348 



breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts dull wbite, marked on tbe flanks and breast with rufous ; thighs 

 slaty brown ; under wing-coverts rufous ; soft parts same as in the male, but the legs and beak appear 

 paler. 



Nestling. Head, back, neck, and breast greyish brown, closely marked with small, light sandy brown spots 

 and streaks ; wings dark greyish brown, the secondaries being tipped with rufous, the inner ones having 

 a large rufous spot at the tip ; the short stumpy tail blackish brown, tipped with dull slate ; lower part 

 of breast and abdomen dull white. 



It is only of late years that any thing has been known respecting the habits of this species ; for, 

 until Dr. Kriiper found it in Asia Minor, it was a comparatively unknown bird. It was first 

 described from North-east Africa by Guerin, after specimens brought home by MM. Ferret et 

 Galinier from Abyssinia, under the name of Cossypha gutturalis ; but it was afterwards supposed 

 that this bird differed from the one found in Asia Minor. We have, however, examined two 

 specimens from Abyssinia, collected by Mr. W. Jesse, which are precisely identical with examples 

 in our collection obtained near Smyrna by Dr. Kriiper. Mr. Jesse obtained both these birds in 

 the plains on the coast, and did not observe this species elsewhere. Dr. Otto Finsch, in referring 

 to these two examples (Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. p. 243), states that the two sexes are alike, which 

 is certainly not the case. Mr. Jesse has, in error, marked a fine adult male he procured as 

 " female;" and hence the mistake. 



The range of this species extends through Asia Minor down into North-eastern Africa 

 and eastward into Persia, whence a female was redescribed by De Filippi under the name of 

 Iranin finoti. Mr. W. T. Blanford has kindly lent us two specimens, a male and a female, 

 collected by him in Persia, respecting which he writes us as follows : — " The two specimens 

 are from the Elburz mountains, north of Tehran, and were found amongst bushes in rocky 

 valleys. They appeared to me to have rather skulking habits, hiding themselves in bushes. 

 Both in habits and distribution of coloration in the plumage of both sexes this bird approaches 

 Tanthia, I think, and, in a smaller degree, Calliope." We have carefully compared Mr. Blanford's 

 birds with those we have figured ; and they agree almost to a feather. It appears to winter in 

 Eastern Abyssinia, where, according to Von Heuglin, it is rare; and it arrives at its breeding- 

 haunts in Asia Minor late in April. 



Kespecting its occurrence in Asia Minor, we translate the following notes published in 

 ' Cabanis's Journal' by our friend Dr. Th. Kriiper: — "On the 29th of April I made an excur- 

 sion from Burnova along the stream up the mountain. On a precipice covered with bushes I 

 observed a bird which uttered the alarm-note of the Nightingale, and, like that bird, ran off 

 along the ground with erected tail. I fired a snap shot at it, but without success, and it got off, 

 nor could I again see it. As I mounted the hill and was near to the place to which I was going, 

 a high cliff, I heard between the notes of Sylvia ruppelli, S. passerina, and S. orphea the clear 

 loud song of a bird, which I followed, and at last caught a sight of the songster as it flew singing 

 from one branch to another. As it flew it seemed almost as large as a Missel-Thrush, and had 

 the underparts red, the upper surface of the body being slate-grey. I saw clearly that it was 

 no known European species ; but what it could be I could not imagine, and I was determined to 

 procure it all hazards so as to make it out. So shy and cautious was it that, though I followed 



