45 



THE STONE-CHAT. 



Saaricola rubicola, BECHSTEIN, 



Head and half way down the throat, black ; lower throat and 

 breast, rufous ; sides of the neck, stripe on the wings and 

 tail-covers, white ; belly and flanks, pale rufous. 



Saxicola rubicola, Bechst. Natur. Deut. iii. 694 ; Selby, i. 203. 

 Motacilla rubicola, Linn. y Auct La Traquet Patre, Le 



Vaill. Ois. tfAf. iv. pi. 180; Temm. Manuel, i. 246 The 



Stone-chat of British authors. 



THE geographic range of this pretty species, so 

 familiarly known that a detailed description is un- 

 necessary, is perhaps more extensive than that of 

 any insectivorous or dentirostral bird yet discovered. 

 It is abundant at the Cape of Good Hope, where it 

 remains the whole year ; specimens of both sexes 

 have been sent from Senegal, which, upon being 

 compared with those of Britain and of Southern 

 Africa, show not the slightest specific difference. 

 The African males, indeed, have the rufous upon 

 the breast darker and brighter than is seen in ours, 

 but this is obviously the effect only of climate. The 

 most northern limits of the species have not been 

 accurately ascertained, since M. Temminck omits to 

 itate from what part of Russia it has been sent by 

 Pallas. 



