1920.] Bh'ds of Southern Palestine. 227 



The male lias the crown and nape dull fawn, each feather 

 edged with brown. The back is black, each feather edged 

 with fawn, the whole giving a mottled appearance. The 

 female has the head and na{)e russet-fawu, and only slightly 

 paler than the back. Both birds are undoubtedly in nestling- 

 plumage, and it would therefore appear that this form in its 

 nursery plumage resembles (JiJ. /. haloj}]nla of N.AV. Africa, 

 in which race the plumage of the adult female diifers from 

 that of the adult male, whereas in G"^. I. liKjens the adult 

 plumage is similar in both sexes. 



CE. I. persica Seeb. 



I agree with Sclater and Praed in considering this bird a 

 subspecies of lui/ens. 



A specimen obtained in the Jordan Valley on 11, xi. has 

 the top of the head much darker than in typical hu/ens, with 

 a much broader black subterminal tail-bar. The under 

 tail-coverts are, however, not darker than in (J^. I. lugens. 

 This specimen, though undoubtedly referable to persica, 

 tends towards typical h(;iei)s. 



Saxicola rubetra. 



S. r. ruhetra (L.). 

 S. r. spatz'i (Erl.). 



Of four specimens brought home, one is of the typical 

 western race and was obtained on '.). ix,, the other three are 

 of the Dalmatian form, the breeding range of which probably 

 extends much further east than its tyjiical locality. 



Nicoll informs me that both forms occur on passage in 

 Egypt. 



AVhinchats are only birds of passage in southern Palestine, 

 arriving in autumn on 8.ix., becoming common about 15. ix., 

 and again scarce on 29. ix. Last seen on 30. x. 



The only record of the spring passage is of one specimen 

 (spatzi) obtained at Rafa on 1. v. 



Saxicola torquata. 



S. t. riihicola (L.). 

 A common wintjr visitor. At Tlafa the autumn migration 



