MELIZOPHILUS SARDUS 95 



MELIZOPHILUS SARDUS (Marmora). 

 MARMOEA'S WARBLEE. 



Sylvia sarda, Marm. fide Temm. Man. d'Orn. i, p. 204 (1820); Seehohm, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. v, p. 33. 

 Pyrophthalma sarda, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 247 (1867) ; 

 Melizophilus sardus, Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 201 ; id. J. f. 0. 1892, 



p. 404. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Tatahouine, South Tunisia. 



Above dull slate colour, darker on the crown ; wings and tail dark brown, 

 slightly margined with greyish-brown, the outer rectrices with whitish ; 

 under- parts slate-grey, becoming paler on the abdomen. 



Iris yellow, eyelid reddish ; bill brown, the lower mandible yellowish 

 at the base ; feet yellowish. 



Total length 4-75 inches, wing 2-20, culmen -40, tarsus -80. 



Adult female, winter, from Gabes, South Tunisia. Like the male, 

 but rather paler, and with a slight vinous tinge on the underparts. Soft 

 parts as in the male ; measurements slightly less. 



This species, although more or less local in its distribution, is not 

 uncommon in some parts of Tunisia, particularly on the east coast, 

 and in the southern districts during winter. At that season Mr. 

 Aplin frequently met with the species on the bushy hill-slopes and 

 among the rocky gorges, covered with " maquis " vegetation, and 

 obtained specimens of it at or near Gabes, Oum-Ali, and Tatahouine. 

 I have also seen specimens of it obtained at Gafsa, 



Dr. Koenig found this Warbler common in spring on the small 

 island of Curiat, off the east coast of Tunis {J. f. 0. 1892, p. 404). 

 In the more western districts of the Regency I have never met with 

 this species, although it is no doubt to be found there occasionally, 

 as it occurs in Algeria. An example of this species, obtained by 

 Loche in the Algerian Sahara, is preserved in the Turati Collection 

 at Milan under the No. 17,575, and I have seen another specimen, 

 a male, which was obtained by Mr. H. F. Witherby at Biskra on 

 March 8th, 1904. 



From Spain the species appears to be unrecorded, although appar- 

 ently it has been obtained in Portugal {J.f. 0. 1872, p. 148), and both 

 Mr. Howard Saunders and A. von Homeyer mention its occurrence 

 in the Balearic Islands. In the island of Sardinia, and probably also 

 in Corsica, this Warbler is common and resident. In Sicily, although 



