THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 275 



number of examples, are ever met with in the course of a day ; 

 nevertheless the bird, by reason of its peculiarly elegant plumage, 

 is well known to every shooter here. Its migration commences in 

 the spring as early as March, and extends to a correspondingly 

 advanced period in the autumn, and even into winter, birds of this 

 species having, in fact, been met with by no means rarely in the 

 middle of December. Nor is its migration, like that of its near 

 relative, the Common Redstart, at all dependent on fine and warm 

 weather ; but, on the contrary, takes place at times and under con- 

 ditions of weather when no other Sylvia would dream of under- 

 taking a journey. 



This bird occurs as a breeding species from western Portugal 

 as far as the Volga, but becomes much less numerous from eastern 

 Germany eastwards. It also nests, but more locally, in north 

 Africa, Palestine, and eastwards as far as Persia. 



94.--Moussier's Redstart [MOUSSIERS ROTHLING]. 

 SYLVIA MOUSSIERI, Olph-Galliard. 1 



Moussier's Redstart. Dresser, ii. 321. 



Ruticilla Moussicri. Howard L. Irby, Ornithology of Straits 

 of Gibraltar, p. 82. 



This very interesting African Redstart has occurred once in 

 the summer of 1842 ;. it was shot by Oelrich Aeuckens, and sold 

 by him to a young law-student named Jochmus, from Liineburg, 

 who used to come here annually for sea-bathing. I had at that 

 time scarcely laid the first foundations of my collection, and had no 

 idea of what value this example was to Heligoland. Afterwards, I 

 made repeated and urgent efforts to obtain it back, but unfor- 

 tunately without result. At last I gave it up as a bad job, as I was 

 told that the bird had gone to ruin. It was a pretty male in rather 

 worn plumage ; its like has never been seen here again, nor is it 

 probable that a second will ever reach this island ; for, with two or 

 three exceptions, no other south and west European or north-west 

 African species have ever been seen here. 



The home of this species appears not to extend beyond north- 

 west Africa. 



1 Ruticilla moussieri (Olph-Gal. ). 



