ORPHEAN WARBLER. 391 



Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and eastward as far as Persia and 

 Turkestan. North of the valley of the Rhone its range extends through 

 the Vosges Mountains into Luxemburg ; and it has occurred accidentally 

 in Belgium and on Heligoland. The European birds winter in the valley 

 of the Gambia, and probably also in many parts of Central Africa ; but the 

 Turkestan and possibly some of the Persian birds appear to migrate in 

 autumn into Western India. This partial separation of the species into two 

 colonies has evidently given rise to a variation of sufficient importance to 

 be regarded as subspecific. The difference between the two forms is prin- 

 cipally in the length of the bill. It seems probable, however, that the 

 summer ranges of the two winter colonies overlap, and that where both 

 occur they interbreed^ as examples from Asia Minor and Palestine are 

 intermediate. In typical examples of Sylvia orpheus from Europe the 

 culmen varies in length from 0'68 to 0'6 inch, in intermediate examples 

 from Asia Minor and Palestine from Q-7i to 0'64, and in typical examples 

 of Sylvia orpheus, var. jerdonl, from Persia, Turkestan, and India from 

 0-76 to 0-66. 



In Greece the Orphean Warbler is not one of the latest of the 

 summer migrants, as it arrives during the first half of April. In Asia 

 Minor it is frequently seen in the latter half of March. It is by no means 

 a conspicuous bird, except when singing, which it prefers to do perched 

 on the top of an olive or other small tree. It is at all times very wary, 

 and frequents, for the most part, well- wooded districts. In its winter 

 quarters in India it is described by Jerdon as " not rare in Southern India 

 during the cold weather ;" and he adds that " it frequents groves, gardens, 

 hedges, single trees, and even low bushes on the plains ; is very active 

 and restless, incessantly moving about from branch to branch, clinging to 

 the twigs and feeding on various insects, grubs, and caterpillars, and also 

 on flower-buds." There is no doubt that it is principally an insect feeder, 

 but it is said to be, like most of its congeners, fond of fruit in autumn. 



My first introduction to the Orphean Warbler was among the olives 

 and the vines in the valley on the other side of the mountains east of 

 Smyrna, where Dr. Krliper called my attention to its song. My first 

 impression was one of disappointment. The song is louder than that of 

 the Blackcap ; but I thought it somewhat harsher. Its alarm-note is very 

 loud, as loud as that of a Blackbird. In the Parnassus I found it very 

 common, and obtained thirteen nests between the 3rd and the 21st of 

 May. They were easy to find in the bushes, which were scattered over 

 the rocky ground above the region of the olive and the vine ; but when 

 we got into the pine-region they disappeared. My friend Captain Verner 

 informs me that he has found the nests of this bird in Spain, placed near 

 the summit of young cork-trees about twelve feet from the ground. The 

 nest is a tolerably substantial one, and deep, composed of dry grass and 



