* Ornithologie Nor dost- Afrika's* 431 



Mr. Hume has lately shown {antea, p. 286) that the Abyssinian 

 Anthus sordidus is quite distinct from the Indian species to 

 which that name has been applied; and an examination of speci- 

 mens in the collections made by Messrs. Blanford and Jesse 

 prove him to be right. 



Dr. von Heuglin records three forms of Pr'atincola rubicola 

 as occurring in North-eastern Africa, which he calls respec- 

 tively P. rubicola, P. rubicola hemprichi, and P. rubicola sibylla, 

 with which is united P. pastor, of which last I should like to 

 see specimens from Abyssinia. In my opinion he is wrong in 

 uniting P. sibylla, which is from Madagascar, and has white 

 flanks, with P. pastor, in which they are I'ufous, the latter being 

 the South-African representative of P. rubicola. Again, P. 

 pastor seems to be distinguished from the true P. rubicola by 

 the greater amount of white on the rump, the more general 

 purity of the colours, and has also the middle of the abdomen 

 and under tail-coverts very pure white, these parts being tinged 

 with rufous in P. rubicola. Considerable uncertainty exists 

 as to what is really the true Saxicola isabellina of Hiippell. 

 From the figure given in that naturalist's " Atlas," Mr. Tristraui 

 and some others are inclined to consider it only the female of 

 some other species, perhaps S. monacha. That it is so seems 

 likely ; and an examination of the type is desirable ; for in 

 the case of this supposition proving correct, the species must 

 bear the name of S. saltatrix, Menetr. To S.frenata, Heugl., 

 a species of which the description is here for the first time pub- 

 lished, the author refers, with doubt, S. leucorrhoa (Gm.), 

 which last, from Senegambia, I have every reason to consider 

 nothing more than our S. oenanthe in full autumn plumage. A 

 new species, S. jinschi, is described from Egypt and Siberia, of 

 the validity of which I am far from being convinced. Both Dr. 

 von Heuglin and Dr. Jerdon (B. Ind. i. p. 131) seem to regard 

 the rufous under tail-coverts as the character distinguishing S. 

 lugens from S. leucomela ; but it does not hold good, as birds of 

 the same species with white and rufous under tail-coverts can be 

 found, and the difference consists mainly in the larger size of the 

 former, and possibly, could the matter be investigated by some 

 competent observer, in a difference in habits. The author seems 



N. S. VOL. VI. 2 H 



