THE BARRED WARBLER. 77 



As an aviary bird, the Garden Warbler is well worth keeping ; it is active 

 and at the same time capable of being tamed, although somewhat more shy than 

 the Blackcap ; its song, though inferior to that of the latter species, is infinitely 

 superior to that of any of the British Finches, yet that is not saying much for 

 it, inasmuch as even the Robin's plaintive little melody is purer in tone and more 

 grateful to the ear than that of any of our Finches. 



Family TURDIDsE. Subfamily SYL VIINsE. 



THE BARRED WARBLER. 



Sylvia nisoria, BECHST. 



RESPECTING the distribution of this rare species Seebohm writes:" Besides 

 South Sweden, it breeds in Germany east of the Rhine, Transylvania, South 

 Russia, Persia, and Turkestan, as far east as Kashgar. It passes through South- 

 eastern France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Asia Minor, and North-east Africa, as it is 

 said to pass through Nubia in spring and autumn, but has not been recorded 

 from the Transvaal. Its alleged occurrence in China is probably an instance of 

 mistaken identification." 



The same author, writing in 1883, observes that "The only claim of the Barred 

 Warbler to be considered a British bird rests upon a single example, shot more 

 than forty years ago near Cambridge but apparently not brought under the 

 notice of Ornithologists until March, 1879, when Prof. Newton exhibited it at a 

 meeting of the Zoological Society of London, a record of which may be found in 

 the Proceedings for that year, page 219." 



The record referred to by Mr. Seebohm runs as follows : " This specimen 

 was formerly the property of Mr. Germany, for many years the highly-respected 

 porter of Queen's College, who in the course of a long life formed a considerable 

 collection of birds, nearly all obtained by himself in and near Cambridge, and also 

 stuffed by himself. At his death, more than twenty years ago, it passed, with 



