422 



Adult Female (Malta, October). Differs from the male in being somewhat larger in size, in having the 

 crown rusty red, not black, the upper parts browner, without any trace of ashy blue ; chin, upper 

 throat, and abdomen dull white, the centre of the last pure white ; flanks, breast, and the centres of 

 the under tail-coverts dull ashy brown. Total length about 6 inches, culmen 05, wing 31, tail 265, 

 tarsus 085. 



Young (Hampstead, near London, June). Upper parts duller and browner than in the female, the crown 

 browner and less rufous ; underparts dull ashy grey, becoming white on the abdomen. 



Winter plumage. It appears that in the winter season some males are found with black heads and some 

 with red heads like the female; and I should think that the latter are young birds which have not 

 obtained the full dress. Otherwise the winter dress does not appear to differ from that worn in the 

 summer, except that it is rather duller. 



Obs. It would seem that in some instances the male does not assume the black head after the first winter, 

 but breeds in a plumage much resembling that of the female ; and in this dress it has been described by 

 Landbeck, under the name of C. rubricapilla, as a distinct species. Curiously enough, however, it would 

 seem that it is only in exceptional cases that the red head is retained over the summer of the year 

 following its first winter, and by no means the rule. Specimens of old males shot at Malta in 

 December and February differ only in being a trifle duller in colour, but have the black cap fully 

 developed. 



The present species, one of our best and most familiar songsters, is found throughout Europe, 

 except in the extreme north ; eastward it occurs at least as far as Persia ; and in Africa it has 

 been met with as far south as the Gambia. It likewise inhabits the Canaries, Madeira, and the 

 Azores. 



In Northern and Central Europe it is only a summer resident, but winters in various parts 

 of Southern Europe. In Great Britain it is found during the breeding-season in all the counties 

 of England and "Wales, becoming, however, rarer towards the north. Professor Newton states 

 that Mr. Rodd has remarked that of late years it has increased in numbers in Cornwall ; and 

 this is probably the case also in several other localities. Mr. Metcalfe, of Kendal, informs me 

 that although many ornithologists have said that it is rare in Westmoreland it certainly is 

 common ; and, he writes, " its wild and rich song may be heard in any of the woods and orchards 

 of Kendal and the vicinity. Although we cannot boast of having the Queen of Songsters in the 

 Lake Districts, we do not wish to be defrauded of the mock Nightingale." 



In Scotland, Mr. R. Gray says, though nowhere numerous, it appears to be widely distributed 

 from near Cape AVrath to the shores of the Solway; and Professor Newton states that "its nest 

 has been found in many counties, particularly to the south of the Clyde and Forth. Beyond 

 these firths it is recorded as breeding regularly in the counties of Argyle, Clackmannan, Perth, 

 Banff, and Ross ; and it has been procured more than once, and even later in the year, in 

 Caithness, and also in Orkney." In Ireland, Thompson says, it is perhaps a regular summer 

 visitant to certain districts, but is very local. It has been met with in the counties Wicklow, 

 Waterford, Cork, and Galway, and is known to have bred in Tipperary. It is somewhat 

 remarkable that there are several instances of its occurrence in Ireland in the winter season ; for 

 as a rule it is a summer visitant only to our isles ; but Mr. Stevenson also states (B. of Norf. i. 



