184 THE BIRDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 



77. Saxicola isabellina^ Riipp. Checcan solovey, 



Saxicola isabellina, Eiippell^ Atlas Vog. t. xxxiv. fig. 2. 



This, the common Chat of Mongoha, distinguishes itself very much by 

 its song in the early spring, when no other birds have commenced singing ; 

 even the Mongols esteem this little fellow, which they call '' Zok-zoki ;'* and 

 during the breeding-season it often sings for hours on fine days, especially 

 so in the morning and evening, constantly rising in the air to a height of 

 about fifty feet, and descending onto a stone or elsewhere : it continues singing 

 whilst sitting or running on the ground. Besides its own particular song, 

 which I cannot very well describe in words, it very cleverly imitates those of 

 other species : not only does it quack like a duck, whistle like a snipe, sing 

 like the lark, but even attempts to mock the barking of a dog or the 

 neighing of horses. 



About the middle of March, or very little later, it arrives in S.E. 

 Mongolia, when its songs can everywhere be heard. Like other Chats, it 

 inhabits the stony mountain-plains and valleys, but occurs also in the 

 mountains ; and we observed it in the alpine meadows of Muni-ul. If 

 several pairs choose a certain district for their habitation, the males are 

 constantly fighting : puffing themselves out, they run against each other ; 

 then they fly up and continue their quarrel in the air until they are tired out, 

 when they sit down and rest in order to commence the fray again. The 

 females do not quarrel, but watch the fighting males. 



It commences breeding very early, so that on the 10th of May we saw 

 some young ones which had left the nest. The latter is usually constructed 

 in the old holes of Lagomys agotona ; but at times holes are dug by the birds 

 themselves, which is proved by the following fact : — My companion dug out 

 a nest, containing four young birds, which, however, he did not take, as it 

 was early in the morning. About noon of the same day he again visited the 

 nest, and found that a fresh hole was dug and the four young had disappeared. 

 On examining this newly dug hole, which was two feet deep, we found 

 in it the young ones ; and the freshly turned-up earth left no doubt 



