Names of Two Forms of Black-eared Chats. 409 



either without any black at all above the eye or with merely 

 a very narrow line. Lastly, the words " les couvertures 

 du dessus et du dessous des ailes sont de cette coulcur 

 (noire) ainsi que les pennes " would indicate that Vieillot 

 meant that the quills as well as the wing-coverts were black, 

 both above and below. 



I do not know where Vieillot's type-specimen may be, if, 

 indeed, there be one in existence ; but I may say that the 

 form of Black-eared Chat most often met with in Europe 

 appears to be the eastern and not the western, the range 

 of the latter being more or less confined to a comparatively 

 small portion of the Continent. 



I would here observe that the term eastern, as applied to 

 the Black-eared Chat with a dark under-wing, is somewhat 

 misleading, the range of this form extending right across 

 the European Continent as far west as France and Portugal. 

 Mr. Dresser is evidently unaware of this fact, as, in a letter, 

 he informs me that he has never heard of its occurrence 

 further west than Montenegro and Albania. 



With regard to Temminck's Saxicola aurita (Man. d'Orn. 

 1. 1820, p. 241), his description, although, on the whole, 

 more applicable to the eastern form of Black-eared Chat 

 than to the western, is so vague that it might apply 

 equally to either. Owing, however, to the kindness 

 of Dr. Otto Finsch, of the Rijks Museum at Leiden, 

 where Temminck's collection is preserved, I have been able 

 to ascertain that Temminck's specimens of Black-eared 

 Chats are from South France, Italy, Portugal, Egypt, 

 Bogosland, and Arabia, and that they all agree in having 

 the under surface of the wing black. Dr. Finsch was 

 unable to inform me which particular specimen had served 

 Temminck as his type; but presumably his description was 

 taken from one of these examples, and, seeing that all 

 the specimens have the under surface of the wing black, we 

 are justified in concluding that Temminck's description of 

 S. aurita applies to the eastern ami not to the western 

 Black-eared Chat, which has the under surface of the win- 

 of a light colour. 



