314 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. North Norway and north Russia to east 

 Siberia, in winter in southern parts of Asia and its islands as far 

 as the Moluccas, Alor, and Sumba. Heligoland (once), Italy (once). 

 Replaced by a closely-allied form on Kurile Islands, Yesso, and 

 perhaps other Japanese islands and in Kamtschatka, also by 

 another wintering in Sunda Islands, etc., breeding home of which 

 is not yet known. 



PHYLLOSCOPUS HUMEI 



131. Phylloscopus humei praemium Math. & Ire. THE 

 YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER. 



PHYLLOSCOPUS HUMEE PREMIUM Mathews and Iredale, Austral Av. 



Rec., in, p. 44 (1915 Russia). 



Motacilla superciliosa* Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, p. 975 (1789 " Russia "). 



Phylloscopua superciliosva (J. F. Gmelin), Yarrell, i, p. 443 ; Saunders, 



p. 61. 



Phylloscous 8upercilio8U8 superciliosus (Gm.), Hand-List B.B., p. 60 (1912). 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 11). Adult male and female. Winter. 

 Fore-head, crown, and nape varying from brownish-green to brown 

 only tinged green, with an indistinct pale line down centre of 

 crown ; mantle and scapulars greener than crown ; back and rump 

 brighter yellowish -green ; upper tail - coverts brownish -green ; 

 stripe irom nostrils, over and behind eye and extending slightly 

 over back of crown pale yellow to whitish ; narrow line through 

 lores and at back of eye dark brown ; ear-coverts mottled greenish- 

 brown and pale yeUow ; under-parts white tinged greenish-yellow ; 

 flanks brownish -green tinged yellow ; axillaries white edged 

 yellow ; tail blackish -brown narrowly edged on inner webs whitish 

 and on outer green ; primaries same but with tips whitish ; second- 

 aries as primaries but with basal portions of outer webs showing 

 1 or 2 mm. beyond coverts brown and outer webs of innermost 

 feathers broadly edged yellowish -white ; primary -coverts blackish- 

 brown narrowly edged green ; greater and median coverts same, 

 but former with broad and latter with narrower pale creamy to 

 whitish tips forming conspicuous double wing-bar ; lesser coverts 

 brown tipped green. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 in July-Aug. Summer. The body -plumage and very occasionally 

 wing-coverts, remiges and rectrices, are moulted Feb.-April. 

 New plumage as winter but rather browner on upper-parts and 

 with less yellow tinge on under -parts. Abrasion gradually reduces 

 pale edgings so that in much worn summer specimens pale edges 

 of inner secondaries are wanting and pale tips of median coverts 

 almost disappear. 



* Motacilla superciliosa Gmelin, 1789, is preoccupied by the use of the- 

 same name in 1783 by Boddaert for an American Warbler. 



