74 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



AGROBATES GALACTODES (Temminck). 

 EUFOUS WAEBLER. 



Sylvia galactodes, Tcmvi. Man. d'Orn. i, p. 182 (1820); Seebohm, Cat. 



Birds Brit. Mus. v, p. 34; Erlangcr, J.f. 0. 1899, p. 273. 

 Agrobates galactodes, Swainson, Class, of Birds, ii, p. 211 (1837). 

 Sylvia rubiginosa, Malherbe, Cat. Bais. d'Ois. de I'Alg., p. 10 (1846). 

 Aedon galactodes, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i. p. 279 (1867) ; Koenig, 



J.f. 0. 1888, p. 203; id. J.f. 0. 1892, p. 405; Wliitakcr, Ibis, 1895, 



p. 95. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Tunis, North Tunisia. 



Above rich rufous, brighter on the rump and tail-coverts ; quills brown, 

 margined with rufous, the secondaries and wing-coverts broadly margined 

 vpith buli' and grey ; tail rounded and conspicuously marked, the two central 

 feathers bright rufous, the others bright rufous throughout the greater part 

 of their length, with a subterminal broad blackish band, and tipped with 

 pure white, the white tip measuring about half an inch on the outer rectrices, 

 and gradually decreasing till it becomes entirely lost on the centre feathers ; 

 a broad stripe over the eye buffy-white ; lores and a short stripe below the 

 eye dark brown ; underparts buffy-white, with a rufous-grey tinge on the 

 sides and flanks. 



Iris brown ; bill brown ; feet flesh colour. 



Total length 7 inches, wing 3-50, culmen '70, tarsus 1-05. 



Female similar to the male. 



The genus Agrobates seems to bear but slight resemblance to that 

 of Acrocephalus, with which it has been united by many authors, and, 

 following one or two good authorities, I have placed it nearer the 

 genus Sylvia, to which it appears to be more closely related. By 

 some ornithologists it has been considered as approaching the 

 Cratervpodidcc, and not without reason, as in many respects it 

 certainly resembles some members of that family, but on the whole 

 it is, perhaps, more nearly related to the SylviidcB. 



The range of the Eufous Warbler extends throughout North 

 Africa, Palestine, Spain and Portugal. In Italy, as well as in Eng- 

 land, it has occurred occasionally as a straggler, and the Florence 

 Museum possesses specimens of it obtained in the Peninsula. In the 

 more eastern countries of South Europe, and in Asia, the closely-allied 

 species, A . famiUaris, takes the place of the present species, occasionally 

 straying westward as far as Italj'. Canon Tristram i^lbis, 1882, p. 409) 



