504 



;N i \n EOGl 



I 



A nest of this thrush obtained by Dr. 

 Minor, in Alaska, is a much more fin- 

 ished structure. Its base and periphery 

 are composed of an elaborate basket- 

 work of slender twigs. Within these is 

 an inner nest consisting of an inter- 

 weaving of fine dry grasses and long 

 gray lichens. The eggs are described 

 as pale greenish-blue, sparingly but 

 distinctly sprinkled and spotted with 

 dark umber-brown, size 1.13x.80. 



[764.] BED - SPOTTED BLUE- 

 THROAT. ('!/<i iif<-nlti xiuricu (Lynn.) 

 Geog. Dist. Northern Europe and Asia; 

 casual in Alaska. 



This beautiful and interesting bird, 

 known as the Blue-throated Redstart, is 

 widely distributed in the Old World, 

 breeding in the more northern portions 

 Norway, Sweden, Russia and Siberia. 

 In June, 1851, Dr. Adams found a flock 

 of these birds feeding about some wil- 

 lows in the vicinity of St. Michael's, 

 Alaska. The nest is placed on the 

 ground, midst the larger herbage, in the 

 cavities of banks and under low brush- 

 764. RED-SPOTTED BLUBTHROAT (From fin-hm.) wood usually well concealed. It is 



composed of dry grass, moss, withered leaves, roots, and is lined with finer mosses, 

 hair and the down of cotton-grass. The eggs are four to six in number, generally 

 a greenish-blue, but varying to grayish-green or olive; they are spotted with reddish- 

 crown, which is usually thickest and deeper at the larger end. The average size is 



.75x.53 inches. 



766. WHBATBAR (From Brehm.) 



765 WHEATEAR. 



>!!< (Linn.) Geog. Dist. Europe, Northern 

 Africa, Asia, Greenland and Labrador, 

 straggling south to Nova Scotia, Maine, 

 Lone Island and the Bermudas. 



The well-known Wheatear of the Old 

 World is common in Greenland and prob- 

 ably also breeds, in Labrador. Dr. C. Hart 

 Merriam makes note of its probable breed- 

 ing on the north shore of the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence at Godbout. A female was shot 

 by Mr. Napoleon A. Comean. .Inne <), 1885, 

 in which the eggs were pretty well de- 

 veloped. Its mate was also seen and it is 

 presumed that the birds would, in all prob- 

 ability, have bred in the vicinity. The 

 Wheatear breeds throughout the British 

 Islands, and in all of Northern Knropeand 

 Asia. In the British Islands it begins to 

 maK.- its nest in May. This is usually well 

 hidden in the innermost recess of 

 crevice among rocks, in an old wall, stone- 

 qnarry, gravel-pit, and frequently in 

 -eried rabbit burrow. Mr. Hewiston has 

 known a pair to make their nest in the de- 



