SPECTACLED WABBLEB. 133 



Captain Loclie's Catalogue, by whom it is stated to occur in the 

 three Provinces of Algeria. 



M. O. Salvin, in the "Ibis," for July, 1859, mentions its occurrence 

 in the Salt Lake districts of the Eastern Atlas of Africa, where it is 

 found abundantly in the low shrubs of the uncultivated portions of 

 that region. He states that it is very shy, and skulks from bush to 

 bush as any one approaches. Malherbe remarks that it only breeds 

 in Sicily, migrating in the winter; but Count Mllhle doubts this 

 statement, as he has frequently seen it in winter in Greece, in com- 

 pany with S. melcmocephala. This Warbler was discovered by Marmora, 

 in Sardinia, in 1819, and named by him S. conspicillata , from a black 

 "spectacle "-looking mark between the eyes of the male bird. 



Salvadori ("Fauna d'ltalia") says: — "This species resembles a good 

 deal Sylvia cinerea, so much so that Gloger calls it a simple variety 

 of this bird, which I can only concede to him in a Darwinian sense. 

 It is much smaller, and is distinguished by the hazel-coloured mar- 

 gins of the secondary wing feathers, and the larger wing coverts; 

 also by the deeper ashy tint of the head, by the flesh-colour of the 

 under parts being much brighter, and by a different geographical 

 distribution. 



This graceful bird is found especially in Sardinia and Sicily, but 

 Calvi and Durazzo have found it in Liguria. I only found three 

 individuals in the Roman market in April, 1853. Cantaine had pre- 

 viously found it in the neighbourhood of Civita Vecchia, near Trajan's 

 Baths, and in the uncultivated plains at the foot of the hills of the 

 Campagna Romana, (Temminck.) It is probable that it is found 

 along the whole Mediterranean coast of Italy. In Malta it is seden- 

 tary, (Wright.) It is very common in Sardinia, especially the southern 

 parts. It arrives in very great numbers the beginning of April, at 

 which time I have seen many in the neighbourhood of the coast near 

 Cagliari, while a few days previously there were none. They nearly 

 all leave in autumn. During three winter months which I passed in 

 Sardinia, after searching very carefully, I only found one. They love 

 places covered with bushes, amongst which they go on hiding and 

 jumping about with great ability, sending out from time to time a 

 sharp cie, cie. Sometimes the male bird sings very well. It makes 

 its nest in the bushes, and upon the cisti which cover so much of 

 the ground in Sardinia. The nest is like that of the Whitethroat. 

 Eggs, five in number, are greyish white with rosy points hardly per- 

 ceptible, which are darker and thicker near the larger end." 



According to Savi, the Spectacled Warbler dwells in Italy, among 

 the cistus bushes on the hills, but never in shady places. In Sardinia 



