ICTERINE WARBLER. 381 



HYPOLAIS HYPOLAIS*. 

 ICTERINE WARBLER. 



(Plate 10.) 



Motacilla hypolais, Linn. Syst. JS^ut. i. p. 330 (1700J ; et auctorum plurimorum — 

 (Bechstein), (Wolf), {Temmincli), (Namnanii), (JSversmann), (^Kaup), (Gotild), 

 {Nordtnami), (Grai/), ( Werner), {Sclileijd), (Biasing), (Heuglin), (Lindi-rmayer) , 

 {Hartitig), [Gurnet/), {Shellei/), {Kei/serlinf/), {SundevaU), Sfc. 



Sylvia hypolais {Linn.}, Bechst, Orn, Taschenh. p. 173 (1802). 



Muscipeta hypolais (Linn.), Koch, Syst. baier. Zool. i. p, 170 (1816). 



Sylvia icterina, rieill K. Diet, d'liid. Xat. xi. p. 104 (1817). 



Hypolais hypolais (Limi.), Kaiqi, Natvrl. Syst. p. 90 (1829). 



Hypolais salicaria {Linn.'), apud Bonaj). Comp. List B. Eur. S; K. Amer. p. 13 (1838). 



Ficedula hypolais (Linn.), Keys. n. Bias. Wirh. Eur. pp. Ivi & 184 (1840). 



Hypolais icterina ( VieilL), Gerbe, Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 440. 



Ficedula ambigua (Schl.), apud Eura::zo, Descr. di Genova, i. pt. 2, pp. 170, 177 (1846). 



Sylvia obscui'a, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr., Birds, pi. 112. fig. 1 (1849). 



Phyllopneuste hypolais [Linn.), Schl. Dier. Nederl. Voyels, p. .38 (1801). 



Salicaria italica, Salvad. Atti R. Ac. So. Tor. iii. p. 208 (1808). 



It is somewhat extraordinary that a bird so common in the north of 

 France, Belgium, Holland, and North Germany, and, from the peculiarity 

 of its song and the unique character of its eggs, so impossible to escape 

 detection as the Icterine Warbler, should only have twice been shot in the 

 British Islands. But such appears to be the case. Both these examples 

 were exhibited by Mr. Dresser at the meeting of the British Association at 

 Brighton in 1872. The first was killed on the 15th of June 1848, at 

 Eythorne near Dover, and passed into the collection of Dr. Scott of Chud- 

 leigh. The second was shot on the 8th of June 1856, by Mr. J. G. 

 Rathborne, at Dunsinea, on the banks of the river Tolka, in the county of 

 Dublin and was by him presented to the Royal Dublin Society's Museum. 

 In both cases the peculiarity of the song was the cause of special attention 

 having been directed to the birds ; and the details published (of the one 

 in the ' Journal of the Royal Dublin Society," i. p. 440, and of the other in 

 the ' Zoologist' for 1848, p. 2228) leave no room to doubt the genuineness 

 of the occurrences. 



The range of the Icterine Warbler is a very peculiar one. It is a 



* According to the British- Association rules, the name to be adopted for the Icterine 

 Warbler is Iduna hypolais ; but as the genus Hypolais dates much earlier than that of 

 Iduna it has been generally retained ; and there seems no reason why the name hypolais 

 should not also be retained in a specific sense, since it has been used by a very large 

 majority of writers. 



