1922.] tlie Near East and Tropical East Africa. 13 



I find that variation is not in accordance with geograph- 

 ical distribution, but is individual and seasonal. There is 

 very little in size, though birds from the eastern part of the 

 range of the species do contain some huge individuals. A 

 winter male from Palestine has a wino- of 125 mm. ; this is 

 the la?-gest Song-Thrush I have measured. 



Monticola saxatilis (L.). 



I am only dealing with the migratory movements of the 

 Rock-Thrush in the Near East and down the eastein half of 

 the African continent. 



Iti Palestine the bird breeds only rarely among the highest 

 peaks of the Lebanon and Hermon systems, and is not 

 often seen passing through Palestine to and from its 

 breedini^- grounds. It appears to arrive in the first half 

 of April and commences to depart during the last days of 

 August. 



In Cyprus, autumn passage is probably at its height 

 between 27.viii. and 24. ix. 



In Egypt, Nicoll states they are -common on spring and 

 autumn passage, but they appear to be commoner in spring 

 than in autumn. Autumn passage in Egypt occurs from 

 about 28. viii. to the end of September. I do not believe they 

 winter in Egyi)t. 



The Rock-Thrush is a common winter visitor to the Sudan 

 from late September to April, and occurs in northern 

 Somaliland in January. Young birds commence to arrive 

 in northern Somaliliiid in the second half of September, 

 adults appearing in early October. In Kenya Colony they 

 commence to arrive about Nairobi and Naivasha during the 

 last week of October. lean find no winter record of birds 

 in eastern Africa south of a line from Bagomoyo on the 

 coast just north of Dar-es-Salaam to Ujiji, the terminus of 

 the Central Railway on Lake Tanganyika. 



Birds commence to move north from the tropics towards 

 the end of March when the majority leave, and they pass 

 north in Somaliland in the second half of March and through 

 Egypt during the last few days of March and throughout 



