398 SYLVILDJE. 



p. 332 5 Butler, S. F. iii, p. 487 ; Hume, S. F. vii, pp. 59, 60 ; id. 



Cat. no. 582 ; Legge, Birds Cei/l. p. 538; Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, 



p. 19 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 232 ; Gates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd 



ed. i. p. 257. 

 Sylvia ctirruca (Gm.}, apud Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 344; Jerd. B. I. 



"ii, p. 209. 

 Sterparola curruca (Lath.}, Hume, N. fy E. p. 373. 



The Lesser White-throat, Jerd.; Chinna nalla Kumpajitta, Tel. 



Coloration. Upper plumage earth-brown ; forehead, crown, and 

 nape brownish grey ; otherwise as in S. althcea. 



Iris yellowish brown; legs and feet plumbeous; bill dusky, 

 slaty-horn at base of lower mandible (Butler}. 



Length about 6 ; tail 2-2 wing 2-45 to 2-65 ; tarsus '75 ; bill 

 from gape '55. First primary about *55 ; the second primary is 

 about equal to the sixth. 



The European ally of this species differs persistently in having 

 the second primary much shorter than the sixth. It has not been 

 found in India. 



Distribution. A winter visitor to nearly the whole of the plains 

 of India. Judging from the specimens I have examined its range 

 extends to the east as far as Mudhupur on the E.I. Railway, and 

 to the south as far as Coimbatore. 1 have not seen Ceylon speci- 

 mens, but it is said to occur in that island. Some birds spend the 

 summer and breed in Kashmir, but the majority apparently pass 

 on to Siberia. 



Habits, $c. Brooks found this bird breeding in Kashmir at from 

 5500 to 6500 feet, amongst small bushes in May by the side of 

 rivers. The nest was cup-shaped and made of grasses, roots, 

 and fine fibres, and lined with horsehair. The eggs, four or five in 

 number, are white with a greenish tinge, marked with yellowish 

 brown, and measure '66 by '5. 



403. Sylvia minuscula. Th* Small White-throated Warbler. 



Sylvia minula, Hume, S. F. i, p. 198 (1873), vii, p. 58. 

 Sylvia imnuscula, Hume, Cat. no. 582 bis ; id. S. F. viii, pp. 388, 498 ; 

 Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 20, pi. i ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 232. 



Coloration. Resembles S. althcea and S. affinis, but the upper 

 plumage is sandy brown, contrasting with the pale bluish grey of 

 the forehead, crown, and nape. 



Legs and feet horny greenish grey ; bill horny, paler at the 

 base of the lower mandible; iris very pale yellow (Hume). 



Length about 5-3 ; tail 2-1 ; wing 2'3 to 2-45 ; tarsus '75 ; bill 

 from gape -5. The first primary is '5 long ; the second primary 

 is equal to the seventh, or between the seventh and eighth. 



Distribution. Throughout Sind, Bahawalpur, and Rajputana as 

 far east as Jodhpore as a winter visitor. This species is not un- 

 likely to be a resident throughout the year in some parts of its 

 winter range, but it is not yet known to be so. It is said to 

 summer in Afghanistan. 



