THE ARCTIC BLUE-THHOATED ROBIN. 
15 
13. ERITHACUS CiERULECULUS. 
THE ARCTIC BLUE-THROATED ROBIN. 
Motacilla suecica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p, 336 (part.). Motacilla caerulecula, Pall. 
Zoogr. jRoss.-Astat. i. p. 480. Cyanecula suecica, Jerd. B. hid. ii. p. 152 ; 
Hume 8f Hend. Lah. to Yarkand, p. 214 j Dressei', Birds of Europe, ii. p. 317 ; 
Bl. B. Burm. p. 101 ; Hume, S. Feath. vii. p. 392, viii. p. 100 ; Scully, S. F. viii. 
p. 304 ; Legge, Birds of Ceylon, p. 443 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 213. Cyanecula 
caerulecula, Hu7ne, S. F. i. p. 190, ii. p. 234 ; Dav. et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 234. 
Erithacus caeruleculus, Seehohn, Cat. Birds B. Mas. v. p. 308. Erithacus 
suecica, Seehohm, Brit. Birds, i. p. 269, 
Description. — Male. Whole upper plumage with wings brown^ the 
feathers of the head and back with darker centres ; chin and throat bright 
blue,, with a chestnut spot on the centre of the throat ; below the blue a 
band of black and below this a broader band of chestnut ; lores black ; a 
stripe from the nostrils to the eye fulvous ; cheeks and ear-coverts mixed 
fulvous and black ; belly, flanks, vent and under tail-coverts huffish white ; 
central tail-feathers brown, the others chestnut on the basal half, and brown 
on the terminal half. 
The female has all the lower plumage huffish white, with a broad brown 
gorget across the breast. 
It is seldom that the male is in the full plumage described above. The 
amount of blue and chestnut on the throat varies much; and sometimes 
there is nothing more than a few blue feathers to indicate that it is a male. 
The young are coloured like the female. 
Bill black, the base flesh-colour ; iris brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; inside 
of mouth yellowish ; legs dusky fleshy ; claws brown. 
Length 5'9 inches, tail 2*3, wing 2'9, tarsus 1*1, bill from gape '75. The 
female is the same size. 
The Arctic Blue-throated Robin has been recorded from Arrakan by 
Mr. Blyth. I have found it very abundant in Pegu every year, from the 
commencement of November to the middle of May, in that portion of the 
country lying between the Tonghoo road and the Sittang river, from 
Kyeikpadein up to Paghein. Mr. Davison found it rare in Tenasserim ; 
but he procured it as far south as Tavoy. 
This bird has a most extensive range. In summer it is found in Northern 
Europe and Asia ; in the latter continent as far south as the Himalayas. 
In winter it migrates south, and ranges over the whole of Europe, North 
Africa and Southern Asia. 
It appears to be a common bird in winter over the whole of India, 
Ceylon and the Andaman Islands, the Indo-Burmese countries and South 
China. 
