ARCTIC BLUE-THROATED ROBIN. 271 
Lowestoft, found, in July of that year, strangled in a fishing-net, on 
Gunton Denes; and, lastly, Mr. Eagle Clarke has sent me a female bird 
of the year for examination, which was shot in his presence this autumn 
on Spurn Point. 
The Arctic Blue-throat breeds within the Arctic circle, or in the birch- 
regions at high elevations of more southerly climes, both in Europe and 
Asia; in the latter continent it breeds as far south as the Himalayas, and 
occasionally crosses Behring’s Straits into Alaska. The European birds 
pass through .Central and Southern Europe and Palestine on migration, 
and winter in North Africa as far south as Abyssinia; whilst the Asiatic 
birds, with the exception of those individuals breeding at high elevations 
in the south, pass through Turkestan, Mongolia, and North China, and 
winter in Baluchistan, India and Ceylon, Burma, the Andaman Islands, and 
South China. 
It is only during the periods of migration that ornithologists in tem- 
perate Europe have an opportunity of observing the habits of this interesting 
little bird; for it spends its summer far away in the arctic north, and its 
winter in Africa. Perhaps no other place of call at which this little song- 
ster stays on its annual journey is so favoured with its presence as the 
little island of Heligoland, to the natives of which it is a well-known and 
anticipated guest. My friend Gaetke, the veteran ornithologist, writes to 
me :—-“ Here, during the month of May, if a cold, dry north wind is not 
actually blowing, this little bird is without fail a daily visitor; but should 
the weather be fine, if a gentle east or south-east wind should have been 
blowing early in the morning, accompanied by fine warm drizzling rain, it 
is often so numerous that Aenckens and I have frequently each shot from 
thirty to fifty birds on such a day, picking out only the finest-plumaged 
males. [rom the middle of August to the middle of September, whenever 
the weather is suitable, it is generally even more frequent. At this 
season of the year they confine themselves almost entirely to the potatoe- 
fields outside the town, whilst in spring one sees them most frequently 
hopping about under the gooseberry and currant-bushes in our gardens. 
They seem, however, to have a special preference for the beds planted 
thickly with cabbages, just beginning to resprout in spring. They also 
frequent the dead branches of the so-called ‘'Throstle-bushes,’ as well as 
Shady corners in the fences of the gardens; and sometimes they are even 
found at the foot of the rocks amongst the fallen stones, or in dark 
clefts of the cliffs. This charming bird, like the Robin, is a most confiding 
little creature. When you are at work in the garden, if you only take care 
to appear as if you were taking no notice of him, he will remain for 
hours together within twenty paces of you, hopping constantly about with 
quick steps, at each of the many pauses standing erect with quivering 
outspread tail raised above the wings, and looking eagerly around with 
