82 TUEDID^. 



Hypolais opaca, Hypolais pallida, Hypolais rama, Hypolais 

 caligata, and Hypolais obsoleta. 



This is a very puzzling group of birds. An unbroken series may 

 be found from the largest H. opaca from Spain, through the smaller 

 H. pallida from Greece and Asia Minor, and the still smaller 

 H. pallida and H. rama from Persia, down to the small skins of 

 H. rama from India and the still smaller //. caligatM from Turkestan 

 and India, which latter become paler in colour where they live in 

 the more sandy districts and become the form known as H. ohsoleta. 

 Under these circumstances I see no alternative but to regard the 

 brown-eolonred species of Hypolais as a most interesting example 

 of a species in the process of breaking up into several species. 

 H. olivetorum has obviously become perfectly differentiated and has 

 long ago ceased to intermarry with the inferior caste. H. languida 

 has apparently only just succeeded in isolating itself; but I am not 

 sure that in a large enough series of this rare bird intermediate 

 forms might not occur between it and H. pallida. The other 

 supposed species can only be considered distinct from each other 

 on the theory that in intermediate localities they habitually 

 hybridize. 



The synonymy of the Central and widest spread form is as 

 follows : — 



5. Hypolais pallida. 



Curruca pallida, Hempr. et Ehr. Si/mb. P/iys., Aves, fol. bb (1833). 

 Curruca andromeda, Hempr. et Ehr. Symh. Phys., Aves, fol. bb 



(1833). 

 Curruca maxillaris, Hempr. et Ehr. Syinb. Phys., Aves, fol.bb (1833). 

 Salicavia pallida {Hempr. et Ehr.), Keys. u. Bla>;. TVirb. Eur. p. liv 



(1840) ; HeiK/l. Si/st. Uebers. p. 22 (1856) ; Severtz. Turkest. Jevotn. 



pp. (36, 12y (1873). 

 Salicavia elteica, Linderm. Isis, 1843, p. 343 ; id. Voy. Grieclienl. 



p. 90 (18.:0). 

 Ficedula ambigua, 8chl. Pev. Crit. pp. xxvi, 53 (1844). 

 Ilvpolais elseica {Linderm.'), Gerbe, Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 440 ; Heugl. 



'Orn. N.O.-Afr. i. p. 297 (18i;9) ; Blanf. Geol ^- Zool. Ahyss. p. 380 



(1870) ; Fimch, Trans. Z. 8. vii. p. 2.32 (1870) ; Fritsch, 'Vor/. Eur. 



p. 103 (1870) ; Sa/vad. Faun. Ital. Ucc. p. Ill (1871) ; Sharps, 



Cat. Afr. B. p. 33 (1871) ; Shelley, P. Eyypt, p. 100 (1872). 

 Ficedula eliBica (Limlerm.), Schl. Bijd. tot de Dierk. Amderd. pt. 1, 



p. 27 (1848); Neiot. List B. Eur'. Blasius, p. 11 (1862) ; Fdiiipi, 



Viayff. Pers. p. .348 (1865). 

 Calaraodyta elaeica {Linderm.), Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 172 (1848). 

 Sylvia preglii, Frauenfeld, Verh^ zool.-hot. Ver. Wien, i. p. 54 



■ (1852). 

 ? Hypolais verdoti, Jaub. Pev. et May. de Zool. 1855, p. 70. 

 Svlvia elseica {Linderm.), Von der Miihle, Mon. eur. Sylv. p. 93 



"(1856) ; Gray, Hand-l. B. I -p- 21-i- no. 3028 (1869). 

 Chloropeta elseic-a {Linderm.), Bp. Cat. Parzud. p. 6 (1856) ; Loche, 



E.xpl. Sci. Alge'r., Ois. i. p. 270 (1867). 



