224 MESSRS. BLANFORD AND DRESSER ON [Apr. 21, 



are in England, the third being the type in the Berlin Museum. 

 When part xvi. of the 'Birds of Europe' was published, it was 

 believed that S. mcesta, Licht., was identical with this species ; and 

 only when we visited the Berlin Museum, taking with us Canon 

 Tristram's and many other types, did we discover that this was not 

 the case. We then likewise ascertained that Hemprich and Ehren- 

 berg's specimen of S. xanthoprymna is merely a young bird of this 

 species, which therefore will bear their name. 



9. Saxicola deserti. 



Saxicola stapazina, Licht. in Eversm. Reise nach Buchara, p. 128. 

 no 12 (1823), nee Linn. 



Saxicola deserti, Riipp. in Temm. PI. Col. pi. 359. fig. 2 (1825) 

 (type examined). 



Saxicola isabellina, Temm. torn. cit. pi. 472. fig. I (1829). 



Saxicola pallida, Riipp. Neue Wirbelth. p. 80 (1835-40), nee 

 Atlas, pi. 34. fig. a (type examined). 



Saxicola atrogularis, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xvi. p. 130 

 (1847). 



Saxicola salina, Eversm. Bull. Soc. Mosc. xxiii. pt. ii. p. 567, pi. 8. 

 fig. 2(1850). 



Saxicola atriyularis, Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 304 (1850). 



Saxicola gutturalis, Licht. Nomencl. Av. p. 35 (1854) (type ex- 

 amined). 



Saxicola homochroa, Tristr. Ibis, 1859, p. 59 (type examined). 



Saxicola montana, Gould, B. of Asia, pt. xvii. (18G5). 



Saxicola atrogularis, id. /. c. 



Saxicola albomarginata, Salvad. Att. Soc. Tor. 1870, p. 507 (type 

 examined). 



Adult male in breeding-plumage (Algerian Sahara). Crown, nape, 

 and back sandy isabelline, the crown tinged with grey ; rump, with the 

 upper tail-coverts, pure white ; quills black, narrowly margined with 

 whitish; inner secondaries brownish black, broadly margined with sandy 

 isabelline ; scapulars and larger wing-coverts pale isabelline ; median 

 and lesser coverts black, narrowly tipped with white ; tail black, 

 white at the base ; sides of the head and neck, and entire throat to 

 the breast glossy black ; forehead and a superciliary line dull white ; 

 breast and abdomen white, on the breast and flanks washed with 

 pale rufous isabelline ; under wing-coverts white ; axillaries black, 

 tipped with white. Total length 5 - 25 inches, culmen 0*75, wing 

 3*5, tail 2 - 6, tarsus 1"1. 



Adult male in winter (Egypt). Differs from the specimen last 

 described in being rather greyer on the back, the black on the 

 throat being somewhat obscured by creamy white margins to all the 

 feathers ; and the light margins and tips on the wing-feathers are 

 much more fully developed. 



Adult female (Etawah, N.W. India, 19th Jan.). The upper 

 parts are duller and greyer than in the male ; the white frontal line 

 and supercilium are scarcely visible ; the rump and upper tail-coverts 



