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to Baron von Miiller (J. f. O. 1856, p. 224), common near Marseilles, where it breeds in the 

 gardens, and is a resident. In Portugal it is stated by Professor Barboza du Bocage to be a 

 common species; and Dr. E. Eey (J. f. O. 1872, p. 149) speaks of it as being "rather rare at 

 Algarve, but very common in Estremadura." In Spain it is extremely numerous ; and Lord 

 Lilford writes to me : — " It is very common in almost all parts of the Mediterranean that I have 

 visited, preeminently so in Southern Spain, especially in the gardens at Gibraltar, Sardinia, 

 Provence, all over Sicily, near Tunis, in Corfu, Santa Maura, Ithaca, Cephalonia, and in the 

 provinces of Epirus and Acarnania. In all these localities I believe it to be a permanent resident. 

 It breeds in May ; at least that is the month in which I have generally found the nests ; but I 

 have heard of it breeding much earlier." It is an abundant and conspicuous species near 

 Gibraltar, and is one of the few Warblers which nest on the rock. Mr. Howard Saunders 

 informs me that " it is common and resident along the rough and broken ground of the littoral 

 provinces;" but he did not observe it further inland than Cordova. Dr. A. E. Brehm (Allg. 

 deutsche naturh. Zeit. iii. p. 465) states that he found it exceedingly common in Catalonia, and 

 in December shot specimens at Granada, but only males, and he believes that the females leave 

 during the winter, whilst the males remain. Mr. A. von Homeyer met with it in the Balearic 

 islands, where, he says (I. c), it is one of the characteristic species, and is found everywhere, even 

 on the small islands, though most numerous on Mallorca. In Italy it is found from Liguria south- 

 wards into Sicily, but has not as yet been recorded from Piedmont. Savi remarks that it is 

 rarely found at any great distance from the sea-coast. In Sardinia it is, according to Mr. A. B. 

 Brooke, common, and resident, being numerous both on the hills and in the plains ; and in 

 Sicily it is said by Malherbe to be sedentary and numerous. Mr. C. A. Wright, who (Ibis, 1864, 

 p. 69) records it from Malta, says : — " It generally appears in the winter months, which has 

 given rise to another local name by which it is also known, Ghasfur tal Maltemp, or ' the bird of 

 bad weather.' It is never very numerous, and in some years is not often met with. The locality 

 mentioned as a good one for the S. passerina and S. conspicillata is also a favourite resort of the 

 Sardinian Warbler. When disturbed it flits along the ground in a slinking manner to the 

 nearest bush, into which it enters so rapidly that it is difficult to catch more than a glimpse of 

 its outspread tail before it disappears from view ; and if the bush furnishes a good hiding-place, 

 it will not readily move out again. Its characteristic note is powerful and harsh, resembling the 

 winding of a clock ; it has also another note, ' chuck, chuck, chuck.' It is not unfrequently seen 

 amongst thickets of cactus, with which this island abounds; and it is also partial to gardens. 

 I have never known it breed here." 



It appears, however, highly probable that this species does sometimes breed at Malta, as 

 Captain H. W. Feilden writes to me from there as follows : — " Hitherto this Warbler has only 

 been recorded as a winter visitant to these islands ; but I have little doubt that it remained to 

 breed here this last year (1874), as I saw them as late as the middle of May. On the 9th of 

 that month I noticed a pair frequenting a thicket at the head of St. Julian's Valley, but failed 

 to discover the nest. I killed the male, which, from the enlarged state of the testes, was 

 evidently breeding. Again, on the 13th of the same month I noticed two other couples in 

 different parts of the island. During the winter months it is sparingly diffused throughout the 

 island, but seemingly always in pairs." In Greece it is resident, and tolerably numerous. 



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