8 Col. R. Meinertzhagen on Birds from [Ibis, 



the second primary, which is more or less level with the tip 

 of the secondaries, whereas in palustris the notch on the 

 second primary is usually well in front of the secondaries. 

 Some specimens are almost impossible to determine. 



Wing slightly larger, of 31 males (J6-71, and of 19 females 

 64-68 mm. 



Breeds at the mouth of the Volga, in Transcaspia, 

 Turkestan, Persia and Persian Baluchistan, and perhaps in 

 Egypt. Plentiful on passage in Palestine from August 

 to October and again in March, in Egypt in October and 

 A])ril, in Sinai in August and September, and in southern 

 Arabia in April. 



Winters in Kenya Colony (Sept. to April) and in Tan- 

 ganyika Territory (March and April). 



Sylvia nisoria nisoria (Bechst.). 



A not uncommon visitor to Kenya Colony from early 

 November to January, being obtained on Lake Rudolf, 

 at Tsavo and Simba. All are of the typical race. It is 

 curious that this bird, so common at Port Sudan on the 

 western Red Sea Littoral on passage, should so far not have 

 been obtained in Egypt. 



Sylvia atricapilla atricapilla (L.). 



In some winters the Blackcap is very common in Kenya 

 (;olony, in others it is scarce. Autumn arrivals first appear 

 about the middle of November, at Nairobi an^l Nakuru in 

 Kenya Colony. The latest spring record is on 16.iii. on 

 Mount Elgoii. Wings of 19 eastern African birds vary 

 from 71 to 78 mm. 



In Palestine I observed spring passage only on 28. iv., 

 when a flock of about 18 females were seen in a very tired 

 condition near Jerusalem. 



Sylvia borin (Bodd.). 



Ten birds obtained in eastern Africa from 4. x. to 1. iii. 

 have wings varying from 74 to 80 mm. and culmens from 

 13'5 to 15 mm. Ten passage migrants from Egypt have 

 wings varying from 76-80 mm. and culmens from 16-17 mm. 



