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Genus CALLIOPE. 



Motacilla apud Pallas, Eeise Russ. Reichs, iii. App. p. 697 (1776). 



Turdus apud Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 817 (1788). 



Accentor apud Temminck, Man. d'Orn. iii. p. 172 (1835). 



Calliope, Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 114 (1836). 



Lusciola apud Keyserling & Blasius, Wirbelth. Eur. p. 58 (1840). 



Erithacus apud Degland, Orn. Eur. i. p. 514 (1849). 



The Rubythroats form a small but distinct group, allied on the one side to the true Nightingales, 

 and on the other to the Bluethroats — in habits, however, resembling the latter much more than 

 the former ; for they often frequent clamp localities where there are plenty of bushes or trees. 



The Rubythroats inhabit the Palgearctic and Indo-Malayan Regions, only one species being 

 found in the Western Palsearctic Region. They are chiefly, if not entirely, insectivorous ; they 

 construct a slightly formed domed nest of dried grasses, and deposit four or five greenish blue 

 eggs slightly spotted with very pale red. They are all said to be good songsters. 



The young of these birds are said to be spotted. 



Calliope camtschatkensis, the type of the present genus, has the bill like that of the 

 Nightingale, but rather longer ; the first primary is short, but extends considerably beyond the 

 wing-coverts, the second is about equal to the seventh, the third and fourth being the longest ; 

 tail moderate, slightly rounded ; legs rather long ; tarsus covered in front with one long plate 

 and four inferior scutellse. 



All the Rubythroats have, in adult male plumage, a rich-red throat-patch. 



