WARBLER. INSESSORES. MELIZOPHILUS. 219 



associated. In its affinities, it approaches very near to the 

 Malurl of VIEILLOT, possessing the same short body and 

 puffy head, and in a great degree the soft and lengthened 

 tail ; which latter is one of the distinguishing characters of 

 these beautiful birds. The habits and manners of our spe- 

 cies, from the detailed and interesting description of MON- 

 TAGU, appear, in many respects, to approach those of the 

 Titmice, as well as of the smaller species of Curruca belong- 

 ing to the preceding Subfamily Pkilorndina. 



DARTFORD WARBLER. 



MELIZOPHILUS PROVINCIALIS, Leach. 

 PLATE XLVI. FIG. C. 



Sylvia provincialis, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 1. p. 210. 



Sylvia Dartfbrdiensis, Lath. Ind. Ornith. v. 2. p. 517. 31 Mont. Trans. 



Linn. Soc. vol. 7. p. 280, and vol. 9. p. 191. 



Motacilla provincialis, Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 958. 67- 



Le Pitte-Chou de Provence, Buff. Ois. v. 5. p. 158 Id. PL Enl. 655. f. 1. 



Becfin Pitte-Chou, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 211. 



Dartford Warbler, Br. Zool. 1. No. 161. t. 56 Lath. Syn. 4. p. 437. 27 



Id. Supp. p. 181. Mont. Ornith. Diet. Id. Supp Lewin's Br. Birds, 



3. t. 106 Wale. Syn. 2. t. 237 Bewick's Bi. Birds, 1. t. 210. 



THIS species is indigenous, but confined to some particular 

 districts in the southern parts of England. It was first no- 

 ticed by Dr LATHAM, in the year 1773, who procured a pair 

 of these birds from Bexley Heath, near Dartford, in Kent ; 

 from which latter place it has taken its trivial English name. 

 The discovery was communicated to PENNANT, who accord- 

 ingly published an account of the species in his British Zoo- 

 logy. Since that period it has been found in several places ; 

 amongst others, in parts of Devonshire and Cornwall, by that 

 indefatigable naturalist the late GEOKGE MONTAGU, Esq. ; 

 and in which counties he has ascertained that it breeds, and 

 remains through the whole year. 



Its body is very small, not much exceeding that of the 

 Common Wren, but its great length of tail gives an appear- 



