380 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



FOOD. Chiefly larvae of insects, especially smaller lepidoptera 

 and orthoptera. Also spiders and aphides. Fruit and berries 

 eaten in latter part of year. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. One, male, near Hastings (Sussex), June 

 3, 1907 (lit supra). A bird seen at Exmouth (Devon) April 16, 1890, 

 may possibly have been of this species (cf. Saunders, p. 46). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Breeds in south Europe, Asia Minor, 

 and north-west Africa, and winters partly in same countries, partly 

 in Sahara, Palestine, and Nubia. Replaced by allied races in 

 western Canaries, Fayum (Egypt) and Syria, the latter race also 

 wintering in Nubia. 



SYLVIA CANTILLANS* 



159. Sylvia cantillans cantillans (Pall.) THE SUBALPINE 

 WARBLER. 



MOTACILLA CANTILLANS Pallas, in Vroeg's Cat. Verzam. Vogelen, etc., 

 Adumbratiuncula, p. 4 (1764 Italy). 

 Sylvia subalpina Bonelli, Saunders, p. 53. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 13). Adult male. Winter. Whole upper- 

 parts ash-grey, tinged brown, especially on mantle and back ; lores 

 and ear-coverts as crown but slightly darker ; from base of lower 

 mandible a narrow white stripe forming moustachial streak ; centre 

 of lower-breast and belly white ; rest of under-parts varying from 

 pale pink to pinkish-chestnut, with narrow white tips to many 

 feathers ; under tail-coverts pinkish-brown with long white tips ; 

 tail-feathers dark greyish -brown, fringed ash-grey, outer pair with 

 outer web and distal quarter to half of inner web white, next three 

 pairs with varying amount of white at tip ; wing-feathers dark 

 greyish-brown, inner webs narrowly fringed whitish, outer webs of 

 primaries narrowly fringed brownish -white and of secondaries 

 fringed pale brown ; primary-coverts as primaries ; median and 

 lesser coverts ash-grey with dark brown bases. This plumage is 

 acquired by complete moult July-Sept. Summer. No moult and 

 little alteration by abrasion. 



Adult female. Winter. Upper -parts pale grey-brown, some- 

 times some ash-grey on crown and rump ; feathers of lores with 

 whitish tips ; ear -co verts pale greyish -brown ; moustachial stripes 

 white but not very distinct ; chin, throat, breast and flanks pinkish- 

 buff, with some 'pink on chin, throat and breast ; white of breast 

 and belly rather more extensive than in male ; tail-feathers browner 



* With the unfortunately unavoidable acceptance of the names in 

 Vroeg's Catalogue, rediscovered some years ago by Mr. Sherborn, it becomes 

 necessary to adopt the name cantillans, which has 56 years' priority over 

 subalpina ! E.H. 



