BUBY-THBOATED WABBLEB. 71 



great uniformity, only sometimes the grey brown which surrounds 

 the red throat obscures a blackish colour. The throat of the female 

 is dull white; the streak over the eyebrow scarcely marked, and the 

 moustache not black but brownish grey. Au reste I observe no dis- 

 tinction between male and female. The early appearance of this 

 beautiful bird in the southernmost regions of Eastern Siberia is re- 

 markable. H. Maximowicz killed a male on the Upper Ussuri as early 

 as the 6th. of April, 1860. In Mongolia it is a month later. The 

 first three males were killed on May 6th., 1856. On this day a strong- 

 wind was blowing, which towards evening came from the north, and 

 it rained hard. They seem to like moving in such weather. 



In autumn they begin to move about August 22nd., to the Tarei- 

 Nor. Three of these birds lived in a skilfully made hedge, from which 

 they came out and fed like Blue-throats, and were very tame. It 

 begins to sing about May 29th., chiefly at night. In the daytime it 

 seeks the tops of young birches or willows to rest upon. Like the 

 Nightingale it begins with the syllable "tzju," which in some degree 

 resembles that of the Lark. The rattle, though always weak, is never 

 wanting. On the 5th. of July, 1855, this bird was on the moult. A 

 male three years old, living in confinement, had the throat slightly 

 tinged with red. In a cage these birds will sing till August. They 

 like light lands, avoiding thick dark woods." 



Of the nidification of this bird we know very little. Pallas tells 

 us that it builds a careless nest, and that its eggs are greenish in 

 colour, and that its call-note may be heard as it flies. It is entirely 

 insectivorous. 



My figure of the eg,g is taken from the "Sibirische Eeise" of 

 Midden dorff". The Warthausen collection only contains one, and that 

 was so much broken that Von Heuglin did not venture to draw it 

 for me. 



Male. The whole upper part of the body is olive green; top of 

 the head, primaries, and tail, umber brown tinged with olive; a clear 

 white streak over the eyes, and another larger one extending from the 

 base of the lower mandible to the middle of the side of the neck. The 

 lore and base of the inferior mandible deep black; the throat and upper 

 part of the neck brilliant vermilion red, bordered with dark grey; 

 middle of abdomen and under tail coverts bluish white; crop and flanks 

 greenish grey or olive brown; middle tail feathers the longest, and 

 rounded; the side feathers, particularly the outermost ones, pointed. 

 Beak and iris brown; feet brown. In autumn the splendid red throat 

 is covered with white feathers. 



The female has the upper parts like the male, but the red on the 



