THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. 361 



roots. Eggs. Normally 5, occasionally 6 or only 4, and very 

 characteristic, being as a rule faintly speckled or clouded with pale 

 leaden-brownish or greyish shell -mar kings on a milky or greyish- 

 white ground. Hartert records one clutch with bold red-brown 

 spots and blotches. Average of 100 eggs, 21 X 14 mm. Breeding- 

 season. Usually latter half May and early June. Incubation. 

 14 days : male relieving hen in mid-day (Bau). Single brooded. 



FOOD. Chiefly insects : coleoptera (Carabus, Lema, Phyllopertha, 

 Elater, etc.), diptera, orthoptera, and larvse of lepidoptera. Also 

 occasionally worms and berries (currant, cherry, elder, bird-cherry, 



etc.). 



DISTRIBUTION British Isles. Probably annual autumn passage- 

 migrant in small numbers east coast, northern isles and Channel, 

 without doubt frequently overlooked but varying in numbers from 

 year to year. Over forty England, about sixty Scotland, one 

 Wales, and three Ireland. Most in northern isles and on east coast 

 and in September, but also in August, October, and November, 

 once in April and once in June. Sometimes in some numbers as in 

 autumns 1912 and 1913. England. Kent two ; Suffolk one ; 

 Norfolk fifteen ; Lines, seven ; Yorks. six ; Northumberland 

 nine; Cambs. one ; Oxon. one ; Lanes, one. Wales. Skerries 

 (Anglesey) one. Scotland. Broadford (Skye) one ; Dhuheartach 

 Light (Argyll) one ; St. Kilda one seen, Flannanstwo, Lewis one, 

 Barra, one (Outer Hebrides) ; Tiree one (Inner Hebrides) ; Fair 

 Isle about forty, Lerwick five (Shetlands) ; Auskerry two, Pent- 

 land Skerries one (Orkneys) ; Isle of May (Forth) six. Ireland. 

 Belmullet (Mayo) one ; Rockabill Light (Dublin) two. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Europe from south Sweden, Denmark, 

 and Gulf of Finland, throughout Russia, locally in Germany (with 

 exception of west, where rare visitor only, as it is in France), Austria 

 and Hungary, to Rumania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Dalmatia, and 

 north Italy. Winters in north-east Africa. Replaced by very 

 closely- allied form in west Siberia and Turkestan. 



SYLVIA HORTENSIS* 



152. Sylvia hortensis hortensis (Gm.) THE ORPHEAN 

 WARBLER. 



MOTACILLA HOBTENSIS Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, ii, p. 955 (1789 France and 



Italy). 



Sylvia orphea Temminck, Yarrell, i, p. 423 ; Saunders, p. 45. 



* As explained by Hartert and others, Gmelin undoubtedly described 

 the Orphean Warbler as S. hortensis, as a glance at his description shows. It 

 is the oldest name, and must therefore be adopted. 



