SAXICOLA MELANOLEUCA 39 



tip being, as a rule, narrower in the present species, and broader in the 

 Western bird. Very old males indeed of the present species have very 

 little black at all at the tip of the tail, and I have even seen some with all 

 the rectrices, except the central and outer pairs, entirely white. 



Although less common than the preceding species, the Eastern 

 Black- throated Chat also occurs in Tunisia, being more often met 

 with in the east than in the west of the Eegency, its usual course of 

 migration probably extending along the coast-line from Tripoli and 

 the Gulf of Gabes northward. I have, however, obtained specimens 

 of this Chat, on more than one occasion, as far west as Gafsa, which 

 is situated some way inland from the coast. 



As stated in nu' notes on the preceding species, I am not aware of 

 S. vielanoleuca having occurred in North-west Africa further west 

 than Tunisia. Neither Dr. Koenig, when collecting in Algeria, nor. 

 Mr. Dodson in Marocco, appear to have met with it. The latter 

 gentleman, however, obtained specimens of the species for me in 

 Tripoli, during the early part of April, when the bird was no doubt 

 on passage. 



In its habits generally, as well as in its mode of nesting, 

 S. vielanoleuca seems to differ in no way from S. occidentalis. I 

 took a nest of this species with five eggs, on April 8th, 1902, on the 

 mountain slopes immediately north of Gafsa. The nest, which was 

 placed under a rock on the hillside, was composed of fine rootlets, 

 lined with a little hair. The eggs were greenish-blue, slightly spotted, 

 and chiefly at the larger end, with russet-brown. Average measure- 

 ments 19 X 14 mm. I secured the male bird at the same time. 



SAXICOLA DESERTI, Riippell. 

 DESERT CHAT. 



Saxicola deserti, BUpp. in Temm. PL Col. pi. 359, fig. 2 (1825) ; Secbohm, 

 Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. v, p. 383 ; Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 208 

 (1867) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1883, p. 211 ; id. J. /. 0. 1893, p. 13 ; WhUaker, 

 Ibis, 1894, p. 87 ; Erlanger, J.f. 0. 1899, p. 227. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Djemma, South Tunisia. 

 Forehead and superciliary stripes whitish-buff; crown, nape, back and 

 scapulars sandy isabelline buff, brighter on the back and scapulars, and 



