THE LAPLAND BLUETHROAT. 



475 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Cro%vn dark brown streaked 

 with black, forming a dark line on each side of crowaa ; rest of upper- 

 parts dark brown, slightly tinged buff especially on rump, feathers 

 being very narrowly fringed 

 buff ; upper tail - coverts 

 same, but with bases of 

 feathers bright chestnut ; 

 line from nostrils over eye 

 warm buff becoming greyer 

 behind eye ; lores and ear- 

 coverts dark broAvn mottled 

 and streaked buff ; sides of 

 neck greyish -brown ; mous- 

 tachial stripe metallic -blue, 

 some of the feathers lightly 

 tipped pale buff ; on each 

 side of chin and throat a 

 brown-black line ; chin and 

 centre of upper throat black 

 (tinged here and there blue 

 and sometimes with some 

 metallic -blue feathers) these 

 colours mostly concealed in 

 fresh plumage by pale buff 

 fringes ; in centre of lower 



throat orange-che.stnut patch, base of feathers white or whitish ; 

 below this throat-spot broad band of metallic -blue, with bases of 

 feathers of upper portion white and of lower black and feathers lightly 

 tipped white ; below blue band a narrow black band, feathers tipped 

 white ; below this a chestnut band, feathers more or less tipped 

 white ; rest of breast and belly buffish-white ; flanks greyish-brown 

 washed buff ; under tail-coverts buff ; axillaries and under wing- 

 coverts brown with long buff fringes ; tail : central pair black-brown 

 narrowly edged and tipjDed buff, rest same but wdth basal half of 

 each feather bright chestnut ; primaries and secondaries dark brown, 

 inner webs narrowly edged whitish and outer webs pale brown ; 

 all wing-coverts as mantle, feathers narrowly fringed and tipped 

 buffish-brown. This plumage is acquired by complete moult Aug.- 

 Sept. Summer. — A moult confined to whole chin and throat 

 including moustachial stripes and down to and including blue breast- 

 band, ear-coverts and orbital feathers takes place Feb. -March and 

 early April. The rest of the feathers are not moulted though 

 occasionally a feather here and there on the body may be renewed. 

 New feathers of whole chin and upper throat including their sides 

 metallic-blue (tipped greyish when freshly grown), spot in centre 

 of lower throat chestnut, feathers on each side joining upper throat 

 and breast-band metallic -blue. Abrasion causes chestnut breast- 



A. The Norwegian Bluethroat (Luscitiias. gaetkei). 



B. Tlie Lapland Blnethroat (£. s. swctca). Showing 

 lonsrer " wing-tip" (from tips of secondaries to tii)s 



of primaries) in former than in latter. 



