THE BARRED WARBLER. 359 



SYLVIA NISORIA 



151. Sylvia nisoria nisoria (Bechst.) THE BARRED 

 WARBLER. 



MOTACILLA NISOEIA Bechstein, Gem. Naturg. Deutechl., rv, p. 580 (1795 



Middle and N. Germany). 



Sylvia nisoria (Bechstein), Yarrell, in, p. ix ; Saunders, p. 51. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 12). Adult male. Winter. Whole upper- 

 parts greyish-brown, feathers of fore-head and crown with not very 

 conspicuous pale buff or greyish-white tips ; feathers of mantle 

 and scapulars rather browner and with only faint indications of 

 huffish tips ; rump paler and feathers with more distinct greyish- 

 white tips with faint dark penultimate line ; upper tail-coverts 

 same but greyer not so brown and tips rather whiter ; lores greyish- 

 white ; ear-coverts pale brown ; chin, throat, breast and belly white ; 

 feathers of sides of throat, breast and sides and upper flanks with 

 dark grey crescentic bars ; lower flanks and under tail-coverts 

 darker, feathers being huffish-brown with whitish tips and dark 

 brown penultimate bars ; axillaries huffish-white with brown bars ; 

 tail brown-grey with narrow white tips and narrow white margin 

 to inner webs, outer pair with outer edge of outer web and most 

 of inner web towards the tip white, next two pairs without white 

 on outer web, but with more white on tip than the rest ; primaries 

 and secondaries dark grey-brown with very narrow greyish -white 

 edges to outer webs, wider and whiter edges to inner webs and tips 

 white, innermost secondaries with huffish-white or pale buff tips and 

 fringes ; primary-coverts as primaries ; greater coverts as inner- 

 most secondaries ; median coverts same but with rather whiter tips 

 with inconspicuous dark penultimate bars ; lesser coverts greyer 

 and with much smaller whitish tips. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult July-Aug. Summer. A moult which varies much 

 individually in extent takes place in April and probably often 

 earlier. The body -feathers are mostly renewed and a varying 

 number of tail-feathers, inner secondaries and lesser, median and 

 greater wing-coverts but not primary -co verts or primaries. New 

 feathers of upper-parts and wing-coverts greyer than winter and 

 with white or whitish tips with blackish penultimate bars ; except 

 for centre of breast and belly whole under-parts become barred with 

 crescentic bands of dark grey-brown ; new tail-feathers are greyer 

 and have more white at tips, while two outer pairs usually have 

 considerably more white on inner webs than in winter, but amount 

 of white varies considerably individually, as does the barring on 

 upper- and under-parts and the shade of grey of upper-parts. 



Adult female. Winter. Like adult male winter, but upper- 

 parts browner, pale tips of feathers less whitish and less noticeable ; 

 under-parts with barring only on sides of breast and flanks, and 

 these are paler and less strongly barred ; axillaries without bars ; 



