THE WARBLERS. l8l 



secondaries distinctly edged with buffy-white; the under surface 

 washed with ochreous buff on the breast and sides. 



Note.— The Barred Warbler may be distinguished from all the other 

 European species by the barring of the upper and under surface, and there 

 is no other species which has the tipper and under tail-coverts barred. The 

 wing is very pointed, the second and third primaries being the longest, and 

 about equal in length ; the first or bastard-primary is very small, and falls 

 short of the primary-coverts by about 0*4 inch. The rictal bristles are few 

 in number and slender. 



Eange in Great Britain — A rare accidental visitor, but perhaps 

 occurring more frequently than is generally supposed. The first 

 specimen recorded as British was exhibited by Professor Newton 

 at a meeting of the Zoological Society, in March, 1879. In 1884 

 three specimens w r ere procured : one by the Rev. H. H. Slater, 

 on the coast of Yorkshire, at the end of August, and another 

 near Blakeney, in Norfolk, in the beginning of September; 

 the third specimen was shot on the 16th of August, in the Isle 

 of Skye. In 1884 a specimen was procured at Belmullet, in 

 Ireland; another in Norfolk, in 1888; and two more specimens 

 were obtained in Yorkshire in 1892 and 1893 respectively. 



Eange outside the British Islands — The northern breeding-range 

 of this species appears to be Denmark and Southern Sweden, 

 nor is it known to breed west of the Rhine. Throughout 

 Central Europe it is a summer visitor, and extends as far east as 

 Turkestan and Kashgar, in Central Asia. Mr. Howard Saunders 

 considers that the vicinity of Nice is about the western limit of 

 this Warbler's migration, "and in Italy it appears to be re- 

 stricted to the northern and north-eastern provinces." 



One winter home of this species appears to be North-eastern 

 Africa. It has not been found in any part of the Indian pen- 

 insula, but occurs in winter on the Persian Gulf, which locality 

 is, in all probability, the winter residence of the Barred Warblers 

 which breed in Central Asia. 



Habits. — The present species is a rather late arrival at its 

 breeding quarters in Europe, though it is said that the spring 

 migration lasts for about eight weeks, from towards the end of 

 March to about the middle of May ; but more than half of the 

 summer migrants have arrived before this species is seen. 

 Owing to its skulking habits it is not easy of observation, but is 

 more readily detected by its song, which is said to be like that 



