SYLVIA CINEREA 77 



SYLYIA CINEREA, Latham. 

 WHITETHROAT. 



Sylvia cinerea, Lath. Inch Orn. ii, p. 514 (1790) ; Seebohm, Cat. 



Birds Brit. Mus. v. p. 8 ; Malhcrbe, Faune Ornitli. de I'Alg. p. 13 (1855) ; 



Loclie, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i. p. 240 (1867) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 



195; id. J.f. 0. 1892, p. 397 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 94. 

 S. Sylvia, Erlanger, J.f. 0. 1899, p. 264. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Eas-el-Aioum, South Tunisia. 



Forehead, crown, lores and ear-coverts pale slate-grey ; nape, back, 

 rump and upper tail-coverts greyish-brown ; wings dark brown, the second- 

 aries and coverts broadly fringed with rufous-buff; tail dai-k brown, the 

 exterior feathers white, with a little brown on the inner webs, the next 

 adjoining rectrices tipped with white ; chin and throat white, shading into 

 pale vinous on the breast and greyish-buff on the flanks ; under tail-coverts 

 whitish, tinged with buff. 



Iris yellowish-brown ; bill grey ; feet light brown. 



Total length 5'50 inches, wing 2'80, culmen '45, tarsus "80. 



Adult female resembles the male to a great extent, but is browner and 

 duller in its colouration. 



The Whitethroat is very common as a migrant throughout Tunisia, 

 and is also resident in the Regency to a certain extent, breeding there, 

 and occurring in winter-time in the southern oases. 



The species apparently occurs throughout the whole of North 

 Africa, from Marocco to Egypt, although perhaps not common in the 

 latter country. From Tripoli and Cyrenaica I have examples of it 

 obtained during the summer. 



During the spring migration the Whitethroat is remarkably abun- 

 dant on some of the bush-covered plains of the Central Tunisian 

 districts, particularly should the wind happen to be favourable for the 

 passage of the birds. On such occasions one may see numbers of 

 these Warblers in the company of others, such as S. suhalpina and 

 S. conspicillata, flitting from bush to bush, and enlivening with their 

 presence the somewhat monotonous landscape. Olive groves are 

 much resorted to by these and other Warblers, no doubt for the sake 

 of the numerous small insects which infest the gnarled trunks and 

 the foliage of these trees. 



The food of the Whitethroat consists chiefly of insects and their 

 larvfp, but berries and fruit seem also to be eaten at times. 



