186 ContrilitUons to the Ofnithology of India, 8fc. 



490 &is.— Dromolaea monacha, Buppell. Pi. 



Col. 359. S. Gracilis^ Licht. 



When characterising S. alhoniger (Stray Feathers, No. I. p. 2,) 

 I mentioned that this present species which had never previously 

 been recorded as pertaining- to our Avifauna was not uncommon 

 in the same localities as those in which alhoniger was found, viz., 

 in the bare rocky hills dividing Sindh from Khelat ; and in the 

 similar hills which run along the Mekran Coast. There is no- 

 thing- in the habits of this fine wheatear to distinguish it from its 

 congeners, and I shall therefore now only give measurements 

 (recorded in the flesh) and descriptions taken from my Sindh and 

 Mekran specimens. 



Length, 6'75 to 7*25 ; wing, 4 to 4*2 ; tail from vent, 

 2-5 to 2-75 ; tarsus, 0-9 to 0-95 ; bill at front, 0-62 to 0-65. 

 The females run somewhat smaller than the males. 



The adult male has the whole forehead, crown, occiput, and 

 nape, lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts, abdomen, flanks, 

 and lower tail coverts, and the whole of the tail feathers, except 

 the terminal three-fourths of the central pair, and a streak at 

 the tip of the outer webs of the external laterals, (which ter- 

 minal three-fourths and streak are brown,) pure white, with, 

 in some specimens, a very faint yellowish tinge, here and there. 



The lores, cheeks, ear coverts, chin, throat, breast, wing 

 lining, and axillaries, upper back, scapulars, and lesser wing 

 coverts, black ; the feathers in some specimens more or less 

 tipped, but very narrowly with slightly fulvous white, and the 

 row of small under wing coverts running along the carpal joint 

 apparently always so tipped ; the whole of the quills, the greater 

 and median coverts, blackish brown ; the secondaries very nar-. 

 rowly tipped with white. The legs, feet, and bill, black. The 

 adult female is precisely similar. In a somewhat younger bird, 

 the quills and coverts are a comparatively pale brown. In the 

 immature bii'ds of both sexes, the whole head, neck, upper and 

 middle back are a pale, very slightly fulvous, earthy brown ; the 

 ear coverts slightly darker brown, the lower parts are albescent 

 tinged with fulvous fawn ; the wing coverts and axillaries dull 

 white, the latter dark shafted ; the rump and upper and lower 

 tail coverts pale fulvous fawn, or isabelline. The central tail 

 feathers with the whole visible portion, dull brown ; the lateral 

 tail feathers the same color as the upper tail coverts, but all 

 with traces of a brown spot and dark shafted at the tips, and 

 the external pair of all, with nearly the terminal, half brown. 

 Wings and coverts, pale hair brown, but all the feathers con- 

 spicuously margined paler. 



