PHCENICURUS. BRITHACUS. 93 



summer quarters in northern Europe and its winter resorts 

 in Africa. 



General Distribution. The Redstart breeds throughout 

 Europe with the exception of Spain south of the Can- 

 tabrian Mountains and Greece, resorting to the mountains 

 in southern Europe ; also in Siberia as far east as Irkutsk 

 and Lake Baikal. It winters in west and north-east Africa. 

 A still doubtful race, P.p. algeriensis, has been distinguished 

 in north-west Africa, and P. p. mesoleuca occurs in the 

 Crimea and parts of south-western Asia. 



Phoenicurus titys. BLACK EEDSTART. 



Sylvia tithys (non Linn. 1758) Bechstein, On. Taschenb. 

 1802, p. 179. $. C. 



Euticilla tithjs (Linn.); Seelolim, Cat. Birds B. M. v. 1881, 



p. 339. 

 Ruticilla titys (Scop.) ; B. O. U. List, 1st ed. 1883, p. 9 ; Saunders, 



Manual, 2nd ed. 1899, p. 33. 



Titys, so spelt by Gesner; but the best Greek authorities write riri's, a 

 small chirping bird. 



Distribution in the British Islands. A Winter Visitor and 

 Bird of Passage to the south and east coasts of England and 

 to the south and south-east coasts of Ireland. Uncommon 

 or irregular elsewhere, including the northern and western 

 Islands of Scotland. 



General Distribution The Black Redstart breeds in 

 Europe generally, as far north as the Baltic and east to 

 Roumania and Bulgaria. It has occurred in Scandinavia and 

 once in Iceland. It winters chiefly in Africa but also in 

 Europe. 



Genus ERITHACUS Cuvier, Lee. d'Anat. Comp. i. 

 1800, tab. 2. 



Type : E. rubecula (Linn.). 



Erithacus = epiOaKos, a solitary bird that could be taught to speak (Aris- 

 totle, Hist. An. 49s, 4, etc.; Pliny, Hist. Nat. x. 44). Perhaps akin to 

 epevQta I make red, 



