WARBLERS. 103 



treated as distinct species ; but it is questionable 

 whether they should not all be regarded as one and 

 the same species in different phases of plumage. The 

 three forms are : 



1. Motacilla suecica of Linnaeus. The eastern and north- 

 ern form, with a red spot in the centre of the blue 

 throat. 



2. Sylvia leucocyanea of Brehm. The western and south- 

 ern form, with a ivhite spot in the centre of the blue 

 throat*. 



3. Sylvia wolfii of Meyer, with the entire throat blue t- 



So far as can be ascertained, the form met with in 

 Great Britain has been No. 1, the true suecica, al- 

 though in one instance, that recorded by Captain 

 Hadfield, a white-spotted bird is stated to have been 

 met with in the Isle of Wight. The following in- 

 stances of the occurrence of Blue-throated Warblers 

 in England are on record : 



One, Newcastle Town Moor, May 1826 (red spot) : Fox, 



Synops. Newcastle Mus. pp. 298, 309 ; Selby, Trans. Nat. 



Hist. Soc. Northumberland, 1831, p. 255, and Zoological 



Journal, vol. iii. p. 497. 

 One, Devonshire, doubtful : M. C. Cooke, Naturalist, vol. iii. 



(1853), p. 203. 

 One near Birmingham : Yarrell, Hist. Brit. Birds, vol. i. 



p. 265. 



* This is the ordinary Dutch and German form. 



t This is the rarest of the three in collections. It is said to be 

 more common in Russia, and has been met with in Holland and in 

 Spain. 



