THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. THE BLACKCAP. 69 



Family TURDID/E. Subfamily S YL VIINrfi.. 



THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. 



Sylvia orphca, TEMM. 



THE existence of this species in Great Britain rests upon the authority 

 of a female said by a bird-stuffer, Graham, of York, to have been shot 

 near Wetherby, and upon a young bird caught in Middlesex, kept in captivity 

 for nearly six months and then identified by the late Mr. E. Blyth. Nests 

 and eggs supposed to belong to this species have also been taken. 



In spite of these facts, it seems to me that there is, at present, not 

 sufficient evidence to justify the admission of the Orphean Warbler into the 

 British list. As Mr. Seebohm remarks : " Under the most favourable circum- 

 stances, even supposing no error to have crept into the history or identification 

 of any of these occurrences, the Orphean Warbler can only be looked upon 

 as a very rare and accidental straggler to our islands. 



Family TURDIDsE. Subfamily S YL VII N/E. 



THE BLACKCAP. 



Sylvia atricapilla, L/INN. 



THIS delightful songster is generally distributed throughout Europe, 



breeding in every country from Scandinavia below 66 N. lat., and 



extending its range southwards to North Africa, south-eastwards to Asia Minor 



and Palestine, and also through the Caucasus to Western Persia. In the 



VOL. i. N 



