1868.] N. W. Himalaya. 41 



128. Patrincola ferrea, Body s. (II. 127). 



Old male ; the ashy above is sometimes quite uniform, without 

 any black streaks ; below the white is either pure or somewhat 

 ashy on the breast, very rarely is there any rufescent tinge traceable. 



In the old female all the brown plumage above is edged paler ; 

 there is scarcely a trace of a white wing spot ; the tail feathers are 

 on their outer webs mostly ferruginous; the lower plumage is albescent, 

 with a slight rufous tint, pure white on the chin and the throat. 



The young male has all the feathers above dark blackish brown, with 

 pale brown or fulvous central streaks, the wing coverts and tertiaries 

 broadly edged and tipped with the same colour, more ferruginous on 

 the back and upper tail coverts ; below whitish, dashed all over with 

 dusky, purer white on the throat and towards the lower tail-coverts ; 

 tail black as in the old male, but the white on the outer webs passes 

 towards the tips into pale rufescent. 



The young female is like the young male, the general plumage is 

 only somewhat more brown, and all the pale and white streaks or 

 edgings are much more rufous and almost purely ferruginous on the 

 upper tail coverts and on the tail ; below whitish on the throat, the rest 

 of the plumage with a distinct ferruginous tint. 



The young birds appear to assume the plumage of the old ones 

 before they retire to the plains, for I found them changing the 

 same already towards the end of August. 



Common with the previous species, and usually seen about Chini, 

 where it also breeds. 



The form of the beak of Patrincola is more like that of Siphia or 

 Erythrosterna than that of any species of the Sylvtlime, and in their 

 habits they much more resemble the previous birds. The place 

 assigned to Patrincola in this family does not, therefore, appear to 

 be quite a natural one. 



129. Saxicola leucuroides, Guerin, (II. 130), and 



130. Saxicola picata, G oul d,(Blyth, II. 131), have been ob- 

 served towards the end of October in the lower hills about Belaspoor, 

 Simla and Kotegurh. 



131. Saxicola oenanthe, Linn, (II. 132), generally retires also 

 during the winter to the plains. The only species which occasionally, 

 during the cold weather, remains in the Kulu valley and near Kotegurh 

 is the next one, 6 



