Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/83

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SAXICOLA.
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d'". Chin and throat white S. vittata <$, p. 75. c". Second primary equal to or longer than fifth ; throat never black. e'" . Sexes different ; band on tail '8 inch ; under wing-coverts and ax- illaries black edged with white, or brown edged fulvous S, oenanthe, p 76. f '. Sexes alike ; band on tail 1 inch ; under wing-coverts and ax- illaries uniform fulvous S. isabellina, p. 77. //. Band on lateral tail-feathers more than 1 inch in breadth. (?". Wing 3-7; inner webs of quills of wing narrowly margined white .... *S'. deserti, p. 78. e". Wing 4; inner webs of quills of wing nearly entirely white S. montana, p. 78. c. Tail chestnut and black ; the lateral fea- thers with a broad band at the tip * . . S. chrysopyyia, p. 79.

616. Saxicola monacha. The Hooded Chat.

Saxicola monacha, Riipp., Temm. PL Col. no. 359, fig. 1 (1825) ; Blanf. # Dresser, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 227 ; Secbohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 369 ; Hume, Cat. no. 490 bis ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 203. DromolaBa monacha (Riipp.}, Hume, S. F. i, p. 186.

Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the forehead, crown, nape, hind neck, rump, upper tail-coverts, abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts are pure white ; tail white, the terminal two-thirds of the middle pair and a dash or two on the laterals brown ; remainder of plumage black, the back and breast with a few whitish fringes, the secondaries, under wing-coverts, and axillaries with white tips. In summer the white fringes on the back and breast disappear.

Female. Upper plumage buffi sh brown ; wings and coverts brown edged with buffy white ; lower rump and upper tail-coverts buff ; tail as in the male, but the white replaced by buff and with more brown on the laterals ; lower plumage pale buff.

Legs, feet, and bill black (Hume Coll.}.

Length about 7 ; tail 2'9 ; wing 4-2 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from gape 1.

Distribution. The hills dividing Sind from Khelat, extending 1

  • Saxicola hi a ens, Licht., has been recorded from Daulatpur in Sind by Mr. Murray, but under circumstances which render it doubtful whether the specimen uuon which the statement is based was really obtained in Sind. This ( lint resembles S. plcschanka, but has the under tail-coverts a deep buff, and the inner webs of the quills of the wing very largely white. (Cf. S. F. vii, pp. 118, 527, where this bird is referred to under the name of S. leucomela ) This species occurs in Persia and westwards to Palestine and Northern Africa. S. persica, Seebohm, is also allied to 8. plcschanka and S. lugens, and differs from the latter in having the inner webs of the quills of the wing merely margined with white. In the former the whole wing is black. 8. persica occurs in Persia in summer.