RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. 333 
third example was shot on the 5th of November, 1865, and was recorded 
in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ (ser. 3, xvi. p. 447) and 
the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1866, p. 31, by Mr. Rodd. ‘This bird was taken on 
Tresco Island in Scilly; but from the injuries it received from the shot 
it was impossible to determine the sex. 
Upon the European continent the range of the Red-breasted Flycatcher 
is somewhat restricted. It breeds in Germany, Austria, and South Russia 
as far north as the Baltic Provinces, arriving during the latter end of 
April or early in May, and departing again in August or September. Its 
occurrence in Western Europe is only accidental. A single bird was taken 
in the Baltic near Landsort, off the coast of Sweden, and it has once been 
obtained near Copenhagen. ‘Two specimens have been killed in the south 
of France; one example has been killed and another observed in Spain ; 
and its occurrence in Italy is almost as exceptional. Loche says that it is 
foundin Algeria, where it may be a rare winter visitor. It passes through 
Transylvania, Turkey, Greece, and Asia Minor on migration, and winters 
in Nubia, where it was found by Hemprich and Ehrenberg. It breeds in 
the Caucasus and winters in Persia. In Asia, Severtzow says that it passes 
through Turkestan on migration. Radde, Schrenck, and Dyhowsky all 
record it from the Baikal district; and it is said that skins from Kam- 
schatka, collected by Wosnessenski, are in the St.-Petersburg Museum. It 
winters in North India and South China. 
The Red-breasted Flycatcher is represented by Prof. Newton as forming 
an exception to the ordinary rules of migration. He suggests that the 
European birds winter in India. It appears to me, however, that both 
Prof. Newton, in his edition of Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’ and Mr. Sharpe, 
in his ‘Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum,’ have entirely 
misunderstood the geographical distribution of this bird. In my opinion, 
the range of this bird during the breeding-season extends from Pomerania 
to Lake Baikal, the Asiatic birds wintering in India and China, the 
Caucasian birds in Persia, and the European birds in North-east Africa. 
Eastern examples have been described as another species under the name 
of M. leucura, which has been said to differ in having the chestnut confined 
to the throat and not extending onto the breast. It seems probable, 
however, that the latter are merely not fully adult examples of the former. 
Radde found both forms at Tarei-nor; and I have a perfect series from 
one te the other. The two extremes are both found in India and China, 
European examples being somewhat intermediate. My Indian skins, 
showing the greatest development of the chestnut on the breast, are 
labelled M. hyperythra; but this species may easily be distinguished 
by the chestnut extending onto the flanks and under tail-coverts, 
and by the nearly black line separating the chestnut of the breast from 
the slate-grey of the neck. That this bird does not lose this dark line in 
