416 SYLViiD^-:. 



Lever obtained specimens in Lancashire, which he sent under 

 the same name to Latham, who considered it a variety of the 

 " Fauvette'' of Buftbn, which it certainly is not — that bird, to 

 judge by the figure, being the female of the Orphean Warbler 

 to be presently described. Singularly enough it appears to 

 have escaped the observation of White of Selborne : the bird 

 which he mentions as the " Pettichaps " being, from his 

 account of its habits, most certainly the Lesser Whitethroat. 

 Since that period it has been found to breed regularly in 

 all the counties of England, Derbyshire (where it is rare) 

 and Cornwall excepted. In Wales it is only known with 

 certainty to breed in Pembrokeshire. It is said by Selby 

 to occur throughout the greater part of Scotland, particularly 

 where the wooded districts margin the lakes and rivers, but 

 Mr. Gray is disposed to think it is not commonly distributed. 

 Still it would appear to visit most of the counties as far 

 northward as Banffshire, and Dr. Saxby says he obtained 

 a specimen in Shetland, September 30th, 1861. In Ireland 

 it seems to be extremely rare, but it is recorded by Templeton 

 as having bred at Cranmore near Belfast in 1820, and by 

 Thompson as having done the like in the county Tipperary 

 and as frequenting gardens in Cork. Mr. Harting also says 

 that he has seen it in the county Wicklow, that Mr. Blake- 

 Knox has met with it in the county Dublin, and that Sir 

 Victor Brooke has found it to be common about Lough Erne, 

 where it breeds regularly. 



This bird is found throughout the greater part of Europe, 

 breeding commonly in Norway as high as lat. 68° N., and 

 reaching the birch-woods on the mountains. In Sweden its 

 range seems to be limited by lat. 67° N., while in Finland 

 it has not been noticed further than 65° N., and there only 

 in one instance, as Dr. Malmgren has kindly informed the 

 Editor. It is common about Archangel, but is not known 

 in Siberia or Central Asia. In southern Piussia, particularly 

 on the stepjjes, it is abundant, and it occurs in Asia Minor 

 and Palestine, in which last it breeds. In some parts of 



wherein "Petticliap" is given as tlie name of a binl — in tliis case, frum the con- 

 text, obviously either the Willow-Wren or the Chifi'chaft'. 



