227 



SAXICOLA MCESTA. 



(RED-RUMPED CHAT.) 



Saocicola mcesta, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 33 (1823). 

 Saxicola erythropygia, Taylor, Ibis, 1867, p. 61. 



<J ad. supra sordide cinerascens, fronte et supercilio distincto albidis : tectricibus alarum saturatius brunneis, 

 majoribus albido terminatis : remigibus cinerascenti-braimeis, secundariis vix albido terminatis : dorso 

 postico, uropygio et supracaudalibus dilute runs : cauda nigricanti-brunnea, albo terminata, rectricum 

 lateralium dimidio basali albo : gutture toto cum facie colloque lateralibus nigris : corpore reliquo 

 subtus fumoso-albicante, hypochondriis rufescente lavatis : subcaudabbus runs : subalaribus nigris : 

 rostro et pedibus nigris : iride brunnea. 



5 [d juv.Y\ mari dissimilis : fuliginoso-brunnea : loris et supercilio angusto sordide albis : regione parotiea 

 clariiis brunnea : genis et gutture toto albis,. plumis conspicue basaliter nigris : tectricibus alarum 

 dorso concoloribus, exterioribus saturatioribus dorsi colore obscure limbatis, majoribus clariiis fulves- 

 cente terminatis : remigibus brunneis, anguste fulvo limbatis, secundariis latius, dorso postico, uropygio 

 et supracaudalibus aurantiaco-ferrugineis : rectricibus nigris, angustissime fulvescente limbatis et 

 terminatis, apicibus ipsis albis, cauda tota conspicue dimidiatim alba : corpore reliquo subtus fumoso- 

 albo, subcaudalibus uropygio concoloribus : subalaribus nigris, carpalibus albo marginatis : rostro 

 et pedibus nigris : iride brunnea. 



Adult Male (Nubia) . Head, neck, and back dull brownish grey ; forehead and a broad superciliary line 

 passing back over the eye to the nape white ; quills dark greyish brown, edged with light yellowish 

 brown ; secondaries indistinctly tipped with dirty white ; wing-coverts dark brown, the larger coverts 

 tipped with dirty white ; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts bright rufous ; tail 

 white at the base and to one third of the length in the central, increasing to about two thirds on the 

 outer feathers, the remaining portion being blackish brown, tipped with white ; throat, sides of the 

 face and neck jet-black ; underparts generally dull whitish, on the flanks washed with rufous ; under 

 wing-coverts black; under tail-coverts rufous; beak and legs black; iris brown. Total length 6"2 

 inches, culmen 06, wing 3'7, tail 2*7, tarsus - 95. 



Female, or Young Male (type of S. erythropygia). Above smoky brown; the lower back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts bright orange-rufous ; scapulars and small wing-coverts of the same colour as the back, the 

 rest darker brown, with paler edgings, the greater coverts more conspicuously edged and tipped with 

 fulvous-brown, inclining to whitish at the tips ; quills dark brown, both these and the primary coverts 

 narrowly margined with fulvous-brown, the secondaries broader ; tail dark brown, narrowly edged with 

 fulvous-brown, more conspicuously at the tip, where it shades into whitish, the whole of the feathers 

 white at the base, not extending so far on the two centre feathers, where it is hidden by the upper tail- 

 coverts ; lores and a tolerably distinct eyebrow whitish ; ear-coverts clearer brown than the head ; 

 cheeks and throat dull white, the black bases to the feathers showing through; rest of the under 

 surface of the body smoky white, the flanks slightly washed with rufous, the under tail-coverts of the 

 same orange-rufous as the rump ; under wing-coverts black, those bordering the carpal bend of the 

 wing edged with whitish ; bill and feet black ; iris brown. 



