ORPHEAN WARBLER. 391 
Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and eastward as far as Persia and 
Turkestan. North of the valley of the Rhone its range extends through 
the Vosges Mountains into Luxemburg; and it has occurred accidentally 
in Belgium and on Heligoland. The European birds winter in the valley 
of the Gambia, and probably also in many parts of Central Africa ; but the 
Turkestan and possibly some of the Persian birds appear to migrate in 
autumn into Western India. ‘This partial separation of the species into two 
colonies has evidently given rise to a variation of sufficient importance to 
be regarded as subspecific. The difference between the two forms is prin- 
cipally in the length of the bill. It seems probable, however, that the 
summer ranges of the two winter colonies overlap, and that where both 
occur they interbreed, as examples from Asia Minor and Palestine are 
intermediate. In typical examples of Sylvia orpheus from Europe the 
culmen varies in length from 0°68 to 0:6 inch, in intermediate examples 
from Asia Minor and Palestine from 0°74 to 0°64, and in typical examples 
of Sylvia orpheus, var. jerdoni, from Persia, Turkestan, and India from 
0°76 to 0°66. . 
In Greece the Orphean Warbler is not one of the latest of the 
summer migrants, as it arrives during the first half of April. In Asia 
Minor it is frequently seen in the latter half of March. It is by no means 
a conspicuous bird, except when singing, which it prefers to do perched 
on the top of an olive or other small tree. It is at all times very wary, 
and frequents, for the most part, well-wooded districts. In its winter 
quarters in India it is described by Jerdon as “ not rare in Southern India 
during the cold weather ;” and he adds that “it frequents groves, gardens, 
hedges, single trees, and even low bushes on the plains; is very active 
and restless, incessantly moving about from branch to branch, clinging to 
the twigs and feeding on various insects, grubs, and caterpillars, and also 
on flower-buds.” There is no doubt that it is principally an insect feeder, 
but it is said to be, like most of its congeners, fond of fruit in autumn. 
My first introduction to the Orphean Warbler was among the olives 
and the vines in the valley on the other side of the mountains east of 
Smyrna, where Dr. Kriiper called my attention to its song. My first 
impression was one of disappointment. The song is louder than that of 
the Blackcap ; but I thought it somewhat harsher. Its alarm-note is very 
loud, as loud as that of a Blackbird. In the Parnassus I found it very 
common, and obtained thirteen nests between the 8rd and the 21st of 
May. ‘They were easy to find in the bushes, which were scattered over 
the rocky ground above the region of the olive and the vine; but when 
we got into the pine-region they disappeared. My friend Captain Verner 
informs me that he has found the nests of this bird in Spain, placed near 
the summit of young cork-trees about twelve feet from the ground. ‘The 
nest is a tolerably substantial one, and deep, composed of dry grass and 
