320 



Central Asia. An adult male, obtained from the late M. Jules Verreaux, labelled as having been collected 

 in Central Asia, and one from 



Lake Baikal, obtained by Dr. Dybowski in June 1868, agree closely with specimens of C. suecica from 

 Northern Russia. 



China. A large series in the collection of Mr. R. Swinhoe, which I lately had an opportunity of 

 examining, are all referable to Cyanecula suecica. 



Explanation of Plates. On the first Plate I have figured two adult males, in full plumage, of C. suecica, 

 the one to the left being from Christiania, and the one in the centre from Egypt, the former in my 

 collection, and the latter in that of Captain Shelley ; to the extreme right is a nestling of C. suecica, 

 from the Ural. On the second Plate are three specimens of C. wolfi, that on the left being an adult 

 male in breeding- plumage, and that on the right a male in winter dress, the former from Turin, and the 

 latter from Malaga; and iu the centre is a very old female, in autumn plumage, from Granada, — all 

 being in my collection. On the third Plate the bird to the right is an adult female of C. wolfi, from 

 Seville, and to the left a young bird of the same species, in the first autumn dress, from the Hartz, 

 both being in my collection. The specimen in the centre is a very old female of C. suecica, from 

 Egypt, which closely agrees with the female from Norway in the collection of Mr. Alston, referred to 

 by Professor Newton (Yarr. Brit. B. p. 328) . On the fourth Plate is a specimen of C. wolfi, lacking 

 the white spot entirely, and is from Germany, being now in the collection of Mr. F. Bond. The other 

 specimen on this Plate is a male of C. wolfi, in rather peculiar autumn plumage ; it was obtained by 

 Mr. Schluter, near Halle, in Saxony, and is now in my collection. 



The Red-spotted Bluethroat inhabits Eastern and North-eastern Europe, its range extending to 

 the eastward through Central Asia to Siberia and China. It breeds in northern latitudes, and 

 passes the winter in far southern climes, being met with in North-eastern Africa as far south as 

 Abyssinia. In Western Europe it is replaced by the White-spotted Bluethroat. 



In Great Britain it has occurred now and then as a rare straggler; and, according to 

 Professor Newton, it is the only species which has been obtained in this country, unless one 

 obtained by Captain Hadfield (Zool. s. s. p. 172) is referable to C. ivotfi, in the stage of plumage 

 when it has the blue on the breast without any central spot. 



The following is taken from Professor Newton's edition of Yarrell's ' British Birds ' respecting 

 the instances on record of its occurrence in Great Britain : — " Two instances only of the occurrence 

 in England of this pretty warbler had been recorded when, in 1838, the species was included 

 in the original edition of this work. The first bird, a fine cock, was shot on the Town Moor of 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne, May 20th, 182G, by Mr. Thomas Embleton, who gave it to the Museum of 

 that town, where it still is. This fact was first noticed in 1827 by Mr. Fox in his ' Synopsis of the 

 Newcastle Museum ' (pp. 298-308), and afterwards in the ' Zoological Journal ' (iii. p. 497). The 

 second specimen was recorded in 1837, by Mr. J. C. Dale, in the 'Naturalist' (ii. p. 275), and is 

 said to have been killed in Dorsetshire. Soon after the time last mentioned, I was informed by 

 Mr. Plumptre Methuen that a specimen killed near Birmingham was in his possession ; and 

 subsequently Mr. J. H. Gurney sent me word that a male example had been found dead on the 

 beach of Yarmouth, September 21, 1841. Mr. Morris mentions, on the authority of Mr. E. 

 Cole, one shot at Margate, in September 1842, and in September 1844 two specimens, one old, 

 the other a young bird of the year, and both then unskinned, were sent for my inspection by 

 Mr. Gardner. These were said to have been shot in the Isle of Sheppey. The Strickland 



