Birds of Gran Canaria. COl 



Sylvia melanocephalaleucogastra. Sardinian Warbler. 



Sylvia melanocephala leucogastra Letlru, Voy. Tenerife 

 u.s.w. p. 182 (1810) ; Thanner, Orn. Jahrb. xxi. p. 92 

 (1910) ; Hartert, Vog. Pal. Faun. i. p. 594 (1910). 



n,b SS- " Charco/' Maspalomas. 24th Feb. '12. 



c. ? . "Charco/' Maspalomas. 28tb Feb. '12. 



Iris light brown, eyelids brilliant red ; bill black ; feet 

 yellowish flesh-coloured. 



The male of this subspecies is similar to S. melanocephala, 

 but somewhat smaller; the inner webs of the outer tail- 

 feathers are not pure white, but flecked with grey. 



The female is distinguished by having the entire upper 

 side greyer, especially on the crown, and in having a similar 

 tail to tl)e male. 



I have examined a series of this Warbler from the Canary 

 Islands, and the difl'erences noted above are, as I am aware, 

 very small indeed. However, one would naturally suppose 

 an insular form of this little bird in the Canary Islands to 

 vary from the true Sardinian Warbler, and although these 

 differences are very slight, especially in the case of the male, 

 yet they are constant in the series at my disposal, and on 

 these grounds I propose to uphold this new subspecies. 



I did not m.eet with the Black-headed Warbler until my 

 last expedition in the island, which took me to the extreme 

 southerly point of Gran Canaria. Here, in the " Charco,'' 

 I found several pairs of this little bird, apparently isolated 

 in the small oasis. They were extremely difficult to shoot 

 as they hopped about in the tamarisk bushes or darted in 

 and out amongst the high clumps of long grass. Eventually 

 I managed to secure three specimens. I should say there 

 must have been about ten birds inhabiting this spot. 



Although I made a long excursion inland, I did not again 

 meet with this Warbler. Herr von Thanner remarks that 

 " they are found everywhere on the south coast," yet I 

 should say that if this is the case they are decidedly scarce. 

 I saw none in the Barranco de Mogan. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant 

 saw two examples o\ the Sardinian Warbler in Madeira, 

 where its curious fliffht attracted his attention. 



