BRITISH BIRDS. 159 



THE BLUE-THROATED ROBIN. 



(Sylvia Suecica, Lath. Bee-fin gorgc-blcuc, Temm.) 



THIS bird, hitherto a stranger in this country, is 

 similar in its size, figure, and upper plumage to 

 our own engaging and familiar Robin Redbreast. 

 A light streak passes over the eyes, otherwise the 

 only striking difference between them is the colour 

 of the throat, which in this is of a beautiful clear 

 ultra-marine blue, crossed or divided about the 

 middle by a patch of reddish orange, and bordered 

 at its lower termination, near the breast, with 

 black; below this it is reddish chesnut, broken or 

 mixed with dull white and dingy brown ; thence to 

 the vent, though of a lighter cast, it is clouded 

 more or less with the latter colours. The middle 

 tail feathers are of the same colour as the upper 

 plumage, viz., brown tinged with olive: the better 

 half of the outside feathers of the tail to its base 

 are orange red, the rest at the tip are black: the 



