1874.] THE GENUS SAXICOLA. 223 



brown and dirty white edges ; rest of the underparts white ; under 

 wing-coverts black ; legs and bill black ; iris brown. 



Young female. Similar to the adult female, except that the upper 

 parts are paler in colour, and that the throat is not blackish. 



Hab. Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Arabia, and Persia. 



7. Saxicola mcesta. 



Saxicola mcesta, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 33 (1823) (type ex- 

 amined). 



Saxicola philothamna, Tristr. Ibis, 1859, p. 58 (type examined). 



Adult male (summer). Crown and nape white, washed on the 

 former with dirty grey ; back black ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 rufescent white ; outer rectrices bright rufous at the base, terminal 

 half blackish brown ; quills dull brown, with paler margins ; lores, 

 throat, sides of the head, and neck jet-black ; breast and abdomen 

 white; under tail-coverts pale rufous. Culmen # 8, wing 3*8, 

 tail 29, tarsus 1-2. 



Adult female (November). Upper parts sandy isabelline, darker 

 on the back; quills dark brown, with isabelline . margins ; tail 

 blackish brown, basal half of outer rectrices bright rufous ; tail- 

 coverts, both upper and under, pale rufous ; underparts buffy 

 white. 



In winter the general colour of the plumage is duller and greyer, 

 the head and nape of the male being dull brownish grey. 



Hab. Algeria, Egypt. 



8. Saxicola xanthoprymna. 



Saxicola xanthoprymna, Ehr. Symb. Phys. fol. dd. (1829). 

 Saxicola erythropygia, Taylor, Ibis, 1 867, p. 61 . 

 Saxicola masta, Sharpe & Dresser, B.of Eur. part 16, Feb. 1873, 

 nee Licht. 



Adult male. Crown, nape, back, and wing-coverts dark brownish 

 grey ; forehead and a broad superciliary line extending to the nape 

 white ; wings greyish brown, narrowly tipped with dirty white ; 

 lower part of back, rump, and upper tail-coverts bright rufous ; tail 

 white at the base and to one third of its length on the central, in- 

 creasing to about two thirds on the outer rectrices, remainder 

 blackish, tipped with white ; throat, sides of the face, and neck 

 black ; underparts dull white, washed with rufous on the flanks ; 

 under wing-coverts black ; under tail-coverts rufous. Total length 

 6'2 inches, culmen 06, wing 3 - 7, tail 27, tarsus - 95. 



Female or young male. Much duller and paler in colour than the 

 male, the eye-streak duller ; throat with whitish edges to the feathers, 

 the black basal portions showing through here and there ; under- 

 parts smoky white ; rump, upper and under tail-coverts dull orange- 

 red. 



Hab. N.E. Africa ; Arabia Petraea. 



Scarcely any Chat is so little known as the present species ; and 

 we only know of three specimens existing in Europe, two of which 



