LJESSEB BUFOUS WABBLE R. 77 



This bird is considered by Canon Tristram to be a distinct species, 

 and I have given above the characteristic points in which it differs 

 from the Rufous Sedge Warbler of our British lists. They are, 

 however, very closely allied, and are treated as varieties of the same 

 bird by Blasius and Cabanis. Aedon galactodes is, however, a much 

 larger bird, and bears the same relation to A. familiaris that the 

 Eastern Nightingale does to our well-known bird; and assuredly if 

 these birds, and many others, such as the large Wren of the Faroes 

 and our well-known bird, deserve specific distinction, such a rank 

 must be accorded to the subject of this notice. My own opinion is, 

 that these birds, differing as they do merely in size or some shade 

 of colouring, should be considered and strictly defined as separate 

 races, the term species being especially reserved for those birds which 

 are essentially different in structure, permanent plumage, and habits. 



The points of difference are, however, well pointed out by Schlegel 

 and Canon Tristram. The former, "Kevue des Oiseaux d' Europe," 

 p. 59, says: — "This bird, ^S'. familiaris, although nearly related to S. 

 galactodes, varies from it constantly. I have examined several 

 individuals killed in Greece and on the borders of the Kour. — It is 

 distinguished from galactodes by the following characters. The beak 

 is more strongly compressed at the anterior half; the plumage of the 

 upper part is of a brown dirty grey, only shaded with ferruginous 

 brown on the upper tail coverts. The black sjDots on the tail are 

 larger, and they form a wide black band, instead of being orbicular 

 and isolated as in S. galactodes. The first quill feather of the latter 

 passes the long wing coverts by five lines; while those of S. familiaris 

 only pass these coverts by one line. The second quill in *S'. galactodes 

 is shorter than the fifth, while they are of equal length in S. familiaris. 

 This is undoubtedly the species indicated by Count de Miihle, p. 66, 

 under the name of ^S*. galactodes.'''' 



In the "Ibis" for 1870, p. 496, Canon Tristram remarks: — "Not 

 only is it impossible to overlook the difference in size, (between 

 Aedo7i galactodes and A. familiaris), even if we could get over the 

 grey back and still darker head of the latter, while the former is 

 unicolorous with the back; but the white at the extremity of the tail 

 feathers is much narrower in A. familiaris, while the black bar 

 behind the white is double the width of that of A. galactodes." 



The habitat of S. familiaris is generally considered to be Greece, 

 but it also occurs in India, in both which localities S. galactodes also 

 occurs. The latter occurs in Palestine and Asia Minor, while Professor 

 Newton (Yarrell, fourth edition, p. 357) remarks: — " A. familiaris, 



