1922.] some Indian iVheafears. 155 



winter, it seems reasonable to suppose that where the two 

 birds meet hybridization occurs. It has been found to be 

 the case with Bulbuls, and 1 see no reason why it should not 

 occur in these ( !hats. 



B. (Enanthe deserti oreophila. 



This bird was described by Gouh] (Birds of Asia, iv. 

 pi. 30, 1865) as Saxicola vtontaiui; Oberholser (Proc. U.S. 

 Nat. Mus. xxii. 1901, }). 221) has subsequently shown that 

 this name was preoccupied by Koch (Syst. B. Zool. 181G, 

 p. 185) and suggested the name oreopldht. 



Gates (Faun. Brit. India, ii. p. 78) perfectly correctly indi- 

 cates the differences between this bird aw^ deserti, namely, the 

 larger amount of white in the wing and larger size ; he also 

 roughly indicated its different distribution, though he treats 

 deserti ( = f?. atrogularis) and montana { = d. oreophila) as 

 two species, and not races of one species as I should consider 

 them to be. It is difficult to see exactly why Dr. Hartert 

 (V^iig. p. Faun. p. 6S4:) relegates montana to the synonymy 

 of atrogularis except that he thought that there Avas a great 

 deal of individual variation in the amount of white in the 

 wings and that, though these birds seemed large, there was 

 apparently no geographical limit between the two forms. 

 In consideration of these divergent views of Dr. Hartert 

 and Gates I have gone into the question de jiovo. I have 

 examined a very large series of Asiatic Desert Wheatears 

 (over 200) contained in the British, Tring, and Bombay 

 Museums, as well as in my own collection, and on this my 

 opinions are based. 



Firstly, the amount of white in the wings of males 

 certainly varies somewhat, and 1 have only accepted as 

 oreophila those in which the white on the inner webs of the 

 primaries reaches to the quill. In the vast majority this 

 distinction is very striking and the birds can be picketl out 

 at a glance : the white is very pure and sharply contrasted, 

 and is found equally in adult and nestling plumage. There 

 ar(! very few birds which cannot be placed at once as either 

 oreophila or atrogularis ; in the latter some have white 



