replaced by T. orientalis. South of the line of the Mediterranean,
it occurs at Madeira and in the Canaries, and is
found throughout Northern Africa to Egypt, where Captain
Shelley says that it breeds: -its representative, T. isabel-
linus, which is also a migrant, being; however, the more
abundant species there. Yon Heuglin met with T. communis
in the Dahlak archipelago, in the Bed Sea, and on the
shores of the Tzana Lake in Abyssinia (42° N. lat.), at an
elevation of over 6,000 feet, during the month of May.
The adult male in summer has the beak brown; the irides
reddish-brown; bare skin about the eye red; crown, nape,
and hind neck bluish-ash, inclining to brown; on the lower
part of the side of the neck are several rows of black
feathers broadly margined with white; scapulars, back and
rump ash-brown, with darker centres 'tö each featherthe
larger and the external smaller wing-coverts dull grey;
the remainder with the tertials cinnamon-brown with dark
centres; quill-feathers clove-brown; upper tail-coverts and
the two central tail-feathers clove-brown; the1 other tail-
feathers lead-grey broadly tipped with white, which runs up
the whole outer webs of the two exterior jj feathers ; chin
nearly whitey neck and breast pale vinous; belly, vent,-«and
under tail-coverts white; under surface of the tail-feathers
black with broad white tips, as:on the upper surface; under
wing-coverts- and flanks bluish-grey; tar-si and feet red;
. claws dark brown.
'The whölé length is about eleven inches and a half:
from the carpal joint to the-end óf the-wing seven inches ;
the second quill-feather a shade .longer-than the first, which
again is longer than the thirdV^
The colours in the female are less, bright and pure than
those of the- male, and She is-ratbier. smaller in size.
In young birds, prior to <thé autumnal moult, the general
colour of the head and body 4s hair-brown ; the back rather
darker than the of’ the- neck, oh which there, are
no black and white- feathers; the wing-coverts tipped with
huffy-white; the quiïïrfeathers slightly tinged on their outer
edges with rufous; belly and under tail-ceverts-white; flanks
bluish-grey; tail-feathers above hair-brown, on the under
surface blackish-brown : the outer feathers on each side with
the external web, and the next two with the ends, white;
tarsi and feet brown. Early in September the vinous tint
is assumed on the neck and breast, and the black and white
feathers which form the half collar begin to make their
appearance.
The upper figure in the engraving at^the ’-head of this
subject represents an adult bird; the lower figure was taken
from a young bird of the year* The vignette represents in
outline the form of the breast-bone ’of this species, of the
natural size.
VOL. III. E