SAXICOLA. 5 



>.S'md, Punjab (at Mooltan and Cheechawutnee), N.-W. Provinces, 

 Beloochistan (Quetta, May 2 1st), Afghanistan (Chaman), and S.-W. Turkistan. 

 Occurs also in Jodhpore, and probably in Kutch and Kattiawar. 



412. Saxicola deserti, Tem. Pi. Col. pi. 459, fig. 2 ; Rupp. Sysi. 



Uebers. p. 58 ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 179 ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 303 ; Jerd. B. Ind. 

 ii, p. 132, No. 492 ; Blf. Geol. and Zaol. Abyssinia, p. 362; Shelley, Birds 

 Egypt, p. 74 ; Blf. East. Pers. ii. p. 148 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. vol. v. 

 p. 383. Saxicola atrigularis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 131 ; Gould, B. of 

 Asia, pt. xvii. Saxicola homochroa, Tristram, Ibis, 1839, p. 59; Heugl. 

 N. 0. Afr. B. i. p. 243 ; Shelley, B. Egypt, p. 75. The BLACK-THROATED 

 WHEATEAR. 



Top of head, neck, back, scapulars, breast and belly buff ; upper and under 

 tail coverts very pale buff ; chin, throat, lores, behind the eye, and terminal 

 half of the tail black ; the two central feathers of the tail with the black for 

 nearly a quarter of an inch higher from the base than the others ; basal half of 

 tail feathers and a supercilium from the base of the bill to the nape white ; 

 wings and wing coverts dark brown, the secondaries margined on the outer 

 webs with buff ; tertiaries lighter, broadly margined and narrowly tipped with 

 buffy, the basal half of inner webs of all margined with white ; axillaries 

 and under wing coverts black, some of the feathers white tipped ; bill and 

 legs black ; irides hazel. 



Length. 675 to 7 inches ; wing 3*9 to 4 ; tail 275 ; tarsus I to ri ; bill at 

 front 0-5. 



Hob. Sind, Punjab, N.-W. Provinces, Beloochistan, S.-E. Persia, Afghan- 

 istan, E. Turkistan, Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, Nubia. Occurs also in Central 

 India, Deccan, Concan, Kutch, Kattiawar, Jodhpore and North Guzerat. 



Seebohm, in his Cat. B. Br. Mus., p. 385, describes Saxicola mon- 

 tana, Gould., B. As. pt. xvii. from Gwadur, Yarkand and Cashmere. I have 

 a long series of the Desert Chat from Beloochistan, S. Afghanistan, Sind and 

 Sibi in Afghanistan and all have the basal half of the inner webs of quills 

 margined white. S. deserti and S. montana I believe to be one and the same 

 species, the differences, if any, are due to seasonal changes. In one stage of 

 plumage (autumn and beginning of winter) the edge of the wing is a mixture 

 of buffy white and black, the axillaries whitish, and the black feathers of the 

 throat tipped with buffy white. 



413. SaxiCOla ChrySOpygia, De FUlippi, Arch. Zool. Genova, ii. 

 p. 381 ; id. Viag. Pers. p, 347 ; Gray, Handlist B. i. p. 226 ; Blf. East. Pers. 

 ii. p. 151; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. M. p. 389; Murray, Hdbk., ZooL, &c., 

 Sind> p. 148. Saxicola kingi, Hume, Ibis, 1871, p. 29 ; id. Sir. F. i. p. 187 ; 

 vii. p. 57. The RED-TAILED WHEATEAR. 



