342 



white ; lower throat, breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts dull light brown ; centre of the abdomen 

 white. 



Young Male. Resembles the female, but has the white on the throat tinged with red. 



An inhabitant of Asia, especially of the eastern portion of the continent, this richly coloured 

 bird is only met with in the extreme eastern portion of Europe, or else as a rare straggler. 

 Messrs. Degland and Gerbe state that it has on two occasions been obtained in France, the first 

 occurrence being that of an adult male, recorded by M. Gerbe (Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 10) as having 

 been taken in the Department of Var, in August 1829; it is now preserved in the Museum 

 of Draguignan ; and the second, also an adult male, was, Messrs. Jaubert and Barthelemy- 

 T.apomnieraye say, killed near Draguignan in April 1835, and is deposited in the Museum of 

 Marseilles. With the exception of these two specimens, I find no record of the occurrence of the 

 present species west of Russia — of which country it appears to be restricted to the eastern 

 portion, on the confines of Asia. Temminck states that it has been once obtained near Moscow; 

 but Mr. Sabanaeff, in the notes sent to me, in which he refers to this statement, remarks that he 

 has never met with it there. In the Ural district, he adds, M. Martin obtained three or four 

 examples in the Poleffskaya Dacha, on the western slope, but it is rare; on the eastern slope, 

 however, close to the boundary of the Tobolsk Government, it would appear to be numerous. 

 Mr. Sabanaeff has sent me a fully adult male, labelled by him as having been obtained on the 

 Upper Ural. 



In Asia it is found as far east as Japan, and during the winter it migrates as far south as 

 Central India. Dr. Severtzoff does not record the occurrence of the present species in Turkestan, 

 though lie includes under the name of Calliope baillonii a Ruby-throat which appears to be 

 identical with C. pectoralis, Gould ; but in the collection of Mr. Howard Saunders there is a spe- 

 cimen from Turkestan which is decidedly referable to the present species, and not C. pectoralis. 

 1 am also indebted to Mr. Saunders for the loan of a specimen from the Caucasus, showing that 

 it is also found there. 



During the summer season the present species is common in Siberia. Von Middendorff 

 states that it arrived at Udskoj-Ostrog late in May, and by the end of June the males had the 

 te>tcs strongly developed. Dr. Radde remarks that in South-eastern Siberia it arrives very early ; 

 for Herr Maximowicz obtained a male on the 6th April, 1860, on the Upper Ussuri ; but in 

 Mongolia it appears about a month later. In the autumn the birds passed the Tarei-nor on 

 their southward passage on the 22nd August. Von Schrenck says that Mr. Maack obtained 

 two specimens — one near the mouth of the Ussuri on the 26th July, and the other on the 

 19th September a little above the Bureja Mountains. Dr. Dybowski has met with it breeding 

 commonly in Dauria; and, according to Pallas, it is found during the summer season in Kam- 

 tschatka. It visits India during the winter season. Dr. Jerdon writes (B. of I. ii. p. 150), 

 "found chiefly in Northern and Central India. I never saw it south of the Nerbudda, except 

 once, on board ship, a little south of Bombay, where one took refuge in the month of November. 

 It is most common in Bengal and the eastern side of India, and is a cold-weather visitant." 

 Mr. V. Ball says that he once met with it in the Salpura hills, and has frequently obtained it 

 from the neighbourhood of Calcutta; and Mr. Blyth states (Ibis, 1867, p. 16) that it has even 



