304 TEN YEARS IN SWEDEN. 



exact winter plumage of our Scandinavian blue-throated 

 warbler, and this perhaps will be difficult to prove, because, 

 unless it retains the yellow patch through the winter, it 

 would be hard to distinguish it at that season from the 

 British bird ; but if it can be clearly proved that the northern 

 bird retains the yellow patch through the winter, and that 

 the southern form has a white throat patch at that season, I 

 think that they should then be considered as two species. 

 Moreover, I think that, upon a careful examination, some 

 differences in structure will be found. I know nothing of 

 the breeding habits of the white-throated bird, for it has 

 never in a single instance been noticed in Scandinavia, nor 

 does it appear that our Scandinavian form has ever been 

 seen in England. 



Description of our Swedish blue-throated warbler, from 

 fresh-killed specimens : Length 5-- in. to 5-f- in ; from carpus 

 to tip of wing 3 in.; tail 2 in. ; beak 4-i- 1. ; from gape 6 1. ; 

 tarsus 1 in. 1 1.; middle toe 7 1. ; hind toe 4-- 1. (Sw. measure). 

 First wing feather much longer than the nearest wing covert ; 

 second a very little shorter, or equal to the sixth ; third 

 longest. Colour, above dark olive-grey ; brown throat ; in tho 

 male bright blue, with a reddish yellow spot in the middle ; 

 in the female white, with a black border ; the inner half of 

 the tail red-brown, the outer half black, but the two middle 

 feathers are wholly brown ; iris brown ; legs dark yellowish 

 grey. 



The young birds in the first dress, have the breast and 

 sides rusty grey, with confused spots. The old males in the 

 autumn have the throat whitish rusty yellow, edged with 

 black ; sides of throat blue above, then a yellowish red spot ; 

 below that a transverse blue streak, below which are some 

 black spots ; and the rest of the breast is rusty red. The 

 lower figure in Dr. Breeds plate is the female the upper 

 one the male. They are in breeding plumage. 



Is never seen in the middle or south of Scandinavia, 

 except just in the periods of migration, for they all appear to 

 go up to the northern fell tracts to breed, and their southern- 

 most summer range appears to be between 62 and 63 north 



