GARDEN- WARBLER. 417 



Greece it is said to be resident. It is a bird of passage 

 through Egypt, but is not very common, and it was obtained 

 in Caffraria by Wahlberg, in Damaraland by Andersson, 

 at Aguapim by Kiis, and at Abouri by Messrs. Shelly and 

 Buckley. It also frequents the Algerian oases in winter. 

 In parts of Spain and Italy it is at some seasons very 

 abundant, and is the true Beccafico so much prized in the 

 country last named. 



The adult male has the bill, which is comparatively stout 

 and short in this species, dark brown : irides hazel : the 

 eyelids white ; the head, neck, back, wings and tail of a 

 uniform hair-brown ; the whole of the body beneath from 

 the chin to the lower tail-coverts, dull brownish-white, 

 darkest on the throat and chest, and lightest, almost white, 

 on the belly ; the lower wing- coverts of a delicate buff : the 

 legs, toes and claws, purple-brown. 



The whole length rather less than six inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the tip of the longest primary, three inches : 

 the second a little longer than the fourth, and a good deal 

 longer than all those that succeed. 



The female is very like the male, but has the lower wing- 

 coverts of a lighter buff. 



According to Selby, the young of the year have the region 

 of the eyes greyish-white ; head, upper part of the neck, 

 back, rump and wing-coverts, yellowish-brown passing into 

 oil-green ; quills greenish-grey, edged with oil-green ; cheeks 

 and sides of the neck yellowish-grey ; throat, breast, sides 

 and under tail-coverts, wine-yellow ; middle of the belly, 

 white : legs, toes and claws, pearl-grey. 



By Dr. Kaup this species has been separated from the 

 other Warblers, its near allies, under the generic name, 

 Epilais ; but the characters assigned by him are quite 

 insufficient to justify such a step. In the formation of its 

 bill, however, a feature not mentioned by him, the Garden- 

 Warbler does undoubtedly differ from either of the White- 

 throats or from the two species next to be described, and 

 in this respect indeed it would seem to stand almost alone 

 among European Sylviulce. 



VOL. i. 3 H 



