160 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. - 
many islands, and so little water for the Diabeyha. Higher 
up we did not see any. Among other things I believe they 
eat locusts, as one was seen to catch a locust by a friend 
(cf. Dresser, B. of E., part XX VII.) Audouin and Savigny 
say that locusts are the principal food of S. eucopyga. 
In a large series collected by Mr. Cory between Cairo 
and Thebes, I did not see any of the white-vented species 
(S. morio, Ehr.; S. leucomela, Jerdon). See Dresser, B. of 
E., part XXVIL 
70. WHITE-RUMPED CHAT, Saxicola leucopyga, Brehm. 
The granite rocks between Assouan and Philce are a sure 
find for this species. It is true I did see some further north, 
and Mr. E. C. Taylor has obtained it at Cairo (Ibis, 1867, 
p. 59). I found white-headed ones (Saxricola lucomela, 
Brehm.) rarer than black-headed, but mottled specimens 
were frequent. The perch they like is the top of the 
biggest granite rock they can find ; and though they have an 
objection to fields, they have none whatever to houses, on 
which I have seen them. 
71. STONECHAT, Savicola rubicola (Linn.). 
We found the Stonechat common enough in the Delta, 
and I shot one as far south as Gebel Silsilis, but I never 
detected Hemprich’s Stonechat. Captain Shelley gives as 
its distinguishing mark, “basal half of the tail white.” This 
is not very apparent in a female in his collection shot at 
Esné. My Silsilis specimen is such a very light bird that 
I think it may possibly not be S. rudicola. Through the 
kindness of Mr. Sharpe I compared it with a large series at 
the British Museum, but I was unable to determine it satis- 
factorily. 
