40 



placed amongst the synonyms of Ruticilla titys. Gould, who procured specimens from Erzeroom, 

 at once recognized it as a good species, but did not identify it with the bird obtained by Gmelin, 

 and redescribed it in 1855 under the name of Ruticilla erythroprocta ; and when Mr. Seebohm 

 wrote vol. v. of the British Museum Catalogue in 1881, although he included Gould's R. ery- 

 throprocta as a good species, he remarked that he suspected the female to be a specimen of 

 Ruticilla rufiventris, and the male a hybrid between R. rufiventris and R. titys. Two years 

 later, after having seen specimens in the Museum at St. Petersburg, he wrote (Ibis, 1883, p. 17) : — 

 " There can be no doubt that the Motacilla ochrura of Gmelin, from the Persian mountains, is 

 Gould's Eedstart (abdomine flavo), and not the Black Redstart, to which I have erroneously 

 assigned it in the ' Catalogue of Birds.' " 



This Redstart inhabits Asia Minor and the Caucasus, and recent investigations in the latter 

 country have thrown much light on this hitherto so little-known species. Gould received the 

 two specimens which he described from Erzeroom nearly forty years ago, and I have received 

 it from the same locality through the late Mr. James Zohrab. Mr. C. G. Danford shot two 

 adult males in Asia Minor — one in the Taurus Mountains in 1876, and the second in the 

 Euphrates Valley in 1879, — both of which are in my collection; and as he referred them to 

 R. titys it is probable that his notes as follows (Ibis, 1S78, p. 15) — " Generally common, and 

 sedentary in the mountains throughout the winter. Specimens obtained in spring are extremely 

 dark-coloured," — refer to the present species. 



Bogdanoff found this Redstart not uncommon in the Caucasus ; and Dr. G. Radde writes 

 (Ornis Caucas. p. 255) that " it is only seen on migration in the lowlands, and I only know it as 

 breeding in the mountains. From Mleti on the south side of the Great Caucasus to the Kazbek 

 on the north side of the Grusinish military road it is to be met with everywhere. It nests in 

 the clefts of the perpendicular cliffs at Kobi. Also in the elevated villages in the country of 

 the Tuschen, Chewsuren, and Swanen, there were everywhere families of this bird to be seen 

 which had their nests in the wails of the slate-built towers, to a height of 80 feet. This 

 species arrives at Lenkoran about the 14th (26th) March, and at Tiflis about the 27th March 

 (8th April)." 



Lorenz, who collected 32 specimens in the Northern Caucasus, writes (Orn. Faun. Kauk. 

 p. 24) : — " Of all the Redstarts I met with during the breeding-season in the localities I visited, 

 this was the most numerous, and was met Avith everywhere in places where there were rocks and 

 precipices. In all the ravines near Kislovodsk up to the heights of the springs of the Beresovaya 

 and Alikanovka, on the heights of the Dschinal and Bermamit (to about 8000 feet altitude), I 

 met with and obtained it. In spite, however, of its abundance it is difficult to obtain a series, as 

 it is so extremely shy and one seldom gets a chance of a shot at it." 



In habits the present species is said to resemble Ruticilla titys, but, unlike that bird, it does 

 not frequent inhabited places, and is generally found, at least during the nesting-season, in rocky 

 places in the mountains, and nests in the clefts of the rocks. The late Mr. James Zohrab, when 

 Consul at Erzeroom, sent me specimens obtained during the breeding-season, together with a 

 nest and eggs, which he assured me were most carefully identified. The nest is rather small, 

 constructed of bents and fine roots, and lined with fine roots and a few hairs but no feathers; and 

 the eggs, all of which, except one which is now in my collection, arrived broken, closely resembled 



