42 Ornithological Observations in the Sutlej valley, [No. 1, 



132. Saxicola deserti, B up p., QL 132). The middle portions 

 of all the wing feathers, except the one or two last tertiaries, are white, 

 becoming purer towards the secondaries ; back and scapulars are more 

 or less pale white, often with a rufous tinge ; the longer feathers of 

 the upper tail coverts are also somewhat rufous. All the black on the 

 throat, sides, neck, the wings and the tail, is pure in summer, 

 but rather brownish in winter. 



In the female the head and the neck above are more uniform light 

 brown, with a slight ashy tint ; back less rufous, wings and tail of the 

 same brown colour as has the male in winter ; below uniform pale 

 brown, albescent on the throat and vent, with no black whatever. 



This species is one of the most common birds all through western 

 Tibet ; it migrates to the plains of Northern India in winter. 



A large number of species of Ruticillin^ inhabits W. Tibet 

 and Central Asia during the summer. I may mention B. phamicura, 

 Linn., B. rufiventris, Vieil., R. erythrogastra, Giildenst, and others. All 

 these species migrate in winter to the plains, but their stay in the 

 Sutlej valley must be a very short one. I defer any remarks on these 

 species, as I hope to make farther additions to my materials on the 

 Tibetan fauna, and publish the results separately. The only species 

 which is found common in the eastern parts of the Sutlej valley, though 

 generally only on the Tibetan side of the Central Himalayan range, is 



133. RUTICILLA CiERULEOCEPHALA, Vig. (II. 141). 



In old males the white edgings of the secondaries are soon worn off 

 and disappear ; a white wing patch is chiefly formed by a portion of 

 the scapulars and the posterior wing coverts. The margins of the inner 

 webs of all the wing feathers are pale, purer towards the tertiaries. 



Dr. Jerdon supposes, that the female* is coloured similarly to the 

 male, which is not exactly the case, so far at least as the summer 

 plumage is concerned. Old females, shot about the end of July 

 1866, are above uniformly light brown with a slight olivaceous 

 tinge, the feathers on the head are centrally streaked dusky; the 

 posterior part of the rump and especially the upper tail-coverts are 

 ferruginous, wings and tail dusky brown, the feathers of the former 

 externally edged pale, the outer tail-feathers margined rufous on their 

 basal half; the wing coverts are edged and tipped whitish. Below 

 * See also Blyth in Ibis, 1867, p. 15. 



