db8 NOTES ON EUROPEAN THRUSHES. 



Finally, iu Journal fiir Ornithologie, 1860, Brehm api)ended some re- 

 marks to a paper by Leon Olphe-Galliard on the birds of the Valley of 

 Greyerz, Switzerland, which again emphasize the differences between 

 the two species as follows (p. 239) : 



This Riug-Ouzel from Switzerland is remarkably like one of the subspecies from 

 Ksernthen. All the Riug-Ouzels breeding in the Alps and in the Riesengebirge differ 

 essentially from the northern ones. We jiossess 28 Riug-Ouzels from the most differ- 

 eat localities, eveu from Norway and from Sixain. These Ring-Ouzels from Central 

 Europe differ essentially from the northern ones — 



(1) By the much lighter coloration of the wings ; 



(2) By the broader light margins to the feathers of the lower surface; and 



(3) By the white spots (speculum) in the middle of the pectoral and abdominal 

 feathers. 



They have besides so loud a voice that their song is quite intolerable iu a room, 

 while that of the northern ones is soft and pleasant. 



The above quotations i^rove beyond question the identity of our birds 

 with Brehm's T. alpestris. 



It will be seen that Brehm obtained not less than 18 specimens of 

 alpestris out of a total number of 28,* a number which in itself goes a 

 long way to prove the existence of the species. 



Brehm asserted most positively that T. torqiiatus is northern in its 

 distribution, T. alpestns southern, and states that he got the latter only 

 from the southern localities enumerated by him (see above). Against 

 this assertion other collectors are certaiu to record a somewhat different 

 experience, inasmuch as unquestionable typical T. torqiiatus are found iu 

 the collections from various parts of Southern Europe. Thus we have 

 here a winter specimen from France, and Dresser (1. c.) figures a typical 

 male in winter plumage (September 20) from Belgrad, Servia. But, so 

 far as I have been able to ascertain the dates, all the true T. torquafus 

 from the south are winter birds on their migration. In order to find out 

 the true habitat of each of these species, however, it is necessary to trace 

 their distribution during the breeding season, and it will then probably 

 be found that T. alpestris belongs exclusively to the high mountains 

 from southern Central Europe southward, including the Riesengebirge, 

 the Carpathians, the Alps with all their branches, the Pyrenees, and 

 Sierra Xevada. The Caucasian Ring-Thrushes are hardly referable to 

 this species, for Radde (Ornis Caucasica, p. 270) speaks of their breeding- 

 plumage as entirely wanting the white margins, and says that the old 

 males killed at the end of March had the white margins much narrower 

 than specimens from Hitngary (presumably T. alpestris) collected in May. 

 Unfortunately he says nothing of the breeding pair shot July 2, at an 

 altitude of 10,000 feet above sea-level, except that the plumage was very 

 much worn. 



*When C. L. Brehm died his collection is said to have contained 19 specimens 

 referable to T. torquntus and 9 to T. alpestris (cf. A. E. Brehm's '' Verzeichniss der 

 nachgelassenen Sammluug (meist) europaischer Vogel von Dr. Ch. L. Brehm", 18()6, 

 p. 5). It is a thousand pities that this valuable collection is still inaccessible to orni- 

 thologists. 



