1 S/4 . j MESSRS. BLANFORD AND DRESSER ON SAXICOLA. 213 



Iris yellow ; bill dark greenish brown ; legs greenish plumbeous. 



Dimensions in the flesh. 



Bill at Bill at 

 Length. Wing. Tarsus. Tail. gape. front. 



d" . . . - 13"2 6'5 1"2 imperfect 1*55 1*3 



2 13-1 6-5 1-2 5-5 1-5 1-25 



5. Monograph, of the Genus Saxicola, Beehstein. By W. T. 



Blanford, F.R.S., F.Z.S., &c., and H. E. Dresser, 



F.Z.S. &c. 



(Plates XXXVI. -XXXIX.) 



[Received April 21, 1874.] 



The following pases contain an attempt to reduce into something 

 like order the excessively confused nomenclature of the species com- 

 posing the genus Saxicola. Having had the advantage of a very 

 large number of specimens for comparison, and having examined 

 most of the original types described by Ebrenberg, Riippell, Tris- 

 tram, Salvadori, Cavendish Taylor, Hartlaub, and Fiusch, we are 

 enabled in many cases to state positively what are the species named 

 by those naturalists. 



This paper was commenced more than a year ago, under the 

 following circumstances : — One of us was engaged in working out 

 the names of the birds of Europe, and with this intent had collected, 

 by the kindness of several friends, a large series of different Chats ; 

 the other had just returned from Persia bringing with him a con- 

 siderable number of species of the same group. Amongst the united 

 collections (which, besides those of the writers, comprised extensive 

 suites from the cabinets of Lord Walden, Canon Tristram, Messrs. 

 Sharpe, Howard Saunders, Shelley, Cavendish Taylor, and Hargitt) 

 were representatives of all the forms known from the Palsearctic 

 region and of a large majority of the African species ; and we soon 

 ascertained that several alterations were necessary in the received 

 nomenclature, many forms being known by incorrect names, whilst 

 others had been separated on account of differences which were 

 due to age or sex. As it was necessary for each of us to study 

 several species for our own works, we agreed to take up the entire 

 genus together and endeavour to determine the nomenclature of the 

 whole. The task proved more tedious and more difficult than we 

 had anticipated ; but the synonymy of several of the species was 

 sufficiently determined some months since for their names to be 

 published in the ' Birds of Europe.' In the names given in the 

 earlier numbers of the same work some errors occur, which will be 

 found corrected in the present paper ; and corrected sheets will be 

 issued in that work. To all the gentlemen who have thus liberally 

 assisted us by the loan of their collections we are greatly indebted ; 

 and we are equally obliged to Dr. Cabanis of the Berlin Museum, Dr. 

 Fiusch of Bremen, and Count Salvadori of Turin, all of whom, besides 



