320 



breast and flanks chestnut ; the feathers broadly margined with white, paling 

 into pure white on the centre of the abdomen and into pale chestnut on the 

 axillaries and under wing and tail coverts ; tail chestnut, except the inner 

 webs of the two central tail feathers, which are dark brown ; bill, legs, and 

 feet black ; irides brown. 



Length. 5*5 to 5-6 inches; wing 2<8 to 3-3 ; tail 2*1 to 2*5; culmen 0-5 ; 

 tarsus 0*9 to 0*75. 



The female resembles the male, except that the under parts are buff and 

 that there are no dark bases to the feathers of the upper surface. In breeding 

 plu?nage the forehead of the male becomes pure white, the head becomes 

 slate grey, and there is a scarcely perceptible pale margin to the wings and 

 their coverts. The breast and flanks have no white margins which, with the 

 feathers of the axillaries, wing coverts, and under tail coverts, become a rich 

 chestnut. 



Hab* Seebohm says it breeds throughout the Palasarctic region as far north 

 as the Arctic circle and as far east as the watershed of the Yenasay and the 

 Lena. It winters in South Persia and Central Africa as far west as Senegal. 

 It is recorded from the N,-W. Provinces of India, the Punjaub, and Afghanis- 

 tan. It breeds in holes of trees and walls. Eggs verditer blue. 



396. Ruticilla meSOleUCa (Hempr. et Ehr.), Cab. Journ. Orn. 

 1854, p. 446 ; Seebohm, P. Z. S. 1879, p 979 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 v. p. 33.8; Murray, Vert. Zool., Sind, p. x.; Sylvia mesoleuca, Hempr. et 

 Ehr. Symb. Phys., fol. ee., 1832. Sylvia phoenicura (Linn.} apud Menetries, 

 Cat. Rais. Cauc., p. 35. Ruticilla phoenicura, (Linn.) apud Heugl. Syst. 

 Uebers,^. 25 ; apud Blanford> Geol. and Zool. t Abyss., p. 358. EHRENRERG'S 

 REDSTART, 



Differs from Ph&nicurus by the male having the outer webs of the seconda- 

 ries more or less broadly margined with white, otherwise it is not unlike the 

 male of Ph&nicurus ; 2nd primary between $th and jth. The female, Seebohm 

 says, is slightly darker on the upper and under parts. 



Length. $'$ inches; wing 2-84 to 3-2; tail 3'i6 to 2-45: culmen 0-5 ; 

 tarsus 0*75 to 0*9. 



Hah. The Caucasus, Asia Minor, and Algiers, wintering in Sind (rare), 

 Persia, Western Arabia, Abyssinia, and Senegal. 



397. Ruticilla rufiventris, Jerdon, B. Ind. ii. p. 137, No. 497; 

 Gray, Handlist B. i. p. 221; Blanf. East. Persia, ii. p. 163; Murray, 

 Hdbk* Zoo.l., &c., Sind, p. 152; id. Vert. ZooL, Sind, p. 146; Seebohm, Cat. 

 B. Br. Mus. vol. v. p. 342. Ruticilla phoenicuroides, Moore, P. Z. S* 1854, 

 p. 25, pi. Ivii ; Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 136 ; Gray, Handlist B. i. p. 221. Ruti- 

 cilla erythroprocta, Gould,, apud. Hume and Henders. Lahore to 



P. 208 ; apud. Severtz. Turkest. Jevotn. The INDIAN REDSTART. 



