HVPOLAIS. 



303. Hypolais pallida, Hemp, et Ehr, Symb. Phys. Aves. to!. 

 b. b. Hypolais pallida (Ehr.} Duboix, Ois. Eur. pi. 71. ; Dresser, B. Eur. pt. 

 xxxi. ; Blf. East. Pers. ii. p. 187; Hume, Sir. F. vol. vii. pp. 398, 504; 

 Murray, Zool, fyc., Sind, p. 160 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. vol. v. p. 82 ,' 

 Murray, Vert. Zool., Sind, p. 156. Hypolais elaeica, (Lindern) Gerbe, Ker. 

 Zool., 1844, p. 440; Htugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. i. p. 297; Blanf. Geol. and 

 Zool., Abyssinia, p. 380; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 33; Shelly, B. Egypt, 

 p. 100. The OLIVACEOUS TREE-\VARBLER. 



Adult Male. Upper parts pale dull olive brown, clearer on the back in 

 colour, and rather lighter on the rump ; from the base of the bill over the eye a 

 rather indistinct yellowish stripe ; wings dark brown ; the inner secondaries 

 lighter in colour, all the feathers having lighter margins ; tail dark brown, very 

 narrowly edged with lighter brown; under parts buffy white; the throat and 

 centre of the abdomen almost pure white ; flanks washed with pale brownish ; 

 bill horn brown, dull yellowish at the base of the lower mandible ; legs pale 

 horn brown ; iris dark brown. 



Length. About 5 inches; culmen 0*62; wing 2-63; the first primary 

 extending 0*27 beyond the wing coverts and IM$ shorter than the 2nd ; 2nd 

 0-2 shorter than the 3rd ; 3rd and 4th equal ; tail 2'2 ; tarsus 0*83. (Dresser, 

 Birds Europe) ex. S. F. vol. vii. p. 398. 



Hab. Europe, Africa, Greece, Constantinople) Palestine, Egypt, Sind, 

 Beloochistan, Persia, S. Afghanistan, Turkestan. This species and the next 

 two (caligata and rama) are winter visitants in Sind and affect the same 

 situations. All appear to be varieties of Hypolais langutda, a species found 

 in S. E. Persia, at Quetta in Beloochistan (Chaman), S. Afghanistan, and 

 probably also in Sind. Mr. Seebohm, grouping H. opaca, pallida, rama, 

 caligata and obsoleta, says that an unbroken series may be found from the 

 largest opaca from Spain, through the smaller H. pallida from Greece and 

 Asia Minor, and the still smaller "EL. pallida and H. rama from Persia down 

 to the small skins of H. rama from India, and the still smaller H. caligata 

 from Turkestan and India. Skins from Sind of these three last do not appear 

 to have been in the British Museum collection. In reference to H. pallida, 

 comparing Indian skins, Mr. Hume observes (Str. F. vol. vii. pp. 396, 398) 

 that it is very close to rama, but is somewhat larger, with a longer and decidedly 

 larger bill ; and that the two forms, rama and pallida, quite run into each 

 other, many of the Sind and Beloochistan specimens being quite intermediate. 

 There does not appear to be any very appreciable difference in colour in the 

 series I possess of these species from Sind, Beloochistan, Afghanistan and the 

 Deccan, except the seasonal abrasion of feathers ; this is also remarked by 

 Mr. Seebohm. H. languida, he says, has apparently only just succeeded in 

 isolating itself, and adds that he is not sure whether in a large series of the 

 species intermediate forms might not occur between it and E. pallida. 1 

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