188 



2 



KJEerbolling, Orn. Dan. taf. xviii. ; Frisch, Vog. Deutschl. taf. 22 ; Fritsch, Vog. Euv. 

 taf. 21. fig. 20, taf. 25. fig. 12 ; Nauraann, Vog. Deutschl. taf. 89. figs. 1, 2 ; Sundevall, 

 Sv. Fogl. pi. xi. figs. 1,2; Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 90 ; id. B. of G. B. ii. pi. 45 ; Schlegel, 

 Vog. Nederl. pi. 88 ; Roux, Orn. Prov. pi. 198; Bettoni, Ucc. Lomb. tav. 54. 



d ad. capite sumnio, nucha, et dorso canis, frontc et superciliis albis, fascia a naribus per oculos et regione 

 parotica nigris : remigibus et tectricibus alarum nigris vix rufescente marginatis : uropygio et supra- 

 caudalibus albis : rectricibus centralibus nigris ad basin albis, reliquis iu ditnidio basali albis et in 

 dimidio apicali nigris : corpore subtiis albo, pectore, bypocbondriis et subcaudalibus vix cervino lavatis : 

 subteetricibus alarum nigris albo apicatis : rostro et pedibus nigris : iride fusca. 



? ad. a mare dissimilis corpore supra brunneo nee cano, alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis nee nigris, corpore 

 subtiis albido, gula, gutture et pectore cum hypochondriis lutescente ferrugineo lavatis. 



6 ptil. Mem. foeminae similis sed saturatior, remigibus et tectricibus alarum ferrugineo marginatis et cauda 

 bruuuescente albido apicata. 



Adult Male in spring (Skara, Sweden, 23rd April). Crown, nape, and back asby grey, or dull French grey : 

 forehead and a broad line over the eye white; lores and a broad patch through the eye and the 

 auriculars black; wings and wiug-coverts black, some of the feathers having very faint remains of 

 fulvous edgings ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail white at the base and black on the terminal 

 portion, the central rectrices having the terminal half black, whereas the remainder have only the 

 terminal third or rather less of that colour; underparts white ou the breast, sides and under tail- 

 coverts slightly washed with creamy yellow ; under wiug-coverts black, tipped with white ; bill and legs 

 black; iris dark brown. Total length about 6 inches, culmen 0'G5, wing 3'82, tail 2 - 5, tarsus 11. 



Adult Female in spring (Nubia, 8th April) . Unlike the male, having the upper parts dull brown, with a 

 greyish tinge, instead of pure grey, the black in the wings and tail replaced by blackish brown, in 

 having no black patch through the eye, and the underparts washed with isabelline. It closely resembles 

 Saxicola isabellina, but may be distinguished by the under wiug-coverts, which are black, tipped with 

 white, whereas in S. isabellina they are pure white. 



Obs. An old female from Turkey has the back rather greyer than the above-described bird, the auriculars 

 and lores arc dark brown, and the line over the eye is whitish and very distinct. 



Autumn plumage. In the autumn dress both male and female are much alike, resembling the female in 

 summer plumage, but duller, and having the quills and wing-coverts broadly margined and tipped with 

 fulvous, the tail also being finally tipped with dull whitish brown. 



Obs. The present species being the type of the genus Saxicola, I give, as usual, a short review of this group, 

 and have divided it into four sections, as was done in the article by Mr. Blanford and myself published 

 in the last part of the P. Z. S. (1874, pp. 215-241) . 



Section I. Back and shoulders in the males black or blackish. 

 A. Uropygium rufescent. 



S. lugubris, Itupp. (Neue Wirbelth. p. 77, 1810). Throat aud breast black. This species is known oidy 



from the Abyssinian highlands. 

 S. masta, Licht. (Verz. Doubl. p. 33, 1823). Breast white. Tins is the bird figured and described by me 



under the name of Tristram's Chat. It inhabits Algeria and Egypt. 



