148 PALE WABBLEB. 



from tlie "Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des Naturalistes de 

 Moscow," part of a paper by Baron R. Konig-Warthausen, on the 

 nesting of the Warblers of the division Hypolais, from which I copy 

 the following: — "The notes on H. pallida (of which species little was 

 known before) are somewhat as follows: — 



"Von Heuglin found this bird, which is also an inhabitant of 

 Syria all the year through, in north-east Africa. The skins collected 

 by him in Egypt, as well as his observations on its habits, agree 

 fully with Ehrenberg's. A variety with a stronger beak was found 

 southwards in Nubia. 



"He, as well as Blasius, believes in the possibility of the identity 

 of this species with the Grecian H. elaica; but I do not hesitate to 

 consider them as different for the present, because the question is not 

 yet settled, and moreover two Egyptian nests, each with four eggs, 

 (for which, as well as for the observations here given, I have to 

 thank Dr. Heuglin's kindness,) are somewhat different from those of 

 the latter species, whether specifically or climatically need not at 

 present be settled. 



"This Warbler, which was formerly united with the E-eed Warblers, 

 delights mostly in the hedges of gardens, or in the thick mimosa 

 bush, if Arundo donax, its favourite resort, is not far off. 



" The nests are placed from two to fitteen feet high. Both mine 

 are from Cairo itself — from the Especchia Place." 



The nests are composed of strips of bass and dried stalks, mixed 

 with woollen threads and horse-hair, and lined with fine tendrils of 

 plants, with some mimosa leaves fixed on the outside. 



"The eggs had a ground-colour of dark violet grey, sometimes 

 greenish white; some are sparingly but uniformly spotted with minute 

 freckles of blue grey and black; others with larger round or irregular 

 blotches, partly obliterated; others again with a rather light ground, 

 and almost entire absence of the bright under-markings, are provided 

 with larger dark red-brown points, and obsolete blotches of bright 

 red brown. 



"In the structure of the shell they come very near to those of 

 the preceding, H. elaica; yet the granulation of most of them is 

 decidedly more elevated and finer. Keeping this point in view, along 

 with their less weight, smaller size, and more greyish ground colouring, 

 it would not be difficult in most cases to separate the eggs of the 

 African form from its Grecian ally." 



Lieutenant-Colonel Irby writes to me that H, pallida occurs at 

 Gibraltar, and that H. elaica is not found in the south of Spain. 

 He also adds, in another letter, Hypolais pallida is a good species. 



