THE ISABELLINE WHEATEAR, 443 



tarsus 22-25, bill from skull 15.5-17 (12 measured). $ wing 87-95. 

 Primaries : 1st 1-3 inm. longer or shorter than primary -co verts, 

 3rd and 4th longest, 2nd 4-6 mm. shorter, 5th 1-4 shorter, 6th 8-12 

 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Rest of structure 

 as in (E. ce. cenanthe. 



Soft parts. Bill, legs and feet, black ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. (E.p. cypriaca (Cyprus) is smaller 

 and more sandy on under-parts, in winter crown of male is blacker 

 and upper -parts of female are darker brown. For differences of 

 (E. hispanica see " Characters " under that species. 



FIELD -CHARACTERS. Although usually haunting stony places, fre- 

 quently perches on bushes and trees, often high up on latter. Con- 

 stantly pounces down on to ground and flies up again to its perch 

 in a Shrike-like fashion. Continually " bobs " its tail and is very 

 shy and equally conspicuous. Black back of male distinguishes 

 it from black-throated form of (E. hispanica but females very 

 difficult to identify in field. Note harsh " zach, zach." (H.F.W.) 



BREEDING-HABITS. Usually breeds in holes in river banks, but 

 also at times under stones. Nest. Few details given : dry grasses, 

 lined roots and a feather or two. Eggs. 4 to 6, light greenish-blue, 

 a few rusty spots at big end. Average size of 41, 19.3x15.1 mm. 

 Breeding-season. May, in south Russia. 



FOOD. Chiefly insects, but no precise data. Lynes found seeds, 

 grasshopper, insects, in stomachs of (E.p. cypriaca. 



DISTRIBUTION. Scotland. Female, Isle of May (Forth) Oct. 19, 

 1909 (ut supra}. Female, Swona (Orkneys) Nov. 1, 1916 (J. Bain, 

 Scot. Nat., 1916, p. 293). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. South Russia to Crimea, Dobrogea, 

 Caucasus, Transcaspia, Turkestan, Persia, Afghanistan, west Tibet, 

 north to south-east Siberia, and north China, also in Gilgit and north 

 Kashmir. On passage in north-east Africa and Arabia, also casual 

 in Italy, also on Heligoland. Replaced by smaller race in Cyprus. 



CENANTHE ISABELLINA 



183. CEnanthe isabellina (Cretzschm.) THE ISABELLINE 

 WHEATEAR. 



SAXICOLA ISABELLINA Cretzschmar, Atlas zu Biippells Reise, Vogel, 



p. 52, pi. 34, b (1826 Nubia). 



Saxicola isabellina Riippell, Saunders, p. 21. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Upper parts pale sandy- 

 brown with more or less isabelline tinge ; feathers of lower back 

 joining rump isabelline ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; 



