Birds of the Pamir Range. 69 



of Egypt, the northern Sahara, and the neighbourhood of the 

 Sea of Aral. 



63. Saxicola deserti, Riipp. 

 Saxicola montana, Gould. 

 Saxicola salina, Eversm. 



The Kirghiz Desert-Chat, S. salina, differs from the North 

 Sahara species, S. deserti, only in the rather greyer colour of 

 its back. S. montana* differs from S. salina only in being a 

 little lighter and slightly larger, and in the black of the throat 

 not descending so far on the breast ; but all these characters 

 are trifling and not constant. Gould got his specimens of S. 

 montana from Western Tibet. I found many in the Pamir, 

 where they probably breed. It was not seen in the Alai. 



64. Saxicola leucomela, Pall. 

 Saxicola pleschanka, Lepech. 

 Saxicola hendersoni, Hume. 



The Siberian Pied Chat was got during its migration in 

 the Kysil-art gorge on the 20th September. 



65. Saxicola MORio.t, Ehr. 



Was obtained during its passage through Pamir and Alai 

 at the end of August and beginning of September, and is 

 much more abundant than the last species. I may here 

 observe that this species and the last differ in their black tail- 

 markings, and also in their geographical distribution. The 

 northern limit of S. leucomela, Pall., is a line from the middle 

 Volga to the eastern Tian-shan, and its southern one from 

 the Caspian Sea to Yarkand and Western Tibet, whilst the 

 northern limit of Saxicola morio runs from Asia Minor to 

 Lake Baikal. 



* According to Mr. Seebohm tlie true S. montana differs principally 

 from S. deserti in having the basal half of the inner web of the pri- 

 maries and of the adjoining five secondaries white to the shaft. See Cat. 

 B. Brit. Mus. v. p. 385.— Edd.] 



t [Mr. Seebohm has examples of both this bird and the preceding 

 obtained direct from Severtzoff, but is unable to detect any difference 

 between them. — Edd. 



