Sateioola is abundantly met with throughout Great Namaqua Land,
and also in the south of Damara Laud, especially in the valley of
Swakop: it is partial to localities which abound in rocks, and is
fcund throughout the year in the dreariest and most arid spots, but
never at any great distance from the hills, to which it immediately
resorts on the least approach of danger, Like the rest of its family,
this Wheat-ear is constantly moving about, now fluttering its wings,
then rapidly elevating and depressing its tail, and next all at once
vibrating in every part of its body with frolic and excitement ; it
perches on a dry branch, a bush, a stone, or any other spot from
which it can obtain a clear view of surrounding objects. It usually
seeks its food upon the ground, but will also seize insects on the
wing as they happen to pass within its ken and reach; if not disturbed
it will return times without number, after such excursions,
to the same perch.” I t also occurs in Benguela, where Senor
Anchieta has met with it at Dombe; the same gentleman has also
shot it on the Bio Coroca in Mossamedes. It likewise inhabits
Natal, as Mr. T. E. Buckley shot a male specimen on the 22 nd of
May, 1873, during his journey through that province to the Matabili
country.
When adult, this Chat is a very recognisable' species, having a
pure white head and white belly, but the'changes of plumage and
the different garbs of the young and female birds are unknown.
From a study of the large series in the British Museum we believe
that the young bird is brown; in this stage it is Sawicala cdmorii of
Tristram. It moults from this plumage into the full dress, but
at first with a greyish head; in this stage it is Saxicola griseicepjs
of Blanford and Dresser. Our impression is that Saxicola diluta of
the same authors is the adult female of this bird, but we are unable
to say so for oertain. Professor Barboza du Bocage has very kindly
sent us for examination the types of his Dromoloea albipileata,
which is the same species as S. leucomelcena, but both white-headed
birds are sexed by Anchieta as females, while the males have black
heads with, a white eye-streak, Two of these latter are also forwarded,
and in this plumage they would be S. cequatorialis of
Hartlaub, a species referred by Messrs. Blanford and Dresser to
8. rnonticola. Even if the birds sent by Anchieta are really pairs,
the sexes must probably be reversed, as the testimony of other
observers is overwhelmingly in favour of the white-headed birds
being the males. Bearing in mind the difference in plumage
exhibited by 8. shelleyi, it is possible that 8. cequatorialis is the
female of 8. leucomelcena, but this seems to us unlikely, though
Anchieta’s specimens were killed at the same place in the same
month of the year; a larger series of birds is, however, requisite
before we can finally decide on these questions.
The following is a full description of an adult male of Burchell’s
Wheat-ear.
Adult male.—Head and nape white, the latter very slightly
washed with ashy; back and scapulars blue-black, the latter varied
with white, some having the outer web only white, while others are
edged with white on the inner and outer webs; feathers of the
lower back black, white at the tips, where they adjoin the rump,
which is pure white; upper tail-coverts also pure white, the centre'
ones however largely varied with black; lesser and median wing-
coverts white, forming a large shoulder-patch; rest of the wing
black; two centre tail-feathers black, the next two black with a
white base to the inner webs; all the rest of the feathers white
with irregular markings of black near the tips, not the same in
shape in any two feathers, sometimes being a spot, sometimes an
irregular marginal band; a narrow black line drawn from the base
of the nostrils enclosing the eye, lores, sides of face, ear-coverts,
and sides of neck, throat and breast, blue-black, as also the flanks
and under wing-coverts; whole of the lower breast, abdomen, and
under tail-coverts pure white; thighs black, the feathers narrowly
tipped with greyish-white; bill and legs black; iris dark hazel.
Total length, 6'4 inches; culmen, 0 '8 ; wing, 4’3 ; tail, 3T ;
tarsus, 1 ‘2.
Fig. Blanford and Dresser, P. Z. S. 1874, pi. xxxvii.
235. S axicola and b esso n i, Sharpe. Andersson’s Wheat-ear.
This bird may be described as very similar to 8. leucomelcena,
but distinguished by the entire under surface being black. Total
length, 7-6 inches; culmen, 0-85; wing, 4-6 ; tail, 3'3; tarsus, 1*3.
The specimens before us are five in number, one from Oolesberg,
apparently young, with a dusky grey head; and two from Damara
Land, one (a male) having been killed at “ The Reeds,” Swakop