AMPELIS. SYLVIA. 65 



most frequently observed in the eastern counties, more rarely 

 in those of the west and in Ireland. 



General Distribution. The Waxwing breeds in the extreme 

 north of the Palsearctic and Nearctic regions south to about 

 65 N. latitude in Europe and 68 N. in America. It moves 

 southwards in winter, regularly to East Prussia and occasion- 

 ally to Italy, in America to northern California and sometimes 

 Arizona. In eastern Siberia an allied species, A. japonicus, 

 is found, which winters in north China and Japan. 



Family SYLVIID^. 

 Genns SYLVIA Scopoli, Ann. j. Hist. Nat. 1769, p. 154. 



Type : S. curruca (Linn.). 

 Sylvia = the woodland bird, from sylva = a wood. 



Sylvia communis. WHITETHKOAT. 

 Sylvia communis Latham, Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. 1787, 



p. 287 : England. 



Sylvia cinerea Bechst. ; Seebohm, Cat. Birds B. M. v. 1881, p. 8 ; 

 B. O. U. List, 1st ed. 1883, p. 11 ; Saunders, Manual, 2nd ed. 

 1899, p. 41. 

 Cvmmwnis = common. 



Distribution in the British Islands. A Summer Visitor, com- 

 mon, and generally distributed in England, Wales, Ireland, 

 and the lowlands of Scotland. Local or rare in the High- 

 lands and western Islands of Scotland ; absent from the 

 extreme north and the Orkney and Shetland Islands. A 

 Bird of Passage to and from its continental summer quarters 

 and its African winter retreats, occurring from the Shetlands 

 southwards. 



General Distribution. The Whitethroat breeds throughout 

 Europe from 65 N. latitude in Scandinavia ; also in northern 

 Algeria and northern Tunisia. It winters in Africa south to 

 Damaraland, and in the Canary Islands. In the Caucasus, 

 Syria, Persia, and western Siberia the race S. c. icterops has 

 been recognised, ranging to south Arabia and western India 

 in winter. 



