46 ORPHEAN WARBLER. 



Russia, Turkey, Asia Minor and Palestine ; a form known as 

 S.j'erdoni, with a somewhat larger bill and brighter coloration, being 

 found in Persia, Turkestan and Northern India. South of the 

 Mediterranean the Orphean Warbler breeds in Morocco and 

 Algeria ; visiting Egypt, and pushing its winter migrations as far 

 south as Nubia. None remain in Europe during the winter. 



The nest, a tolerably compact structure of dry grass, lined with 

 finer bents, thistle-down and the down of the cotton grass, is 

 generally placed in bushes, such as tamarisks, or in young cork-trees 

 about twelve feet from the ground. The eggs, usually 5, are grey- 

 ish-white, blotched and slightly scrolled with various shades of brown; 

 much resembling those of the Lesser Whitethroat, but as large as 

 those of the Garden Warbler : average measurements "8 by "6 in. 

 Nests which I obtained near Malaga often contained one, and 

 sometimes two eggs differing from the others in their abnormal size, 

 and microscopic examination of the texture of the shell by Mr. 

 Sorby, F.R.S., subsequently proved them to be eggs of the Cuckoo. 

 Incubation begins late in April, and while the female is sitting the 

 cock-bird utters his song, louder and harsher than that of the 

 Blackcap, from some neighbouring branch. The food, like that of 

 many other Warblers, consists principally of insects, varied by fruit 

 in the season. I am not aware of any distinctive features in the 

 habits of this species. 



Adult male : head to below the eyes black, paler on the nape ; 

 upper parts dark brownish -grey, with paler margins and tips to the 

 secondaries ; the outside pair of tail-feathers white on the outer half; 

 the second and third pairs spotted with white at the tips ; the re- 

 mainder of all the feathers blackish-brown ; throat white ; breast and 

 flanks buffish-white ; under tail-coverts buff; bill nearly black, paler 

 at the base ; legs and feet dark brown ; iris straw-yellow. The female 

 differs merely in having less contrasted and browner tints. The 

 above descriptions are taken from a pair of birds obtained with their 

 nest at Malaga on May 23rd 1869. Young birds resemble the 

 female. Length 6 in. ; wing, to the tips of the 3rd-4th and longest 

 primaries 3'i in. 



The white on the outer tail-feathers will always serve as a dis- 

 tinction between this species and the Blackcap. 



