36 BuTURLiN, Red-spotted Bluethroat of Alaska. [jai^ 



I procured during the summer of 1905 in the Kolyma's delta 

 (between 69°-69J° N.) 27 specimens of this bird and carefully 

 compared them with more than 150 specimens from other localities, 

 chiefly in the St. Petersburg Academical Museum, and came to the 

 conclusion, that there are three fairly distinguishable subspecies 

 or geographical forms. 



1. Small pale Caspian form, C. suecica pallidogidaris Zarudn. 

 (=C. discessa Madar.). Paler than typical form, especially 

 the blue of the throat in the males very pale, wing in cJ^ about 

 69-71 mm., exceptionally larger, but only 1 spec, out of 16 c?d^ 

 examined had it 73.5 mm., long; tarsus 26-28. 



This form breeds in southeastern Russia from (including) Khar- 

 kov Governm., where it meets however the typical form, through 

 Caucasus and Transcaucasia and Transcaspian Province on one 

 side and lower Ural and part of Kirghiz Steppe on the other as 

 far east as Zaissansk in N. E. part of Russian Turkestan (about 

 47° N., 85° E. fr. Greenw.). Seasonal migrations of this form 

 are quite limited. 



2. Typical European and West-Siberian form, C. suecica (L.) 

 typ. Darker and larger than Caspian form, wing of d^cJ^ nor- 

 mally 72-74 mm., rarely smaller, down to 70 mm., and only in 2 

 specimens among 50 males examined larger — up to 77 mm.; 

 tarsus 26.5-27, only in 2 specimens (others, not those just men- 

 tioned) among fifty longer — up to 28 mm. Breeds from Scan- 

 dinavia eastwards up to Yenesey, and much further south than 

 generally supposed: down to 50° N. in Central Russia, as well 

 as in Russian Turkestan (higher up hills, than C. pallidogidaris), 

 Yarkand and even Tibet. Winters in Africa and India. 



3. Large, East Siberian form, C. suecica rohusta Buturl. It 

 is just a shade darker than the t>^ical form, especially the rufous 

 spot on the throat of males is darker, more rusty-chestnut tinged 

 (but this color difference observable only in comparing series of 

 skins). Wing of males about 74-78 mm. long, very rarely (in 4 

 specimens among forty) less, down to 72 mm. Tarsus 27.5-28.5 

 mm. long (only 1 specim. among 40 examined — and this single 

 bird not one of four small-winged birds just mentioned — had 

 tarsus shorter: 26.5 mm.). Breeds from upper (eastern) parts of 

 Lower Tunguska valley and Monjero (?'. e., about from 100° E. 



