GENUS HYPOLAIS. 351 



Food. — Chiefly insects : diptera, neuroptera, coleoptera {Apion, 

 Sitones, Phytonomus, Phytobius, Bagous, Lyprus, Galleraca, Donacia, 

 Cyclonoton) and orthoptera (Forficula). Jackel also records small 

 molh;sca (Planorbis) . 



Distribution. — England. — 'Twenty-one authentic examples ob- 

 tained, and several others seen, chiefly Sept., but also Aug. and 

 Oct., as follows : Cornwall (Eddystone), one ; Hants., two ; Isle of 

 Wight, four ; Sussex, seven and several seen ; Kent, one and several 

 seen ; Norfolk, five and one seen ; Leicester one. Scotland. — ■ 

 One Fair Isle (Shetlands) Oct. 23, 1914. Ireland.— One Bull Light 

 (Cork) Sept. 20, 1903 ; one Tuskar Light (Wexford) Aug. 9, 1913. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Central and south Europe (but absent 

 from south of Balkan Peninsula), and north-west Africa. In south- 

 east Europe and Egypt on migration ; appears to occur in winter 

 in north-west Africa, but winter-quarters not known for certain. 



Genus HYPOLAIS Kaup.* 



Hypolais Kaup.f Skizz. Entw. & Nat. Syst. Eur. Thierw., p. 96 (1829— 

 Monotype according to p. 191 : " S. hypolais " ; the diagnosis of the genus 

 shows that the author by " S. hypolais " meant Hypolais icterina, not the 

 bird probably named S. hippolais by Linnneus). 



Structurally very close to Acrocephalus, but tail almost or 

 quite square. Bill flattened and wide. Sexes alike, young like 

 old. Nests open. Eggs pink or rosy lilac, spotted. Seven species 

 in Palsearctic region, three have occurred in Great Britain. Migra- 

 tory. Double moult. 



Key to species of genus Hypolais. 



f Upperside greenish, underside yellow : . . 2 



I. Upperside brownish, underside whitish . . . H. pallida, p. 356 



1st primary stiffer, generally shorter than primary 



f isb primary suner, generany stiurter vnaii priiuary- 



co verts, 2nd longer than 5th H. icterina, p. 352 



I 1st primary softer, longer than primary-coverts, 2nd 



I shorter than 5th H. polyglotta, p. 354 



* Phyllopseusta Billberg, Syn. Favm. Scand., p. 53 (1828 — Monotype 

 " P. hippolais L.") should be the correct name, according to Mathews, Avstr. 

 Avian Rec, ii, p. 46. Billberg's name, however, cannot be accepted, as no 

 diagnosis is given and Lirme's Motacilla hippolais is not the Icterine Warbler ! 



f In the B.O.U. List of B.B., 1915, p. 78, the name Hypolais is attributed 

 to Brehm ; Brehm, 1828, however, wrote Hippolais, and liis name is a 

 " nomen nudum " ; c/. Opinion 48, Intern. Comm. Nomencl. 



