tlnental 

 Europe 



294 



140. Olivaceous Warbler, Hippolais pallida (H. & E.). 



Geographical Races. 



a. Eastern Oliyaceous Warbler, H. pallida pallida (H. & E.). 



Plate 22, fig. 27, 28 (Attica, Greece). 



Eggs: Thienemann: Fortpfl. Tab. XIX, fig. 15, a— c. Baedeker, 

 Tab. 19, fig. 4. Reiser, Orn. Bale. Ill, Taf. Ill, fig. 10—12. Dresser, 

 pi. — , fig. 35, 36. 



Foreign Names: Greece: lirtirli-honnchros, Myiochdphtes. 

 Hypolais pallida (H. & E.). Dresser, B. of Europe, II, p. 537 and Man. 

 Pal. Birds, p. 110. Hippolais pallida pallida (H. & E.). Hartert, Vog. 

 Pal. Fauna, p. 574. 



Breeding Range: The Balkan peninsula, Greek Islands and Crete. 

 [Also Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt, and E. to Persia as well as N. to 

 Transcaspia.] 

 Con- In Europe this race is confined to the Balkan peninsula, where it 



is the commonest Warbler in the southern part. In Greece it is very 

 generally distributed on the low ground, breeding in the valleys and not 

 ranging higher than the limit of the olive. It is also plentiful on the 

 Greek islands, especially on Naxos, and on Crete. Northward it becomes 

 scarcer in Macedonia, but is the characteristic Warbler of Albania and 

 is very common in S. Dalmatia, S. Montenegro, and in the coast region 

 of Herzegowina, and has been recorded from Bulgaria and E. Roumania. 

 [It breeds abundantly in Egypt and Nubia, as well as in Palestine, Meso- 

 potamia, Asia Minor and Cyprus; while its range also includes Persia, 

 Transcaucasia, Turkestan, Bokhara and Transcaspia.] 

 Nest. In Greece the nest is generally found among the drooping outer 



boughs of the olive, concealed by the pendent leaves, but in Montenegro 

 it is found in wild pomegranates, willows and tamarisks, rarely higher 

 than 3 ft., and in Cyprus among brambles and bushes near streams. In 

 Egypt many nests are built in clumps of flowering plants or shrubs. The 

 nest is a typical Tree Warbler's, built of fine grasses, roots, fibre and 

 strips of bark, mixed with down of various kinds and bits of wool, the 

 whole being compactly woven together, and lined with wool, down and 

 fine roots, with an occasional feather or horsehair. Diameter of cup, 

 II in, depth li — 2 in. 

 Bggs. Generally 4, sometimes only 3, while 5 are said to occur very 



rarely. They are quite, without gloss and have a pale greyish ground, 

 sometimes with a slight reddish, violet or yellowish tinge, and dark blackish 

 brown spots (generally rounded) and specks, with occasional streaks or 

 hair lines at the larger end. Reiser obtained a variety with a single 

 large blackish spot on a flesh coloured ground. 



