376 ZOOLOGICAL RESULTS OF THE RUWENZORI EXPEDITION. 



only by rufous edges to the black feathers at the base of the neck. It would seem as 

 though the examples in which the chestnut has nearly disappeared were very old birds, 

 for a quite young male in first plumage, with the wing-coverts margined with pale 

 rufous and the breast and belly strongly washed with the same colour, has a wide 

 chestnut band across the chest. 



Mr. Carruthers procured a somewhat remarkable specimen (No. 1248). It is marked 

 " 2 ." The upperparts resemble those of the normal adult female, but are somewhat 

 darker. The sides of the head, cheeks, and chin are sandy-brown, much like those of 

 the ordinary female, but the throat and fore-neck are black as in the male ; there is a 

 chestnut band across the chest, and the rest of the underparts are white. This indi- 

 vidual does not appear to be a young male, and there can be little doubt that it is an 

 instance of a very old female assuming plumage like that of the male. Similar instances 

 have been recorded. In Sokotra, I myself procured an undoubted female of Saxicola 

 montana Gould in male plumage (cf. Nat. Hist. Sokotra and Abd-el-Kuri, p. 42). 



A female of P. salax from Kenya, shot by Dr. R. E. Urake-Brockman, approaches 

 the bird procured by Mr. Carruthers, having the feathers of the throat and fore-neck 

 black, mixed with sandy-brown, but in other respects it is similar to normal females. 



From typical P. salax from Gaboon Dr. Reichenow has separated the bird found at 

 Buea, Cameroon Peak, under the name of P. s. pallidigula, disregarding the fact that 

 Captain Shelley's name P. axillaris was given to the bird from the same locality 

 (Cameroon, 7000 ft.) and has many years' priority. The latter is added to the synonymy 

 of P. salax, to which P. pallidigula is certainly also referable. 



[This Stonechat was met with throughout the journey from Entebbe to Ruwenzori, 

 and was found on the mountains as high as 6500 ft., where the forest commences — 

 R. B. W.~\ 



Myrmecocichla nigra (Vieill.). 



Myrmecocichla nigra Reich. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 706 (1905) [part.] ; Grant, Ibis, 1908, p. 299 

 [Upper Congo]. 

 a-c. 6 ? . 40-50 miles W. of Entebbe, 3500 ft., 27th & 28th Nov. [Nos. 13, 14. 

 R. E. I). ; 3009. R. B. W.] 



d-g. 6 ? . Mokia, S.E. Ruwenzori, 3400 ft., 4th-24th May. [Nos. 297. R. E. 1). ; 



2330, 2371, G. L. ; 3393. R. B. W.] 



h, i. 6 2. Mokia, S.E. Ruwenzori, 3400 ft., 7th-13th June. [Nos. 430, 454. 

 R. E. B.] 



Iris dark brown ; bill and feet black. 



The characters which distinguish this Black Chat from M. arnotti (Tristr.) are fully 

 set down in my paper published on Mr. Carruthers's collection and referred to above. 

 Though united under one heading by Dr. Reichenow they are really very distinct 

 species. 



