256 THE BIEDS OF HELIGOLAND 



79. Eock Thrush [STEINDROSSEL]. 

 TURDUS SAXATILIS, Latham. 1 



Heligolandish : Styahn-Troossel = Stone Thrush. 



Turdus saxatilis. Naumann, ii. 348. 



Rock Thrush. Dresser, ii. 129. 



Merle de roche. Temminck, Manuel, i. 172, iii. 102. 



Of this southern species I obtained a beautiful old male and 

 female in breeding plumage, and a young bird in fresh autumn 

 plumage. The birds might seem to have been picked for my 

 collection, for during the whole time of my residence here only 

 two or three other examples have been seen, without, however, 

 being shot. Reymers and Koopmann, however, must have obtained 

 it before my time, for the bird was well known to the shooters 

 and fowlers of that period. 



The male was shot on the 9th of May 1851, the female on the 

 17th of May 1860, and the young bird on the 12th of November 

 1874. At first I was much surprised to obtain this young bird 

 here, but when I afterwards learnt that this species breeds in all 

 the mountain ranges of central and southern Asia, the occurrence 

 of this individual during the autumn migration did not appear any 

 more strange than that of many other species from eastern Asia. 

 The time of occurrence of the two old birds, on the other hand, 

 leads one to conclude decisively that their home was in the south, 

 or rather, south-east. 



The Rock Thrush breeds in almost all the mountain chains of 

 southern and central Europe, from Portugal to the Caucasus ; also 

 throughout the whole of central Asia, from Turkestan to China. 



In England it has only been shot twice, and in northern 

 Germany it has probably never been observed. Heligoland 

 would appear to be the most northern point of its occurrence. 



80. Blue Eock Thrush [BLAUDROSSEL]. 

 TURDUS CYANUS, Linn. 2 



Turdus cyanvs. Naumann, ii. 341. 



Blue Eock Thrush. Dresser (Monticola (Petrocossyphus) cyanus), ii. 149. 



Merle bleu. Temminck, Manuel, i. 173, iii. 103. 



Many years ago, about 1830-1832, this Thrush was once caught 

 in the throstle-bush ; the bird in question was an old male, for it 



1 Monticola saxatilis (Linn.). 2 Monticola cyanun (Linn.). 



