GENUS LUSCINIA. 467 



DISTRIBUTION. England and Wales. Passage-migrant and winter- 

 visitor. Normally first week Oct. to fourth week Nov. (early dates, 

 Suffolk, Sept. 15 and 16, 1910 ; Fastnet Lt. (Cork), Sept. 19, 1909 ; 

 Surrey, Sept. 25, 1912 ; Tarbatness Lt. (E. Ross.), Sept. 26, 1915 ; 

 Auskerry (Orkney), Sept. 29-30, 1913) ; beginning March to second 

 week May (late dates, Pentland Skerries (Orkney), June 11 and 12, 

 1914 ; Bull Rock (Cork), June 15, 1903). Regular but generally 

 in very small numbers along south and east coasts England as far 

 as Yorks., north of which, as well as on west side England north 

 of Bristol Channel and in Wales, it is more rarely observed. In 

 southern counties of England, and especially in Cornwall and 

 Devon, winters regularly, but elsewhere only rarely found in winter. 

 Reports of breeding are not substantiated. Scotland. Of recent 

 years noted as fairly regular passage -migrant in very small numbers 

 spring and autumn at Isle of May and Fair Isle and fairly often 

 in Orkneys and Shetlands, but rarely observed on mainland. 

 On western side rare straggler : Solway (five times), Clyde (twice). 

 In O. Hebrides, four times Flannans and once South Uist. Once 

 Tiree. Ireland. Fairly regular autumn and occasional spring 

 passage -migrant in south and east. Rare elsewhere. Occasionally 

 in winter. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Europe from Baltic to Mediterranean, 

 east to Roumania and Bulgaria. Wintering partly in Europe, 

 but mostly in Africa . Casual in Scandinavia, once Finland and once 

 reported Iceland. Replaced by a number of rather different forms 

 in Caucasus, Armenia, Persia, Syria, Transcaspia to Turkestan, 

 Altai and Sayan Mountains, central Asia generally and parts of the 

 Himalayas to Tibet and Mongolia. 



Genus LUSCINIA Forst, 



LUSCINIA Forster, Synopt. Cat. Brit. B., p. 14 (1817 Type : " Sylvia 

 luscinia " ( = L. megarhyncha) by monotypy and tautonymy). 



This genus, as here conceived, is generally split into two, so 

 far as British birds are concerned, viz., Nightingales (Luscinia in 

 a restricted sense) and Bluethroats (Cyanecula or more correctly 

 Cyanosylvia), but there appear to be no valid reasons for this, as 

 colour alone cannot be used as a generic character. The genus, 

 as it is, is not easily separable from Phcenicurus, but rictal bristles 

 are less developed, tail shorter than in most Phoenicurus, plumage 

 not quite so soft. In Bluethroats sexes are different, but in Night- 

 ingales alike in plumage. Habits differ from those of Redstarts. 

 Young spotted. Nest on or near ground, or low in bushes, eggs 

 greenish or bluish-brown, uniform or (generally faintly) spotted. 

 Palsearctic region south to Atlas and Loo Choo Islands, in winter 

 all over Africa and parts of tropical Asia, also Alaska. 



2H2 



