156 PHYLLOSCOPIN^, 



Gen. Hypolais, Biehm. ; Iduna, 5jj.; Jerdonia, Hume. 



Bill slender, wide basally ; rictal bristles few. Wings moderate. 

 Bastard primai-y extending beyond or shorter than the primary coverts ; 

 8rd and 4th quills longest. Tail even or rounded. 



Hypolais pallic?., Hemp, et Ehr. 8ymh. Fhys. Aves. fol. b. b. 

 Hypolais pallida {Ehr.) Dubois, Ois. Eur. pi. 71.; Bresser, B. Ear. 

 pt.xxxL; BJf. East. Pers. ii. p. 187; Hume, Sir. F. vol. vii.pp. 398,504; 

 Murray, Hdbk., Zool., Src, 8ind, p. ]G0; tSeehohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 Tol. v- p- 82. Hypolais elseica, [Lindern) Gerhe, liev. Zool. 1844, p. 440; 

 Hougl. Orii. N. 0. Afr. i. p. 297 ; Blanf. Geol. and Zool. Abyssinia, 

 p. 380; Sharpo, Gat. Afr. B. p. 33; Shelley, B. Egypt, p. 100.— The 

 Olivaceous Tree Waebler. 



Adult Male. — Upper parts pale dull olive brown, clearer on the back 

 in colour, and rather lighter on the rump ; from the base of the bill over 

 the eye a rather indistinct yellowish stripe; wings dark brown; the 

 inner secondaries lighter in colour, all the feathers having lighter 

 margins; tail dark brown, very narrowly edged with lighter brown; 

 under parts buffy white ; the throat and the centre of the abdomen 

 almost pure white; flanks washed w'ith pale brownish; bill horn 

 brown, dull yellowish at the base of the lower mandible; legs pale 

 horn brown-; iris dark brown. 



Length. — About 5 inches^ culmen 0"62, wing 2*63, the first primary 

 extending 0'27 beyond the wing-coverts and 1'15 shorter than the 

 2nd, 2nd 0'2 shorter than the 3rd, 3rd and 4th equal, tail 2'2, tarsus 

 0-83. — {Dresser,. Birds Europe) ex 8. F. vol. vii. p. 398. 



Hab.- — Europe, Africa, Greece, Constantinople, Palestine, Egypt; 

 Sind, Beloochistan, Persia, S. Afghanistan, Turkistan. This species 

 and the next two (caligata and rama) are winter visitants in Sind, and 

 affect the same situations. AH appear to be varieties of Hypolais Ian- 

 guida, a species found in S. E. Persia, at Quetta in Beloochistan, 

 (Chaman) S. Afghanistan, and probably also in Sind. Mr. Seebohm, 

 grouping H. opaca, pallida, rama, cullyata and ohsoleta, says, that 

 an unbroken series may be found from the largest opaca from Spain, 

 through the smaller, U. pialUda from Greece and Asia Minor, and 

 the still smaller R. pallida and H. rama from Persia down to the small 

 skins of H. rama from India, and the still .smaller H. caligata from 

 Turkistan and India. Skins from Sind of these three last do not appear 

 to have been in the British Museum collection. In reference to E.fallida, 

 comparing Indian skins, Mr. Hume observes {8tr. i''. vol. vii. pp. 396, 398) 

 that it is very close to rama, but is somewhat larger, with a longer and 

 decidedly larger bill ; and that the two forms, rayna and pallida, quite 

 run into each other, many of the Sind and Beloochistan specimens 

 being quite intermediate. There does not appear to be any very 

 appreciable difference in colour in the series I possess of these species 

 fi'om Sind, Beloochistan, Afghanistan and the Deccan, except the sea- 

 sonal abrasion of feathers; this is also remarked by Mr. Seebohm. 

 H. languida, he says, has apparently only just succeeded in isolating 

 itself, and adds that he is not sure whether in a large series of the 



