THE



317



Bvucultural flftacjastne,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCI ETY.



Third Series— VOL. II.—No. 11 .—All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER, 1911.



THE NESTING OF THE SPROSSER.


Daiilias philomela.


By W. E. Teschemaker, B.A.


Distribution.


The Sprosser has a somewhat extensive range, as a breed¬

ing species, bnt it cannot be described as an abundant species in

any part of its area. Its eastern limit may be roughly indicated

by an imaginary line drawn from the Caucasus to a point in

Finland a little north of Lake Ladoga. Its exact northern limit

is difficult to determine, but it is not included by Prof. Collett in

liis list of birds of Northern Scandinavia, even as an accidental

visitor, and we shall probably include most or all of its territory

if we carry our imaginary line westwards to Christiania and thence

almost due south to Berne. Its status in Italy is somewhat

doubtful ; Salvadori, Durazzo and Cara have claimed it, but its

occurrence as a nesting species has apparently not been proved.

We will, therefore, carry our imaginary line eastward and south¬

ward to the head of the Adriatic and thence to Constantinople.

Bree (“Birds of Europe”) includes Persia as a part of the range

of this species, but, seeing that he calls the Sprosser the “ Eastern

Nightingale ” and does not recognise D. golzii as distinct, he is

probably referring to the latter species.


Allied Species.


In Germany, Austria, Turkey and Southern Russia the

Sprosser comes into contact with a near relative—the Nightingale

of the West (D. Inscinia). In Germany they seem to have

divided up their territory fairly well, the Nightingale claiming

the Rhine lands in the west and the Sprosser the southern and



