Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/90

76 grey or brown ; lores, round eye, ear-coverts, sides of neck and of the breast, auxiliaries and under wing-coverts, back, scapulars, and wings black, many of the feathers fringed with greyish brown, and the wing- coverts with white ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and entire lower plumage white ; tail white, except the terminal two-thirds of the middle pair of feathers and a band at the tips of the others, which are black. The summer plumage hardly differs.

Female. According to Seebohm differs from the male in having the black parts replaced by brown, and in having the head and nape suffused with brown.

Bill black, gape leaden ; iris dark brown ; legs black (Scully}. Length about 6 ; tail 2'4 ; wing 3*6 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from gape -8.

The only specimens of this Chat that I have been able to examine are two males in Seebohm's Collection, one obtained by Severtzoff in Turkestan in March, and the other by Scully in Grilgit in June. The female is unknown to me.

Distribution. Has occurred in Gilgit in May and June. This species breeds in Turkestan, and is said to winter in Arabia and the Bogos country.

624. Saxicola oenanthe. The Wheatear Chat.

Motacilla cenanthe, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 332 (1766).

Saxicola cenanthe (Linn.), Seebohm, Caf. B. M. v, p. 391 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 60: Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 444; Hume, S. F. ix, p. 325 note.

Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the feathers at the base of the upper mandible, a supercilium, and a moustachial streak are white ; lores, under the eye, and ear-coverts black ; upper plumage slaty grey with broad rufous fringes ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail white, except the terminal two-thirds of the middle pair of feathers and the terminal quarter of the others, which are black ; all the tail-feathers also tipped with pale buff ; wings black, each feather with a rufous margin ; lower plumage buff ; under wing-coverts and axillaries brown, edged with white. In summer the rufous fringes are cast, leaving the upper plumage slaty grey and the wings black.

Female. Feathers at base of upper mandible and supercilium pale rufous ; lores and upper part of ear-coverts brown ; lower part of ear-coverts rich ruddy ; upper plumage brown tinged with rufous ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail as in male ; wing as in male, but not so black ; lower plumage rich buff; axillaries and under wing-coverts brown, edged with white. In summer the colours are less brilliant, and the fringes to the wing-feathers are reduced in extent.

Bill and claws black ; legs and toes brownish black (Scully'] ; iris dark brown (Seebohm).

Length about 6 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3-8 ; tarsus 1-05 ; bill from gape -8.