414 BRITISH BIRDS. 



SYLVIA PROVINCIALIS *. 

 DARTFORD WARBLER. 



(Plate 10.) 



Motacilla undata, Bodd. Table PI. Enl. p. 40 (1783). 



Sylvia dartfordiensis, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. p. :?87 (1787). 



Motacilla provincialis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 958(1788); et auctorum plurimo- 

 rum — {Temminck), (Meyer), (Montagu), (C'reqion), (Keyserling), ( Biasing), 

 (Linilermayer), (Dubois), (Heiiylin), (Boie), (Fleming), (Kaup), (Selby), (Jenyn.s), 

 (Guuhl), (Bonaparte), (Cabanis), (Degland), (Gerbe), (Locke), (Doderlein), (Sal- 

 vudori), (Shelley), (Fritsch), ifc. 



Melizophilus dartfordiensis (Latli.), Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. S,-c. Brit. Mus. p. 25 

 (1816). 



Sylvia ferruginea, Vieill N. Diet. d'Hist. Kat. xi. p. 209 (1817). 



Sylvia provincialis (GineL), Temm. Man. d^Orn. i. p. 211 (1820). 



Currnca provincialis (Gmel.), Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 5-j3. 



Thamnodus provincialis (Gmel.), Kaup, Xaturl. Syst. p. 109 (1820). 



Melizopliilns provincialis (Gmel.), Selby, Brit. Orn. i. p. 219 (1833). 



Ficedula ulicicola, Blyth, Bennie^s Field Xaf. i. p. 310 (1833). 



Maluras provincialis (Gmel.), Selby, Cat. Gen. B. p. 10 (1840). 



Sylvia undata (Bodd.), Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 174 (1848). 



Pyrophthalma provincialis (Gmel), Jaub. et Barth.-Lapomm. Mich. Orn. p. 249 



(i8.-y.)). 



Melizophilus undatus (Bodd.), Xeict. ed. Tarr. Br. B. i. p. 398 (1873). 



The Dartford Warbler possesses a special interest for British orni- 

 thologists from the fact that it was first discovered in our islands^, though 

 it is possible that fig. 2 on plate ccclxxxxi. of Gerini's ' Ornithologia 

 Methodice Digesta' may have been intended to represent this species. 

 In the spring of 1773 a pair were shot on Bexley Heath, near Dartford, 

 and sent to Latham, who communicated the discovery to Pennant, by 

 whom the new bird was described and figured in 1776, in his "^ British 

 Zoology,^ under the name of Dartford Warbler. Two years later Buffon 



* ,\ccordiug to the Stricldandian code— that is to say, according to laiv — Boddaert's 

 name shovild he adopted for the Dartford "\^'arbler, as he was uudouhtedly the first person 

 to publish a, Latin name for tliis bird, tliough it is probable that he never saw it. 

 According to equity there can be no doubt that Latham's name should have the 

 preference, as he appears to have been the lirst discoverer of this species. But according 

 to custom there can be no question that Gmelin's name has received the sanction of 

 aucturum pliirinwrmn ; although there is every reason to believe that Gmelin was little 

 more than a book-maker, who compiled his works from the writing's of others. The 

 Stricklandian code was published in 1842; and six years afterwards Gray adopted 

 Boddaert's name for this bird in obedience to its rules. Since 1848 the only writers 

 of importance who ha-ie foUuwed Gray have been Harting, Ne\\ton, Uresser, and Irbv. 



