ; the centre of the abdomen white ; vent and under 

 tail-coverts rufous ; legs and beak dusky ; irides brown. 



Entire length 6'3 inches ; culmen 0"5 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, &"5 ; tarsus 1. 



Female. — Above dirty ash-colour, beneath brown tinged 

 with rufous ; tail paler than in the male. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 96. 



29. RuTiciLLA SEMiRUFA (Hcmpr. & Ehr.). Palestine 



Redstart. 



Hemprich and Ehrenberg collected this species in Egypt ; 

 but it appears to be of very rare occurrence there, for I know 

 of no other instance of its having been observed in the 

 country. 



Male. — Forehead, sides of the head, back, scapulars, wing- 

 coverts, throat, and breast glossy black, with an iron-grey cap ; 

 wings brown ; remainder of the plumage bright rust-colour, 

 except the two centre tail-feathers, which are brovni. There 

 is no trace of white on any part of the plumage. 



Female. — Very similar to that of R. phcenicura. 



Entire length 5-6 inches ; culmen 0"45 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 3 ; tarsus 0'9. 



This description is taken from two specimens kindly lent to 

 me by the Rev. Canon Tristram. 



