THE EASTERN BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR. 



439 



Saxicola amphileuca Hemprich & Ehrenberg, t.c., fol. bb, no. 4 (1833 

 Syria. Description of the white-throated form in summer-plumage). 

 Saxicola stapazina var. melanoleiica Seebohm, Hist. Brit. Birds, I, p. 307. 

 Saxicola stapazina Linn. (=S. aurita Temm.), M. J. Nicoll, Bull. B.O.C. ', 

 xvi, p. 22 ; Saxicola stapazina (Linn.), nee Vieillot, Saunders, Brit. B., 

 i, p. 6. 



CEnanthe hispanica xantliome^cena, (Hempr. & Ehr.), Hand-List Brit. B., 

 p. 82, 1912. 



1, The Western, 2, The Eastern Black-eared Wheatears (black- throated form). Adult 

 males, summer. Showing the difference in black on throat. N.B. The difference 

 is not always so marked as in these two examples. 



1, The Western, 2, The Eastern Black-eared Wheatears. Adult males, summer. 

 Showing difference in black on fore-head. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Like that of (E. h. hispanica 

 but crown dirty greyish-brown not foxy-buff ; mantle buff washed 

 with varying amount of greyish-brown, but paler, browner and much 

 less rich buff than in (E. h. hispanica ; scapulars usually entirely 

 black with buff tips ; black line extends from nostrils across fore- 

 head ; in black-throated examples black extends farther down 

 throat making a straight line with black of ear -co verts ; inner webs 

 of wing -feathers black not edged whitish. Moult as in (E. h. 

 hispanica. Summer. Abrasion causes same changes as in (E. h. 

 hispanica but crown and mantle become whiter and often quite 

 white and scapulars jet-black, less worn examples usually have 

 some traces of brown on crown, and varying amount of sandy-buff 

 on mantle. 



Adult female. Like that of (E. h. hispanica but crown and 

 mantle dark brown, not sandy, and usually easy to distinguish 

 but some examples are somewhat sandy and approach dark examples 

 of typical form very nearly especially in worn summer plumage: 



