THE WHITE-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT. 477 



as adult female summer and can only be distinguished by buff 

 tips to greater wing-coverts as in first summer male. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 69-74 mm., tail 53-59, 

 tarsus 24-28, bill from skull 14-16 (12 measured). $ wing 65-74. 

 Primaries : 1st 2-8 mm. longer than primary-coverts, 3rd and 4th 

 longest, 5th occasionally equal but usually .5-2 mm. shorter, 2nd 

 4-8 shorter, 6th 2-4 shorter, 7th 5-7 shorter ; 3rd to 5th primaries 

 emarginated outer webs. Secondaries : from tip of longest to 

 tip of longest primary,^ 10-16 mm., $ 9-14 ; tips somewhat square. 

 Tail slightly rounded, 12 feathers, tips sloped off. Rest of structure 

 as Nightingale. 



Soft parts. Bill dark brown, base of lower mandible rather 

 paler ; legs and feet yellowish -brown ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. For differences of L. s. gaetkei 

 and L. s. cyanecula see under those forms ; L. s. pallidogularis 

 (Turkestan) is like L. s. svecica but has paler upper-parts and paler 

 blue throat ; while L. s. discessa (Alai) is smaller and still paler ; 

 L. s. robusta (east Siberia) appears to be larger and darker than 

 L. s. svecica ; L. s. occidentalis (south Russia) is like L. s. cyanecula 

 but with more or less rufous on throat -spot ; L. s. magna (south- 

 west Persia) appears to be larger and to have either no spot or a 

 small white one ; L. s. abbotti (Kashmir, east Turkestan) is stated 

 to be smaller and to have a very small white, or red and white 

 throat -spot. 



BREEDING-HABITS. Not known to differ in any way from those 

 of Norwegian form. Eggs. Similar to those of other races. Aver- 

 age of 100 eggs, 18.5x14 mm. Breeding-season. From mid-June 

 onward. 



FOOD. Lynes records diptera (small black flies), also aquatic 

 insects and larvae in stomach. Apparently chiefly insects and 

 their larvae and worms. 



DISTRIBUTION. Great Britain. One, Isle of May, September 14, 

 1909 (ut supra). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Breeds in Sweden, Lapland, north Russia 

 and the tundra of west Siberia, east to the Yenisei (66 N. lat.) ; 

 wintering in north-east Africa and occasionally also western India, 

 and visiting eastern Europe and Transcaspia on passage. 



195. Luscinia svecica cyanecula (Wolf) THE WHITE- 

 SPOTTED BLUETHROAT. 



SYLVIA CYANECTTLA Wolf, in Meyer & Wolf's Taschenb. d. deutech. 

 Vogelk., i, p. 240 (1810 Germany). 



Cyanecula leucocyana Brehm, Yarrell, i, p. 323 (in text) ; Cyanecula 

 wolfi C. L. Brehm, Saunders, Brit. B., i, p. 7. 



