to the Ornithology of Egypt. 289 
In the spring the plumage of the Black-eared Chat becomes 
so much abraded that the feathers have an almost hair-like 
texture. There appears to be but one moult—in autumn. 
13. Saxicola deserti Buppell. 
Saxicola deserti Shelley, p. 74. 
A male of this species frequented the Zoological Gardens 
for several days during November 1906; on December 11th, 
1908, I shot an adult male near the Giza Pyramids, and on 
February 4th, 1909,1 saw several others near the same place. 
14. Saxicola lugens Licht. 
Saxicola lugens Shelley, p. 77. 
This is the most abundant Chat in the desert, where it is 
resident. I have nine specimens collected at different times 
of year, from the Giza Pyramids and the Wadi Hof; in 
the latter place it is abundant. The sexes are superficially 
alike, but the female has shorter wings and the black is not 
so intense as that of the male. A young bird (August lltli, 
1908) is sandy brown on the crown and upper parts ; the 
wings and throat are, however, black, and at first sight it is 
possible to take it for an example of Saxicola deserti. The 
tail, however, is always more than half white. 
In the f Birds of Egypt 3 Shelley describes the present 
species as having the “ top of the head and nape pale dusky/'* 
This, however, refers to birds in winter-plumage, that is, 
directly after the autumn moult. In spring these parts, in 
old males at any rate, are pure white. 
15. Saxicola leucopygia Brehm. 
Saxicola leucopygia Shelley, p. 79. 
At present I have only met with this species in the Wadi 
Hof. In habits it is very much more shy than S. lugens , 
though the two may be found in the same locality. There 
are two varieties of this bird. Some examples have the 
crown of the head white, while in others it is black like 
the remainder of the upper parts, but the difference does not 
appear to be due either to sex or season. I have an adult 
pair with white crowns which I shot in February 1908, an 
adult and a young bird with black heads obtained in August 
