THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 3-jy 



the latter twice. Emberiza ccesia again, which is resident much 

 farther south, has been killed here ten times, and the small Short- 

 toed Lark (Alauda brackydactyla) at least fifty times. 



The Desert Chat is at once distinguished from its near black- 

 throated relatives, by the tail being black almost up to the root, 

 the little of white there is on it being only visible quite at the upper 

 portion on the lateral feathers, while it is almost completely covered 

 by the upper and under tail-coverts. Further, in the summer 

 plumage of the male, the upper parts are not pure white, as in 

 X. stapazina, S. erythrwa, $. melanoleuca, but of a sandy rust yellow, 

 which colour is also characteristic of the autumn plumage of both 

 sexes, and of that of the young birds ; there is not the least ad- 

 mixture of ferruginous, in which respect also it strikingly differs 

 from the soft rust colour of the autumn plumage in & stapazina&nd 

 S. auritct. The black markings on the head and throat, which on 

 the throat of #. stapazina do not extend farther than the ends of the 

 longest ear-feathers, in S. desert i not only occupy the whole of the 

 foreneck and sides of the neck, but are prolonged on both sides of 

 the upper breast down to the scapular portions of the wings. 



In spite of its very simple colours, the old male in summer 

 plumage is a strikingly beautiful bird. 



The measurements of the example shot here on the 23rd of 

 J ime 1880 are as follows : Total length, 5'94 ins. (151 mm.) ; length of 

 wing, 3'58 ins. (91 mm.) ; length of tail, 2 - 60 ins. (66 mm.) ; length of 

 tail uncovered by wing, '94 in. (24 mm.). The bill measures -51 in. 

 (13 mm.), and the tarsus '98 in. (25 mm.). 



The breeding home of the Desert Chat extends, according to 

 Tristram, from the Sahara Desert, through the desert regions of 

 Egypt, Arabia and Persia, as far as India. 



141. Eastern Pied Ghat [SCHECKIGER STEIN SCHMATZER]. 

 SAXICOLA MORIO, Ehrenberg. 1 



Eastern Pied Chat. Dresser, ii. 235. 



Saxicola leucomela. Tristram, Western Palestine, 35. 



Saxicola leucomela. Jerdon, Birds of India, ii. 131. 



This species, the eastern form of Saxicola leucomela, from which 

 it is distinguished by the black under-side of the wings, which are 

 white in the latter species, has been obtained by me twice on this 

 island: the first example having been an old male in breeding 

 plumage shot on the 9th of May 1867 ; the second, a beautiful old 

 female, shot on the Gth of June 1882 ; the value of the latter example 



1 Saxicola capi/ttrata, Gould. 



