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He saw the first pairs on the 3rd May 1856, on the Tarei-nor, but did not observe them in the 

 spring in the Bureja Mountains, though he heard the male in full song on the 18th May above 

 the Schilkinski Savod, on the islands of the Schilka. In the autumn the first began to pass late 

 in August, and the main body of migrants appeared early in September. Dr. Dybowski has sent 

 many specimens from Lake Baikal; and Colonel Prjevalsky (B. of Mong. no. 109, in Bowl. Zool. 

 Misc. part vi. p. 198) says that late in the spring he saw some on passage in S.E. Mongolia, 

 Ordos, and Ala-shan ; in 1871 he observed it in S.E. Mongolia on the 9th of May, in 1872 at 

 Ala-shan on the 20th of May. In autumn he noticed it in the Hoang-ho valley toward the end 

 of August, and at Ala-shan during the month of September. In spring, as well as in autumn, 

 these birds were migrating only in small flocks of from three to ten individuals ; and, owing to the 

 scarcity of trees, they frequented the steppes and plains covered with " sacsaulnics." MM. David 

 and Oustalet say that it is common on passage in China and Mongolia, and the latter received 

 examples from Penang. According to Mr. Svvinhoe it is found from Malacca to Pekin, and 

 westward to Szechuen and Formosa ; and it also occurs in Japan, whence I possess a specimen 

 obtained through Mr. Franks. Mr. A. O. Hume also records it (Stray Feathers, ii. p. 496) from 

 the Andamans. It has been sent from Java and Malacca, and is recorded by Bonaparte as found 

 in the Philippines ; but its occurrence there, though in itself highly probable, appears, Lord 

 Tweeddale remarks, to rest on no other ground than Bonaparte's statement. According to 

 Messrs. Finsch and Hartlaub it has also been met with in the Pelew Islands. 



Until quite lately but little was known about the habits and nidification of the present 

 species. I am indebted to Mr. Seebohm, who met with it on the Yennesei, for the following 

 notes, viz.: — "The Dark Thrush arrived on the Arctic circle on the 7th of June, and frequented 

 the oases of bare ground on the sunny slopes of the banks of the Koo-ray'-i-ka, where it fed upon 

 the previous year's crowberries and cranberries which had been preserved through the winter by 

 the frost. As soon as the snow in the forests was melted, these birds left our headquarters and 

 retired inland to breed. I secured several examples on their first arrival, and afterwards fre- 

 quently heard their song in the forests. This Thrush is a very poor songster, but he has a 

 splendid voice. He seldom gets beyond two or three notes ; but in clearness and richness of 

 tone the few he utters are fully equal to those of the Blackbird. On the 27th of June, a day 

 or two before we left the Koo-ray'-i-ka, as I was strolling through the forest, extremely annoyed 

 at what I thought was the unreasonable delay of Captain Wiggins in starting for the tundra, I 

 suddenly forgot all my troubles by seeing a Dark Thrush fly from her nest in a slender spruce- 

 fir tree. I shot the bird, and was soon up the tree. The nest was placed about fifteen feet from 

 the ground, upon a horizontal branch about six inches from the main stem. It was exactly like 

 that of a Fieldfare, but was carefully lined with mud before the final lining of dry grass was 

 placed in it. It contained five eggs resembling small but richly marked Blackbird's eggs. 



"After we left the Arctic circle I saw no more of this species until the 3rd of August, on 

 my return journey, when, in lat. 66°, near Sil-o-vah'noff, the village of the unfortunate Scopsi, I 

 shot a young Dark Thrush in first plumage. On the 6th of August, in lat. 63°, I got amongst 

 a brood of young Dark Thrushes which were uttering loud cries like tick, tick. This, I presume, 

 is the Kestrel-like cry alluded to by Latham. I shot one bird from this brood, which will be 



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