364 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



SYLVIA BORIN* 



153- Sylvia borin (Bodd.) THE GARDEN- WARBLER. 



MOTACILLA BORIN Boddaert, Tabl. PI. Enl., p. 35 (1783 ex Daubenton, 

 PI. Enl. 579, 2 France). 



Sylvia salicaria (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 414 ; Sylvia hortensis nee 

 Bechstein, Saunders, p. 49. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 12). Adult male and female. Winter. Whole 

 upper-parts uniform brown tinged olive ; upper tail-coverts with 

 inconspicuous pale tips ; lores and inconspicuous line over eye dull 

 greyish-white ; ear-coverts pale brown ; chin and throat buffish- 

 white ; upper-breast and flanks darker brownish-buff ; rest of 

 breast and belly white ; under tail -coverts pale brown with long 

 white tips ; axillaries bright buff to pale buff ; under wing-coverts 

 same with brown bases ; tail-feathers olivaceous -brown with very 

 narrow edgings of buffish-\*hite on inner webs and greyish on outer 

 webs ; wing-feathers dark brown, tips and inner webs fringed whitish, 

 outer webs fringed olivaceous-brown, innermost secondaries mostly 

 olivaceous-brown with paler edgings ; primary -coverts dark brown 

 fringed paler brown ; greater and median coverts olivaceous-brown 

 with slightly paler brown tips and fringes ; lesser coverts olivaceous- 

 brown. This plumage is acquired by complete moult Jaly-Sept. 

 Summer. A complete moult (including wings and tail) takes place 

 Dec. -March and occasionally April. New plumage as winter, but 

 upper -parts more earth-brown, not so olivaceous. In worn plumage, 

 both in winter and summer, the upper-parts are greyer-brown, chin 

 and throat whiter, breast paler. 



Nestling. Down absent. Mouth inside bright reddish -pink, 

 a light purple, oval spot on each side of base of tongue ; externally 

 flanges yellow. 



Juvenile. As adults, but upper-parts more yellowish-brown, 

 often with a rusty tinge ; buff of breast and flanks darker than in 

 adult and tinged olivaceous ; edgings of wing-feathers and wing- 

 coverts more rusty-brown than in adult. 



First wint&r. As adults, and usually not possible to distinguish, 

 but edgings of outer greater wing-coverts, primary-coverts and 

 primaries, when not worn, are rather more rusty-brown. The 

 juvenile body-plumage, lesser and median wing-coverts, inner 

 greater coverts and innermost secondaries are moulted July-Sept., 

 but not primary -co verts, tail-feathers nor rest of wing -feathers. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 73-82 mm., tail 51-57, 

 tarsus 20-22, bill from skull 11.5-14 (12 measured). $ wing 72-80. 

 Primaries : 1st half to two-thirds as long as primary-coverts, 3rd 

 longest, 2nd occasionally as long but usually 1-2 mm. shorter, 4th 



* Sylvia hortensis of many authors, but S. hortensis is clearly the Orphean 

 Warbler ; this name not being available for the Garden-Warbler, the name 

 borin must be adopted. E.H. 



