67 



that Prjevalsky was mistaken in his description of them, as they were undoubtedly those of a 

 ("hat, probably Saxicola deserti. He informed Mr. Pleske that both a Chat and Sylvia nana 

 were shot where the nest was taken, and hence the mistake. 



Dr. Koenig considers that the Algerian form of this Warbler differs sufficiently from the 

 eastern bird to justify its being treated as a good species, and proposes to call it Sylvia deserti 

 (Loche) ; but in this I do not agree with him. I have examined and compared his specimens 

 with my own series and that in the British Museum, and the difference is merely one of tone of 

 colour, and is so slight that it does not appear to me to be of specific value. They are a trifle 

 more isabelline and rufescent in tone of colour than the average of specimens from Asia, but 

 these vary quite as much inter se. 



I am indebted to Canon Tristram for the loan of a specimen from Sinai, which agrees closely 

 with some of the paler specimens from Sind, and is greyer than the bird from Algeria. I have 

 only seen two specimens from this latter locality, and it will be necessary to examine a larger 

 series before it can be decided whether this slight difference in coloration is constant ; and in the 

 meantime, at least, it appears to me to be advisable to treat this form as not specifically separable 

 from the North-east African and Asiatic birds. 



The specimens figured and described are in my own collection, the two former being 

 specimens b and c in the list below. Unfortunately, when the Plate was drawn no specimen 

 from Algeria was obtainable, or I should have figured it for comparison. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined, besides the series in the British 

 Museum, the following specimens : — 



E Mus. II. E. Dresser. 



a, (J. Eastern shores of the Ural, July 8th (Menzbier). b, $. Tolan-chodsha, E. Turkestan, April 1880 

 (Pevtzoff). c, £ . Upper Sind, February 1875 {TV. T. Blanford). d, ? . N.W. of Kotri, Sind, December 

 18th, 1875 {TV. T. Blanford). e. N.W. of Sehwan, Sind, February 7th {TV. T. Blanford). 



E Mus. H. B. Tristram. 



a. Wady Feirau, Sinai {Rev. F. K. Holland). b, c. India {Dr. Jerdon). d. Jodpur, January 1878 

 {TV. E. Brooks), e, ? . Sind, December 18th, 1875 {TV. T. Blanford). 



E Mus. Dr. A. Koenig. 



a,$. El Mouliah, Algeria, April 1st, 1893; b, ?. Djelfana, Algeria, April 18th, 1893 {Dr. Koenig). 

 c, (J . Askabad, August 7th. 



K2 



