NELSON : THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



CYANECULA. LEUCOCYANA (Brehm). 

 White-Spotted Bluethroat. 



An accidental visitant from Central and Western Europe, of extremely 

 rare occurrence. 



It breeds in France, Belgium, Holland, North Germany, 

 and so throughout temperate Europe as far as the West of 

 Russia. Its winter quarters are in the western and northern 

 parts of Africa, Armenia and southwards to Afghanistan. 



The only known instance of the visitation of this rare 

 migrant to Yorkshire, and to Britain, is that communicated by 

 the late Alfred Roberts, of Scarborough. Writing to Mr. Wm. 

 Eagle Clarke on the ist of January, 1880, he stated that 'a fine 

 female specimen of the Blue Throated Warbler was found dead 

 under the telegraph wires, near Scarborough, by the late John 

 Young, gamekeeper to Eord Londesborough (April, 1876). The 

 ovary contained eggs in a forward state. It had a white satiny 

 spot in the centre of the blue throat. The specimen is in the 

 possession of Mrs. Young.' 



This example was recorded at the time by the Rev. Julian 

 G. Tuck (Zoologist, June 1876, p. 4956; and Field, May 6th, 

 1876), thus: 'I have much pleasure in recording, for the first time 

 in Yorkshire, the occurrence of the Bluethroat, or Blue-throaied 

 Warbler. A specimen of this rare little bird, which had been 

 picked up dead under the telegraph wires at Seamer, near 

 Scarborough, was taken to Mr. Roberts, of Scarborough, on the 

 1 2th of April. Its head and neck had been considerably 

 damaged from coming in contact with the wires; in addition to 

 which the man who found it kept it several days, and then 

 carried it to Scarborough in his pocket. Mr. Roberts thought, 

 when he first saw it, that it would be impossible to mount it, 

 but with skilful handling and great patience he has now managed 



Trans, Y.N.U., 1898 (pub. 1901). Series Ij 



