tin' Birds of Cyprus. 319 



58. RiJppELL^s Warbler. Sylvia rueppeU'i. 

 Guillcmard obtained specimens of this bird near Piskopi 



in March 1887. I did not meet with it. *. G. 



59. Palestine Warbler. Sylvia melanothorax. 



On first obtaining specimens of this little Warbhr on the 

 east coast of Cyprus, I was under the impression that I had 

 at last found an undescribed bird of incontestable specific 

 rank ; but on the very day of my return to London from 

 Cyprus the first number of Dresser's ' B!r.ls of Europe ' (then 

 in course of publication) that I happened to take up de- 

 stroyed my fond illusion^ and showed me that Canon Tris- 

 tram had anticipated me. I will only say that there is perhaps 

 no brother of ' Tlie Ibis ' to whom I should be more willing 

 to concede the honour due to a discovery in European 

 ornithology than to this most energetic, original Member of 

 theB.O. U. 



I first met with this Warbler near Rhizokarpaso, in the 

 so-called " horn " of Cyprus, on April 27, 1875 ; it was by no 

 means rare there^ and we afterwards found it to be more 

 or less common in all parts of Cyprus tliat are covered 

 Avith the scrubby vegetation that obtains in almost all the 

 uncultivated districts near the sea. Pear^e sent home 

 many specimens, and Guillemard collected a good series in 

 various parts of the island ; one of his specimens is labelled 

 Jei'ona, 1700 ft., so that this bird is by no means confined 

 to the low-lying country in which I first met with it. In 

 general habits it seemed to me that this Warbler united the 

 characteristics of Sylvia melanocephala with some of those 

 of Melizophilus undatus, now and then showing itself at the 

 top of a bush, with a short clicking note, but generally 

 hopping about in pursuit of insects in the dense lentiscus 

 covert, and flitting with a jerky flight from bush to bush. 

 In spite of long and patient watching I failed to discover a 

 nest of this bird, and Guillemard was equally unsuccessful, 

 the only eggs brought home by him from Cyprus that could 

 j)ossibly belong to this species are not identified, and, curi- 

 ously enough, the nest that contains them is built in a spray 

 of tamarisk wliich also contains a nest of Hypolais elaicu or 



