18 Col. R. Melnertzhagen on Birds from [^his, 



(Enanthe deserti Tenim. 



At Solium, on the coast o£ western Egypt, I collected in 

 January a series of eight birds which prove to be howochroa 

 (Tristr,). A male in spring plumage which I shot near the 

 Pyramids proves to be the same form. They were not 

 uncommon there in late March, but appeared to be on 

 passage somewhere, as they were not there throughout the 

 winter nor were they there during April or May. 



Birds collected in winter west of Cairo (between Suez 

 and Cairo, where they breed) are (E. d. deserti. 



Nicoll (Handlist Birds of Egypt, p. 3) is in error when he 

 says atrogidaris [ = alhifrons Brandt) occurs within Egyptian 

 limits. In Egypt west of the Delta homochroa occurs, and 

 east of the Delta CEnanthe d. deserti occurs. 



CEnanthe d. atrogidaris (rectius alhifrons) occurs as a 

 winter visitor to the Sudan, Arabia^ and Somaliland from 

 November to March, and I can find no record of its occur- 

 rence in Egypt. Birds from southern Arabia and northern 

 Somaliland, all winter birds, appear browner and darker 

 than topo-typical specimens, M'hich is probably due to their 

 fresh plumage. 



(Enanthe moesta Licht. 



I found this essentially desert-loving Chat quite common 

 in October in the Syrian Desert, 4.0 miles east of Damascus, 

 and again near Solium in western Egypt in January. 



Its flight differs from that of all other Chats I have seen, 

 in being of a fluttering and very undulating nature. At 

 Solium in January it was in exquisite song. 



(Enanthe lugens lugens Licht. 



This bird is quite a common resident in the desert country 

 fringing the Egyptian Delta. It is absent from Siwa Oasis, 

 Solium, and Mersa Matruh in western Egypt. It also occurs 

 at Suez on both sides of the Canal. 



In Palestine very few are resident on the summit of the 

 Judsean highlands, but they are quite common on the lower 

 eastern slo])es of the Judsean hills down to below sea-level 



