92 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Phylloscopi 



feathers, on or near the ground, and lays white eggs, spotted 

 with pale red. 



In extreme summer plumage in high latitudes every trace 

 of yellow and green disappears, except a faint dash on the 

 axillaries, wing-lining, and thighs ; but birds in this plumage 

 are very rare, and all the specimens of it I have seen were ob- 

 tained within the arctic circle. In autumn birds of the year 

 have the whole underparts deep huffish yellow. 



21. Phylloscopus gaetkei, sp. nov. 



Phyllopneuste major, Tristram, Ann. Nat. Hist. p. 29 

 (1871, nee Forster). 



Bill slender, under mandible darkish. 



Upper parts greyish brown. Wings and tail greyish brown. 

 Superciliary streak dirty white. 



Head the same colour as the back. 



Underparts white, slightly tinged with huffish yellow on the 

 breast and flanks. 



Third or fourth primary longest and nearly equal. Fifth 

 rather shorter. Sixth considerably shorter than the 

 preceding. Second 'prhnarii intermediate in length be- 

 tween the sixth and seventh. 



Bastard primary medium, the exposed part measuring — male 

 •5, female '4, 



No wing-bar. 



Length of wing — male 2*53, female 2"5. 



Length of tail — male 2*1, female 2'05. 



Legs and claws brown. 



In the 'Annals of Nat. Hist.' for July 1871, Tristram de- 

 scribes a Phylloscopus from the south Mediterranean coast 

 under the name of Phyllopneuste major. It is nearest allied 

 to P. trochilus, but differs from that species in having a shorter 

 second primary, which is intermediate in length between the 

 sixth and seventh, instead of between the fifth and sixth. This 

 seems a very slight difference upon which to establish a species. 

 In the very nearly allied P. coUybita the second primary seems 

 to be indifferently intermediate between the sixth and seventh 

 or the seventh and eighth. Tristram appears to have felt the 

 injustice of dividing one species on this ground without serv- 

 ing the other in the same way. In order to be impartial he 



