74 
British Birds. 
THE RED-SPOTTED 
BLUE-THROAT. 
(Cyanecula suecica .) 
they halt for a little time before commencing their migrations The Ro'bin is found 
everywhere throughout the British Islands, and is likewise distributed throughout 
Europe, migrating in autumn to the Mediterranean countries in considerable numbers, 
and as far east as Persia. 
The nest is made of dead leaves and moss lined with rootlets and hair, and is 
often placed on the ground in a bank, and is concealed by the surrounding herbage ; 
but all sorts of places are chosen by the bird, the hole of a tree or wall, the inside of 
a tin or kettle, or an old hat hung up as a scarecrow. The eggs are from five to 
eight in number, white, more or less thickly spotted with rufous, while sometimes 
they are spotless blue or white. 
This pretty species occurs with us only on migration, and 
is much more frequently observed in the autumn than in the 
spring, though it has been known to occur at the last-named 
season of the year ; it has chiefly been noticed on our eastern 
coasts. On the continent it breeds in the 
high north and extends to Kamtchatka and 
even to Alaska in North West America. It 
m . is also found in Central Asia, and its winter 
home is in North East Africa, India and the 
Burmese Provinces. 
In Norway I have observed this species 
breeding every year at 3500 feet in the birch- 
woods, and always in the vicinity of swampy 
ground, though I never could discover the 
actual nest. A young bird which I caught 
in 1897 was a curiously striped little 
creature, unlike the young of the Robins 
or Redbreasts, and he carried his tail at an angle to his back, and stood very 
high on his legs, having the aspect more of a Chat than a Robin. In a few days he 
became so tame that he would fly out of his cage when called by his mistress, and 
sit on her finger and take meal-worms from her hand ; and this, although the 
room door stood open to the garden, and he could have flown away at any time. 
The parent birds hovered round the house for a few days, and even came down 
to the door of the room, calling to their youngster to accompany them, but he 
seemed to be quite contented with his lot. 
The Blue-throat is a very handsome little bird, with a chestnut tail, which 
is black for the terminal half. The upper surface is brown, but the principal 
feature of the species is the cobalt blue of the throat, which has also a conspicuous 
spot of chestnut. There is a black and white collar across the chest, while the 
breast is chestnut, the abdomen white. The female has no blue on the throat. 
The nest resembles that of a Robin and is placed on the ground and well-concealed. 
The Red-spotted Blue-throat. 
