RUTICILLA ERYTHROGASTRA.
Great White-capped Redstart.

Motacilla erythrogastra, Giild. Nov. Comm. Petr. 1785, tom. xix. p. 469, tabs. xvi. & xvii—Gmel. Edit. Linn. Syst.
Nat., tom. i. p. 975.
Sylvia erythrogastra, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 503.
Chestnut-bellied Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 424.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 672.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. vil. p. 27.
Motacilla ceraunia, Pall. Zoog., tom. i. p. 478.
Ruticilla grandis, Gould in Proe. of Zool. Soc. 1849, p. 112.
erythrogastra, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 296.
tricolor, Ib., p. 296.

 

Tue bird here represented is in every respect a typical Futicilla, and is, moreover, so much finer than any
other member of the genus, that I was induced to consider it to be new to science, and to characterize it as
such in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1849, under the name of Ruticilla grandis (not
tricolor as quoted by the Prince of Canino); more recent research has, however, informed me that it was
long since described by M. Gtildenstaedt with the appellation of Motacilla erythrogastra, under which title
it will be found in the works of Latham, Shaw and others; it affords me much pleasure therefore to correct
the error into which I had fallen, and into which I had been led by finding a fine specimen in the Museum
at Berlin, labelled aworea of Pallas, which I knew to be a very different bird.

The Ruticilla erythrogastra is still extremely rare in all our collections ; the specimens in my possession
were obtained in the valley of Cashmere, in which locality it was frequently seen, and examples were also
procured by Mr. Vigne. M. Giildenstaedt informs us that it frequents the gravelly hollows of the Caucasian
Torrents during the whole of the summer, and migrates southward in search of food on the approach of
winter; that it runs along the banks of rivers ; is restless, but not fearful ; often moves its tail while sitting
on the low shrubs ; and makes its nest among the branches of the sea buckthorn, of the berries of which
it is very fond.

Crown of the head and the basal portion of the primaries and secondaries white ; forehead, cheeks, chin,
throat, back, wing-coverts, and the apical portion of the primaries and secondaries black ; abdomen, lower
part of the back, upper and under tail-coverts and tail rich rufous ; bill and feet black.

The Plate represents a male and a female, or young male of the natural size.

 

Re ONE PS 2
hed = Ss wy 2