440 SYLVlIDiE. 



in Wales, but its numbers diminish towards the north. 

 It was formerly thought not to reach Scotland, but later 

 observations collected by Mr. More and Mr. Gray prove 

 that though very local in the northern kingdom, it is not 

 uncommon in some places and has been seen for two suc- 

 cessive seasons even in Caithness. It was met with by 

 Mr. Elwes in Harris and it has also occurred in Orkney 

 and occasionally in Shetland. In Ireland it is a regular 

 summer- visitant to certain localities from south to north, 

 but is very partially distributed. In Norway it is said to 

 breed in the pine-woods up to the Arctic Circle, and has 

 certainly been seen by several good observers to the north 

 of Trondhjem *. In Sweden, according to Prof. Sundevall, 

 it does not breed either in the southern or middle provinces, 

 nor does it commonly visit Lapland proper, though Wheel- 

 wright says he shot an example at Quickjock. In Finland, 

 as Dr. Malmgren informs the Editor, it is common in the 

 interior at least as far as lat. 66° N., but not on the coast. 

 In Russia it is said to go beyond the Arctic Circle, but in 

 this direction and further to the eastward its range cannot 

 yet be determined owing to the existence of one or more 

 species with which it is likely to have been confounded. 

 It probably occurs however throughout European Russia, 

 and was observed in the Crimea by Alexander von Nord- 

 mann. Strickland shot it near Smyrna in November. In 

 Palestine it occurs much as does the Willow- Wren, but it 

 takes its departure by the end of February. In Lower Egypt 

 it sometimes appears in incredible numbers, and is a very 

 common bird of passage throughout that country and Arabia, 

 wintering in the lands lying further to the south, as Kordo- 

 fan and Abyssinia. It also visits Algeria and Morocco, a)id 

 is common in the Canary Islands. Though most of the 

 birds of this species which come to Europe emigrate towards 



* It has been said to go so far as East Finmark, but Wolley, while visiting; 

 that part of Norway in 1855, satisfied himself that the statement rested only on 

 the supposed identification of some eggs taken there, which eggs were quite un- 

 like those commonly laid by the Chiffchaff, and agreed with a not rare variety of 

 those of the Willow- Wren. 



