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in lat. 68° N. Magnus von Wright says the same of its
sojourn in Finland as is said of it in Sweden, but its range
is probably less extended, as it is not included by Dr. Malm-
gren among the birds of the Kajana district. I t occurs in
Russia, but seems to be less abundant there than in the rest
of Europe, and is not known to the eastward of the Ural
Mountains * or the Caspian Sea; but Menetries found it,
though not common, in the Caucasus. De Filippi met with
it in Persia. Mr. Keith Abbott sent skins of it from Trebi-
zond; but, though it doubtless occurs in the west of Asia
Minor, Strickland did not observe it at Smyrna. Messrs.
Elwes and Buckley report it as common in Turkey. In
Palestine Canon Tristram found it everywhere in winter, but
none remained after February. In Lower Egypt, according
to Dr. von Heuglin, it appears pretty regularly in winter,
staying till March. Loche states that it occurs in all three
of the Algerian provinces, but it is there probably as a
winter-visitant only, and Canon Tristram observed it abundantly
at that season in the oases of the Great Sahara. Mr.
Frederick Godman has met with it in the Canaries, Madeira
and the eastern and central groups of the Azores, and it
is especially worthy of remark that examples from the
islands last named agree with those from Algeria and
Southern Europe, being paler in colour than British or
Nortli-European specimens, while those from the Canaries
and Madeira are identical with the darker northern form.
Throughout the remaining countries of Continental Europe
it is more or less common, and in nearly all its migratory
habits are well known ; even in North Germany very few
pass the winter—chiefly, according to Dr. Borggreve, in
Westphalia and the Rhineland.
During the southward migration of the Redbreast it is
caught in very large numbers for the table, and in autumn
the bird-markets of most towns in Southern France and
Italy are generally well supplied with this species, which,
among many others, passes indifferently under the name of
* Just as Accentor rubidus represents our Hedge-Sparrow in Japan, so a
bejiutiful little bird, Erithacus aJcahige, there takes the place of our Redbreast.
M
Beccajico. Mr. Sclater observed (Zool. p. 4162) more Redbreasts
than any other birds in the Roman markets, and
Waterton tells us that on characteristically expressing his
regret at seeing so many in a stall there, the dealer assured
him that if he took home a dozen for his dinner 011 that day,
lie would come back for two dozen 011 the morrow. These
birds are usually taken in snares or by limed twigs set round
a captive Little Owl, which serves to attract the victims.
In the adult, the bill and irides are black: upper part of
the head, neck, back, upper tail-coverts and tail yellowish-
olive-brown ; flight-feathers rather darker, the outer edges
olive-brown ; greater wing-coverts tipped with buff; over the
base of the bill, round the eye, the chin, throat and upper
part of the breast, reddish-orange, encircling which is a
narrow band of bluish-grey, broadest near the shoulders;
lower part of the breast and belly white ; sides, flanks and
lower tail-coverts, pale brown ; quills beneath, dusky grey :
legs, toes and claws, purple-brown.
The whole length five inches and three-quarters. The
wing from the carpal joint to the end of the longest primary,
three inches : the second wing-feather not quite so long as
the sixth; the third, fourth, and fifth nearly equal, and the
longest in the wing.
The female is not quite so large as the male, and her
colours are less bright. The young before their first moult
have the brown feathers of the head, back and wing-coverts
tipped with buff; throat and breast tinged with reddish-
brown and margined with dark brown.
After their first moult they resemble the adult female,
but the red of the breast is tinged with orange : the legs
dark brown.
The figure below represents the breast bone of this species.