474 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



As autumn passage-migrant frequents scrub, bushes, rough grass, 

 potato and turnip crops in neigh boui hood of coast, very skulking 

 and usually only visible as it makes short dashes from one bush to 

 another, flying close to ground. Blue throat of male conspicuous, 

 but best character at all ages is dark brown tail with chestnut basal 

 half, visible when bird spreads it when perched, and always very 

 conspicuous in flight. (N.F.T.) 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts morasses, swampy birch forest, etc. 

 Nest. — On ground, -well concealed, sometimes on the side of bank, 

 or hidden under cover of trailing juniper bushes. Eggs. — 5 to 7 

 in number. The eggs of all races of Bluethroat are very similar ; 

 greyish -green with varying amount of fine speckling of red-brown. 

 Brecdivg -season. — Latter part of June and in July. No exact 

 details as to incubation. 



Food. — Gurney records Acocephalus nervosus, Philoenus spiimarius 

 and shell of Littorina rudis in a Norfolk specimen. Collett records 

 insects (coleoptera and diptera and their larvae) ; also seeds and 

 Clausilia : Ticehurst mosquitoes. Worms are also said to be eaten. 



Distribution. — England. — Regular autumn passage-migrant (end 

 Aug. -second week Oct. most records latter half Sept. late date Oct. 

 31, Norfolk, 1900) and probably a legular, but seldom observed, 

 spring-migrant (end April-mid-June, once March 22-23, ShipAvash 

 Lt.-v. (Sutfolk) 1909, most records in May) along east coast. Rare 

 straggler south coast ; elsewhere not recorded. Scotland.-- On 

 mainland only once autumn (Elgin, Sept. 15, 1890), and three times 

 spring (Bellhaven (E. Lothian) May or June 1868, off Aberdeen, 

 May 16, 1872, Carmyle, Clyde, May 14, 1910). In Fair Isle regularly 

 in autumn and spring, and in Isle of May fairly so in autumn. 

 Three Unst (Shetlands) Sept. 1902, one Monach Island Light (O. 

 Hebrides) Oct. 1888, four times Pentland Skerries (Orkneys) May 

 12, 1890, May 6 and Sept. 19, 1913, June 10, 1914, Auskerry, May 

 8 and Sept. 5, 1913. N.B. — It is assumed that this is the form 

 which occurs regularly as amongst numerous specimens examined 

 only one L. s. svecica has been detected. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — ^Norwegian high mountains. Passes in 

 numbers over Heligoland, through Holland, and apparently north- 

 west Germany, France, and Spain. Replaced by allied forms in 

 Lapland and Sweden, and north Asia. 



194. Luscinia svecica svecica (L.) — THE LAPLAND 

 BLUETHROAT. 



MoTACiLLA Svecica Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 187 (1758 — " In 

 Europae Alpiiiis." Restricted typical locality : Sweden and Lapland). 

 Luscinia /tiiecica suecica, L. J. Rintoul and E. V. Baxter, Scot. Nat., i, 

 p. 236 (1912). 



