THE BIRDS OF GILGIT. 321 



nnce was quite accidental, I fancy. 1 never saw another in 

 winter. Two of tbe specimens have a greyish tinge on the 

 head and nape, forming a distinct cap, which appears to be a 

 mark of nonage, as a young bird has the whole upper plumage 

 suffused with this colour ; in a still younger bird, the back and 

 breast, are rufescent buff, edged with brown ; the wings brown, 

 each feather edged with fulvous, and the tail as in the adult. 



The young appear to differ widely from those of S. leucura 

 as figured by Dresser in the " Birds of Europe " 



The adult female is similar to the male, except that the whole 

 of the upper plumage is less black and presents a rusty appear- 

 ance. The head also has a faint cap of dark brown extending 

 to the neck, as in the young males; and the chin is light brown 

 instead of black. 



75.— Saxicola picata, Bly. (489). 



This was the commonest Stonechat in Gilgit, where it 

 breeds. A very large series was collected in every month from 

 March to September. 



Mr. Hume has for some years past asserted that S. capistrata 

 of Gould is merely the young male of S. picata: the ques- 

 tion is one extremely difficult to decide finally ; but the series 

 now got together for examination bears out, to a very great 

 extent, Mr. Hume's conclusion. The only point suggestive 

 of a doubt of the identity of the two supposed species is, that 

 throughout the summer numerous specimens were obtained 

 in every month with pure black heads, showing no trace what- 

 ever of white. 



Of eleven specimens collected in March, eight have pure 

 black heads, one has a trace of a pale supercilium, one has the 

 same more pronounced, and also a whitish forehead, and one has 

 the sides of the occiput and nape almost pure white, while 

 the whole of the top of the head is more or less streaked with 

 dingy white. 



Of seven obtained in April, three have pure black heads, 

 the wings being quite brown in one specimen and nearly black 

 in the other two ; two have a faint trace of white behind the 

 eye; and two have the forehead paler, with a well-marked 

 whitish supercilium and frontal band. 



Of five specimens obtained in May two have pure black 

 heads, the wings in one being quite brown ; two have the sides 

 of the occiput and the head streaked, as in the March speci- 

 men ; and the fifth has the top of the head slaty white, pure 

 white at the sides of the occiput, and is similar to S. capistrata, 

 Gould, except that the white does not extend on to the mantle. 



Of three specimens obtained in June, each has the head 

 pure black. 



