228 



Of this Chat nothing whatever is known further than that it inhahits Egypt and Arabia, where, 

 according to Von Heuglin, it is probably sedentary, and frequents the borders of the desert and 

 the rocky portions of the mountains. Mr. John Keast Lord met with it in Nubia, but published 

 no particulars as to its habits. It was first described in Professor Lichtenstein's list of duplicates, 

 the specimen being from Egypt; and, owing to its extreme rarity, it has not been burdened 

 with synonyms, having, indeed, but one other, that of S. erytlrropygia, under which the female, or 

 possibly the young male, was described by Mr. E. Cavendish Taylor. Captain Shelley, in his 

 excellent ' Handbook to the Birds of Egypt,' writes that " this species of Chat is of rather 

 rare occurrence in Egypt, where Mr. E. C. Taylor procured it, but it has never fallen under 

 my notice." Captain Shelley was the first to observe and point out the identity of Saxicola 

 erythropygia with the present species ; and, the former having been referred to Saxicola philo- 

 thamna, he writes that " it has been erroneously confounded with S. philothamna of Tristram 

 by Dr. von Heuglin (Orn. N. Afr. p. 355) ; but it is certainly distinct from that species." Captain 

 Shelley further gives a tabular comparison between these two species, showing that S. erythro- 

 pygia has the head and nape ashy brown, instead of white, shaded with dusky, as in S. philo- 

 thamna, the rump and upper tail-coverts bright rufous, instead of white shaded with pale rufous, 

 the basal two thirds of the tail white, tinted with rufous at its junction with the brown end, 

 instead of having the basal half bright rufous, and the under tail-coverts bright rufous, instead 

 of buff as in S. jrft/lot/iamna. 



Respecting the habits and nidification of this bird nothing whatever is known. 



The specimens described and figured are the only two we have had an opportunity of 

 examining; particulars of locality are given below: — 



E Mus. II. B. Tristram. 



a, d . Hor Tamanib, Nubia (John Keast Lord). 



E Mus. E. Cavendish Taylor, 

 a, 2 (or 6 juv.). Egypt, type of <S. enjlhrojiygiu (E. C. T.). 



