32 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



tain, with the exception, perhaps, of an occasional straggler, occurs 

 only in North-west Africa, South Spain, Sicil}', and one or two other 

 West Mediterranean coast districts. 



" Heniprich and Ehrenberg's descriptions of S. aurita var. lihijca, 

 and S. amphileuca (Synih. PItys. 1829, and Symh. Aves, 1833) are also 

 rather vague, but there can be no doubt that both refer to the 

 Eastern Black-eared Chat, and must therefore be regarded as 

 synonyms of S. alhicollis (Vieill.), or S. aurita (Temm.). 



"Dr. Finsch, in his 'Catalogue of Birds in the Leyden Museum' 

 (p. 151), is unable to separate S. aurita and S. avqiliileuca, specimens 

 in his collection from South France and Bogosland being identical. 

 This form of the species, in fact, as already mentioned, has a wide 

 range from east to west, and the term Eastern as applied to it, being 

 misleading, might perhaps with advantage be changed for some other 

 more appropriate designation. 



" In conclusion, I maintain that both Vieillot's and Temmiuck's 

 descriptions refer to the Eastern Black-eared Chat, and that Hemprich 

 and Ehrenberg's names are synonyms ; so that the name Saxicola 

 caterina, failing proof to the contrary, should stand for the Western 

 Black-eared Chat." 



In addition to the various differential characters pointed out in the 

 first of my above letters in the Ihis, there is another rather im- 

 portant one, which I had not at first noticed. This lies in the black 

 band at the extremity of the rectrices, which in S. stapazina is much 

 narrower than it is in S. catei'ince. Very old males, indeed, of the 

 former species have very little black at all on the tips of most of the 

 rectrices, and occasionally specimens are to be met with having all 

 these feathers, with the exception of the central and outermost pairs, 

 entirely white. The same difference in the tail-pattern is observable 

 between the two forms of Black-throated Chat. 



I would also here observe that, although so far as is at present 

 known, the range of S. caterincE, with the exception of an occasional 

 straggler, appears to be confined to North-western Africa and South- 

 western Europe, the species being migiatory and non-resident in 

 those countries in winter, it must occur also somewhere further 

 south. I may further here allude to the recent occurrence of a fine 

 male specimen of S. caterina; in England, the first recorded in the 

 British Islands. This interesting discovery was made near Polegate 

 in Sussex, on May 28th, 1902, and, together with the specimen itself. 



