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far as I can ascertain, the chief characteristic of this species, the black untlersurface of the 

 wings, this portion being white in S. leucomela, has been overlooked by most naturalists, who 

 have generally considered the colour of the crissum to constitute the chief distinguishing cha- 

 racter ; but, after having examined a large series of specimens, I find that no reliance can be 

 placed on this characteristic, the colour of the under surface of the wing being alone constant ; 

 for amongst the series of Indian specimens of the present species I find one which has the vent 

 slightly tinged with rufous, and several of my examples of S. leucomela, notably those from 

 North-west Africa, have the crissum and under tail-coverts pure white, though otherwise they do 

 not in the least differ from those with red under tail-coverts. At the same time it is only in 

 exceptional cases that the present species has the under tail-coverts tinged with rufous, or 

 S. leucomela that portion white. 



Canon Tristram states that he only once obtained the present species in Palestine ; but I 

 find no specimen amongst his series of Chats which he has sent to me for examination. 



Hemprich and Ehrenberg obtained both the present species and S. leucomela in Egypt and 

 Arabia, and appear, like many other naturalists, to have made the colour of the crissum and 

 under tail-coverts a distinguishing character ; but when at Berlin with Mr. Blanford in September 

 last, we made out that one of their specimens, the type of S. motio, is the present species, and 

 not the S. leucomela of Pallas. The various travellers who have visited, and written on the 

 ornithology of, North-eastern Africa, speak of two species as occurring there, one being common, 

 and the other, which I take to be the present bird, rare ; but so much confusion has hitherto 

 existed that it is impossible to decide to what species the various authors refer without making 

 a careful examination of the specimens obtained. In North-western Africa, so far as I can 

 ascertain, it certainly does not occur. Its real home appears to be in Asia; and it is common in 

 India, whence I have many specimens; but it is there a winter visitant, retiring into Siberia 

 to breed. Still it appears also to breed in Persia ; for I have before me an example, obtained by 

 Major St. John, in the month of June, near Shiraz. Dr. Jerdon (B. of Inch ii. p. 131) says that 

 it occurs in the upper provinces of Hindustan during the cold weather only, and is common in 

 Afghanistan. Captain Beavan obtained specimens at Umballah in November, and Dr. Scott at 

 the same place in January. The former gentleman states (Ibis, 1867, p. 452) that it is more a 

 bird of the bushes or trees than others of the Chat family, flying into them when disturbed, and 

 alighting on a conspicuous bough ; but when wounded it takes readily to holes in the ground. 

 Severtzoff met with it in Turkestan ; but none of the older Siberian travellers record it from that 

 latter country. Mr. Taczanowski, however, states that during migration it is rare in Kultuk, 

 and passes there in April and again in October, but has not been observed during the summer. 

 It has, he further says, been observed at Darasun, in Dauria, during migration. Pere David met 

 with it in Mongolia, where, he says, it is abundant in the western mountains of that country 

 throughout the fine weather. 



In its habits the present species is said not to differ from S. leucomela. I do not possess its 

 eggs ; but they doubtless closely resemble those of the European Pied Chat. 



The specimen figured, on the same Plate as S. leucomela, in the background, is an adult 

 male obtained at Chemkend, and is the same bird that I have described. 



