RUFOUS SEDGE WARBLER. 315 



tions for many interesting reports on the Birds of that 

 county, and who supplied the following notice of the cap- 

 ture of this species, new to Britain, to the pages of the 

 Zoologist in the autumn of 1854, page 4511 : 



" As G. Swaysland, a bird-preserver of Cranbourne 

 Street, West Street, Brighton, was driving on the South 

 Downs, about six miles from Brighton, near a part of the 

 Downs known as Plumpton Bosthill, he noticed a bird 

 which he at first took for a cream-coloured variety of the 

 Nightingale. Having no gun with him, he proceeded 

 about four miles to obtain one, and returning to the spot, 

 found the bird about twenty yards from where he first 

 observed it. It was very wary, flying always to the further 

 side of some furze-bushes, and settling on the side furthest 

 from him, mounting into the air some fifteen yards. 

 Swaysland describes its flight as resembling that of the 

 young of the Red-backed Shrike. He at last got a shot 

 at about forty yards, and killed it: this was on the 16th 

 of September last. The bird, on dissection, proved to be 

 a male, and would shortly have moulted, one or two young 

 feathers of the primaries having made their appearance 

 on each wing ; these are darker than the old ones. The 

 feathers also, on the back and tail, especially the central 

 ones of the latter, are much worn. I borrowed the bird 

 and sent it to Mr. Yarrell, who returned it with various 

 references, stating also that he was not aware of its having 

 previously occurred in Britain." 



Although the beauty of this species might have been 

 expected to attract and invite attention, its habits appear 

 to be but little known. According to M. Temminck, it 

 was first obtained at Gibraltar by M. Natterer, a distin- 

 guished traveller and naturalist, attached to the Imperial 

 Museum of Vienna, who succeeded in securing other ex- 

 amples at Algesiras. This species is not included by M. 



