198 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



variety in the eggs of the Blackcap, is seldom found, and there 

 is only a single specimen of a red egg in the British Museum, 

 which was taken by Mr. Gould at Taplow, and is, therefore, 

 doubtless authentic. The ground-colour is white, or stone- 

 colour, with plentiful spots and blotches of greenish-brown, 

 the underlying grey blotches being generally subdued, but in 

 some cases prominent and clouding the larger end, though in 

 some rare instances the markings are very few and scattered. 

 Axis, c'7-0'85 inch; diam, o'55-o*6. 



THE FURZE-WARBLERS. GENUS MELIZOPIIILUS. 

 Melizophilus, Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. and Birds, Brit. Mus., 

 p. 25 (1816). 



Of the genus Melizophilus, two species are known, the 

 English M. undatus, and the Sardinian Warbler, M. sardus. 

 Both of these birds resemble Whitethroats in form, especially 

 the species of Sylvia of Southern Europe, such as S. subalpina, 

 and they lay eggs of a Whitethroat type, but they may con- 

 veniently be separated from the genus Sylvia on account of 

 their longer tail, which exceeds the wing in length. 



THE DARTFORD WARBLER. MELIZOPHILUS UNDATUS. 



Motacilla undata, Bodd, Tabl., pi. Enl., p. 40 (1783). 

 Melizophilus provincialis, Macg., Br. B. ii., p. 383 (1839); 



Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B., pt. iv. (1887). 

 Melizophilus nndatus, Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 398 (1873); 



Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 441, pi. 69 (1873); B. O. U. List 



Br. B., p. 14 (i8 3 ). 

 Sylvia provincialis, Seeb., Cat. B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 31 (1881); 



id. Br. B., i., p. 414 (1883). 

 Sylvia undata, Saunders, Man., p. 53 (1889). 



Adult Male. General colour above dark slaty-grey washed 

 with brown ; the crown, sides of the face and sides of neck 

 slaty-grey like the back, this colour also extending on to the 

 sides of the upper breast; wing-coverts like the back; the 

 quills sepia-brown, edged with lighter brown, rufescent on the 

 margins of the secondaries ; tail-feathers blackish, edged with 

 slaty-grey, the outer feather white on the outer web, and edged 

 with white round the tip of the inner web ; under surface of 



