THE SIBERIAN THRUSH. 

 Turdus sibiricus, Pallas. 

 Plate 2. 



One of these rare Siberian Thrushes is said to have been killed in the winter 

 of 1860-61, in the neighbourhood of Godalming, Surrey. Although the genuine- 

 ness of this specimen has been doubted by some authorities, Lord Lilford says 

 "the probability is strongly in favour of its having been a bona fide traveller, 

 and not an ' escaped ' bird." 



This species inhabits Eastern Siberia, wintering in China, Burma, Sumatra, 

 and Java. 



Mr. H. L. Popham writes {Ibis, 1898, pp. 494-495): "The neighbourhood of 

 Toorukhansk appears to be their headquarters. The eggs, which place the 

 identity of my supposed eggs of 1895 beyond doubt, can readily be distinguished 

 from those of other Thrushes nesting in the same locality by their pale greyish- 

 blue ground colour ; one clutch has the ground colour very pale blue-green, and 

 is covered all over the surface of the shell with minute reddish spots. I have 

 never observed this Thrush in the pine forests, but always in the willows fring- 

 ing the shore and islands, on the topmost boughs of which the male sits and whistles 

 a few rich notes without any variation, but darts down out of sight at the slightest 

 alarm. It is rather later in nesting than the other Thrushes, and was not seen 

 at Yeniseisk." He describes the nest as " a rather untidy structure of dry grass, 

 built in the fork of a willow a few feet from the ground, not so bulky as a 

 Fieldfare's, with a scanty wall of mud and an inner lining of coarse dry grass." 



The food, which is similar to that of other Thrushes, is always obtained on 

 the ground. 



The general colour of the female is buff and olive-brown, shading into white 

 on the lower parts. The throat, as well as the flanks, speckled and barred 

 with brown. 



8 



