76 



grey or brown ; lores, round eye, ear-coverts, sides of neck and of 

 the breast, auxiliaries and under wing-coverts, back, scapulars, and 

 wings black, many of the feathers fringed with greyish brown, and 

 the wing- coverts with white ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and entire 

 lower plumage white ; tail white, except the terminal two-thirds 

 of the middle pair of feathers and a band at the tips of the others, 

 which are black. The summer plumage hardly differs. 



Female. According to Seebohm differs from the male in having 

 the black parts replaced by brown, and in having the head and 

 nape suffused with brown. 



Bill black, gape leaden ; iris dark brown ; legs black (Scully}. 



Length about 6 ; tail 2'4 ; wing 3*6 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from 

 gape -8. 



The only specimens of this Chat that I have been able to examine 

 are two males in Seebohm's Collection, one obtained by Severtzoff 

 in Turkestan in March, and the other by Scully in Grilgit in June. 

 The female is unknown to me. 



Distribution. Has occurred in Gilgit in May and June. This 

 species breeds in Turkestan, and is said to winter in Arabia and 

 the Bogos country. 



624. Saxicola oenanthe. The Wheatear Chat. 



Motacilla cenanthe, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 332 (1766). 



Saxicola cenanthe (Linn.), Seebohm, Caf. B. M. v, p. 391 ; Biddulph, 



Ibis, 1881, p. 60: Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 444; Hume, S. F. ix, 



p. 325 note. 



Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the feathers at the 

 base of the upper mandible, a supercilium, and a moustachial streak 

 are white ; lores, under the eye, and ear-coverts black ; upper 

 plumage slaty grey with broad rufous fringes ; rump and upper 

 tail-coverts white ; tail white, except the terminal two-thirds of 

 the middle pair of feathers and the terminal quarter of the others, 

 which are black ; all the tail-feathers also tipped with pale buff ; 

 wings black, each feather with a rufous margin ; lower plumage 

 buff ; under wing-coverts and axillaries brown, edged with white. 

 In summer the rufous fringes are cast, leaving the upper plumage 

 slaty grey and the wings black. 



Female. Feathers at base of upper mandible and supercilium 

 pale rufous ; lores and upper part of ear-coverts brown ; lower 

 part of ear-coverts rich ruddy ; upper plumage brown tinged with 

 rufous ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail as in male ; wing 

 as in male, but not so black ; lower plumage rich buff; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts brown, edged with white. In summer 

 the colours are less brilliant, and the fringes to the wing-feathers 

 are reduced in extent. 



Bill and claws black ; legs and toes brownish black (Scully'] ; 

 iris dark brown (Seebohm). 



Length about 6 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3-8 ; tarsus 1-05 ; bill from 

 gape -8. 



