1922.] tJie Near East and Tropical East Africa. 29 



Chat (Prati7icola) in Madaoascar, namely sihilla, and in the 

 second place Tristrani^s robvsta does not agree with sihilla, 

 in which race the chestnut is confined to the chest and never 

 extends to the flanks. In Tristram's type the chestnut 

 extends to the flanks as in orientalis. I am therefore com- 

 pelled to accept rolmsta as the oldest name for this race^ and 

 am convinced that the specimen (collected by H. E. Fox) 

 never came from Mysore at all but from South Africa. 



Tristram also made a second type of robusfa, to which he 

 also refers ('Ibis,' ibid.). This is undoubtedly a ma]e prze- 

 toalshii in fresh autumn plumane, but cannot in any sense be 

 admitted as a type, as the "Mysore" bird is the one described. 



Hartert, in his review of the genus Pratincola (J. f. 0. 

 1910), accepts Gates' opinion oi robust a, but he had not then 

 seen the type. 



PHCENICURUS PIICENICURUS. 



Phoenicurus p. phcenicurus (L.). 



Common on autumn passage in October at Damascus, and 

 during November in Jerusalem. 



In western Egypt, a few were seen at Mersa Matruli in 

 Januar3^ Spring passage in the Egyptian Delta in 1920 

 occurred between 20. iii. and 18. iv. 



Phoenicurus p. mesoleuca (Hemp. & Ehr.). 



Common on autumn passage at Damascus in late Sept- 

 ember. 



PHCENICURUS OCIIRUROS. 



Phcenicurus ochruros ochruros (Gmel.). 



A not uncommon winter visitor to Palestine, where I 

 obtained birds at Jericho on 22. ii., at Jerusalem on 21. xi., 

 and saw others at Jericho in October. 



Phoenicurus ochruros gibr altar iensis (Gmel.). 



The commonest winter Redstart to Palestine, the latest 

 spring record being on the Sea of Galilee on 9. iii. Also a 

 not uncommon winter visitor to Egypt and the Egyptian 

 Coast west to Solium, where I saw several birds in late 

 January. * 



