nOTES 



THE HEBRIDEAN SONG-THRUSH. 



Turduf philomelus hebridensis Clarke. 



In the Scottish Naturalist \1913, pp. 53-5, PL 1) Mr. W. Eagle 

 Clarke gives a name to the Song-Thrush of the Outer Hebrides 

 and defines its charactei"istics. For this we are very grateful. 

 Mr. Clarke's action crystallizes the vague references to this 

 bird which have been current for years and \Aill enable 

 ornithologists to collate the facts with regard to it which would 

 never have been done had not the bird received a name and 

 had its distinctive characters defined. 



Mr. Clarke points out that the most striking feature of this 

 bird is in the great number and intense blackness of the spots 

 on the under-surface. The mantle and \\-ings are dark (clove) 

 brown, the head shghtly redder and the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts olive. The upper-parts appear to be not so 

 reddish as in the British form, and thus more like the Con- 

 tinental bird but darker. There is very little buff on the 

 throat, breast and flanks, even less apparently than in 

 Continental birds. The buff of the under wing-coverts is 

 richer (i.e. redder) than either British or Continental Song- 

 Thrushes. The wing measures from 116 to 120 mm. or 

 about the average of other Song -Thrushes. 



Mr. Clarke makes as the ty^jes, a pair from Barra obtained 

 on A])ril 24th, 1912 but he does not state whether the descrip- 

 tion refers to these birds, and this is rather important because 

 there is a good deal of difference between a freshly-moulted 

 autumn Song-Thrush and a worn summer-bird. 



The bird is \\-idely distributed in the Outer Hebrides and 

 so far as our knowledge goes at present it is confined to that 

 group of islands, but we hope that Mr. Clarke w ill state from 

 exactly which islands he has identified specimens and whether 

 any examples have yet been detected op migration. He notes 

 however, that it does not breed in St. Kilda, and that the 

 Song-Thrushes which now nest in woods of recent growth 

 in the grounds of Stornoway Castle are probably of the 

 British race, since a breeding bird obtained there in July, 

 1906, undoubtedly is so. 



Mr. Clarke states that British and Continental Song- 

 Thrushes seek the Outer Hebrides in ^\■inter, and do not quit 

 them until the nesting -season of the native birds has set in. 



