866 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL ELST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 



Sylvia communis iderops, Menetr. — Eastern Whitethroat. 

 1 sex ? Qazvin — 14th September. 

 The above is my only definite record of the Eastern race of the Common 

 Whitethroat. 



Agrobates galadotes familliaris (Menetr.) 



1 c? . Qazvin— 20th June (R. E. C). 



" Several pairs evidently breeding at Qazvin, organs advanced, not noticed 

 at Tehran " (R. E. C). I was in Qazvin from 17th July till October and never 

 saw the bird at all though I looked for it carefully ; probably it migrates as soon 

 as the young are fledged, 



Zarudny (in collaboration with Harms) described A. /. persica from " Meso- 

 potamia, Zagros and Baluchistan." ; no doubt he refers to Persian Mesopota- 

 mia and Persian Baluchistan. I can find no difference between specimens 

 from Transcaspia, N. W. Persia, the Bampur River in Persian Baluchistan, 

 and Baghdad and Amara in true Mesopotamia. It appears to me that the 

 points on which A. /. persica was separated were due to individual variation. 



Turdiis merula syriacus, Hempr and Ehr. — Persian Blackbird. 



1 (5 , 1 $ . Kermanshah — November and December 1918. 



1 $ , Tehi-an— June (R. E. C). 



Imm. Tehran — June (R. E. C). 

 This sub-species of the Blackbird was common at Kermanshah in December. 

 In June Cheesman found it common up to 8,000 ft. in the hills above Tehran. 

 Birds were feeding fledged young on 6th June, but on 12th June he shot at Gul- 

 ahek, in the garden of the British Legation, a female v/hich contained '' organs 

 very advanced, would have laid in three days. Iris brown, bill dark orange, 

 upper mandible brown towards base. Hen is difficult to distinguish from cock 

 unless handled, OAving to dark colour and yellow bill." One m-ight add that the 

 difficulty is due not only to the dark colour of the female, but also to the fact 

 that the male is dark slate grey, not black. 



The immature in first plumage (sex vmrecorded, Tehran, 12th June 1919) 

 had " iris brown, bill brown, legs dark olive brown ". It differs from T. m. 

 merula (Great Britain) in the same stage of plumage by its much duller and less 

 red colours. The upper side of T. m. syriacus is dark olivaceous brown and the 

 streaks on the centre of the body feathers are less developed than in the typical 

 sub-species and entirely without any redbrown tint. The throat and breast 

 lack the redbrown colour of T. m. merula, the abdomen and under tail coverts 

 are very dark and very grey. The measurements of the specimens are; J exposed 

 culmen 23 mm., wing 130 mm., tail 105 mm ; $ (Kermanshah) culmen 20 mm., 

 wing 128 mm., tail 111 mm.; 5 (Tehran, R. E. C.) culmen 21 mm., wing 128 mm., 

 tail 109 mm, 

 Turdus merula aterrimus (Mad.) — Caspian Blackbird. 



1 cJResht — January — culmen 21, wing 127, tail 98 mm. 



1 5 Resht — January — culmen 22, wing 124, tail 96 mm. 



1 (jEnzeli — February — culmen 22*5, wing 130, tail 105 mm. 



1 5 Men jil— March — culmen 22-5, wmg 128, tail 96 mm. 



This race of Blackbird is found in the forest on the south shore of the 

 Caspian. It was common in January and February at Resht and appeared to 

 become still commoner at Resht and Noglabar and in the woods above Menjil 

 in March. After that it was much rarer though small numbers remained and 

 no doubt bred, round Resht and Enzeli. The measurements of culmen refer 

 to the exposed portion only. 



Turdus musicus, L. (T. iliacus, Auctt.) — Redwing. 



2 c? , Resht — February. 



The Redwing is common roimd Resht and Enzeli in winter, and was last 

 seen in the third week in March. 



