Mr. Gould on a new British Warbler. 103 



their systematic catalogues more than one hundred birds unknown to 

 our own shores, it may appear surprising that researches in this class are 

 not more frequently rewarded with new objects, their power of flight, 

 and extent of migration being duly appreciated. Many rare birds pro- 

 bably escape unnoticed, others unknown, and some unrecorded. 



The foliage of our extensive woods and thick hedgerows affords imper- 

 vious shelter to the smaller summer visitors, and it is to one of the nu- 

 merous family of the Warblers, whose habits confine them to such 

 localities, that I now refer. 



This bird was shot at Kilburn, on the 25th of October, by my friend, 

 Mr. Frederick Bond, who has kindly allowed me to make any comment 

 I may think proper. It was at first believed to be a variety of the- Red- 

 start ; but on closer investigation a comparison was instituted by which 

 the real difference was ascertained ; the individual proving to be the 

 black Redtail of Latham's Synopsis, Vol. IV., page 486, Sp. 16; the 

 Sylvia Tiilrjs of the same author's Ind. Orn., Vol. II, page 512, Sp. 16; 

 and the Bee-fin rouge-queue of M. Teniminck's Manuel d'Ornithologie, 

 Vol. I, p. 218. It is correctly figured (under the latter name, though 

 with the wrong Latin appellation of Sylvia suecicaj in Werner's Atlas 

 des Oiseauxd' Europe, which is intended as an illustration of the Manuel 

 just quoted. 



The length of this bird is 5| inches. Its beak black ; the head, back, 

 and neck dusky slate-colour ; the chin and abdomen somewhat lighter ; 

 the upper and under tad-coverts chestnut ; the wing-primaries dusky, 

 their edges ash-colour, and shafts black ; the two middle tail-feathers 

 dusky black, and all the others chestnut. 



Adult males of this species have the general plumage of the body 

 darker, and the chestnut-coloured parts more bright. 



This bird appears to be found over an extensive portion of the north 

 of Europe, but according to M. Temmiuck is only occasionally seen in 

 Holland. It is at once distinguished from our Redstart by its dark breast 

 and under parts, the whole of which in our well-known Sylvia Phoeni- 

 curus are of a bright chestnut. 



I avail myself of this opportunity to notice tlie occurrence of a third 

 specimen of the Plectrophanes Lapponica, a species described by Mr. 

 Selby, in the 15th volume of the Transactions of the Linnean Society 



