MO NT 1C OLA 23 



Hob. Southern Europe, wintering in Africa as far south as 

 Abyssinia ; Asia Minor and Asia through Persia, Turkestan, 

 Afghanistan, Tibet, and China, wintering in India and southern 

 China ; of very doubtful occurrence in Great Britain. 



Frequents rocky and desert places, ruins, etc., and feeds on 

 insects of various kinds, and will also eat berries and fruit ; its 

 song is melodious but plaintive, and it is highly esteemed as 

 a cage-bird. Its nest, which is loosely constructed of rootlets 

 and grass-bents, is placed in a crevice in the rocks, in ruined 

 buildings, and even, in rare cases, in a low bush, and from April 

 to June, according to latitude, 4 to 5 eggs are deposited, which 

 are pale blue, sometimes marked with a few pale reddish dots at 

 the larger end, and measure from I'lO by 0*76 to 1*13 by 0'77. 



28. SOLITARY THRUSH. 

 MONTICOLA SOLITARIUS. 



Monticola solitarius (P. L. S. Miiller), Syst. Nat. Suppl. p. 145 (1776) ; 

 David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 161 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. v. 

 p. 319 ; Tacz. F. O.-Sib. O. p. 321 ; M. manillensis (GmeL), Syst. 

 Nat. i. p. 833 (1788) ; (Temm. and Schleg.), Faun. Jap. Aves. p. 6. 



Iso-hio-dori, Jap. 



ad. (Japan). Differs from M. cyanus, in having the upper parts 

 rather bluer, and all the under parts from the lower breast rich chestnut- 

 red ; beak and legs black ; iris brown. Culmen 1*0, wing 4*8, tail, 3'3, 

 tarsus I'l inch. The female has the under parts pale whitey brown, washed 

 with buffy brown, and barred with dark brown. 



Hob. South-east Siberia, Japan, Corea, North-East China 

 and Formosa, wintering in S. E. China, and the islands of the 

 Malay archipelago. 



Frequents similar localities to M. cyanus and resembles that 

 species in general habits and nidification ; its eggs are also 

 similar but as a rule rather larger. It is said to be very shy and 

 wary, and its song is described as being varied, melodious, and 

 of a very high order. 



