412 



edges, the secondaries having also light tips; shafts of the primaries nearly black; tail-feathers 

 blackish brown, the outermost pair white on the outer web at the tip and along the inner web in the 

 centre, the black shaft showing conspicuously, the next two feathers on each side with a triangular 

 apical white mark ; throat and underparts white, on the breast and flanks washed with vinous grey, 

 the under wing-coverts, tail-coverts, and lower part of the flanks being pale reddish grey ; bill black 

 above, below bluish, with black tip; iris bright sulphur-yellow; legs brownish lead-coloured. Total 

 length about 6 inches, culinen - 71, wing 3'1, tail 26, tarsus 091. 



Adult Female (Madrid, loth May). Differs from the male merely in being a trifle duller in colour, and in 

 having the black on the head less developed. The soft parts (which I noted down from specimens just 

 killed) are similar in both sexes. 



Young of the year (Smyrna, 26th June). Differs from the adult female in having the upper parts paler and 

 rather browner, the black on the head being replaced by lead-grey, and the underparts are also some- 

 what paler and whiter. 



Obs. I have no specimen shot in the Western Pahiearctic Region in winter plumage, when, according to 

 Professor Newton, the black cap changes to dark grey ; but a male of the long-billed race, from Asia, 

 shot at Karachi, Sindh, 11th November, 1871, is purer in colour than my European specimens in 

 breeding-plumage, the black cap is darker and more clearly defined, the back is of a purer grey, and 

 the underparts are a trifle whiter. Judging from specimens before me, I should say that the young 

 bird alone has the crown grey in the autumn. 



I refer below to the eastern race of the present species, which has a longer bill, and is somewhat larger in 

 size ; and the following Table will show the variation in specimens from various localities : — 



Culmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus, 



inch. inches. inches. inch. 



Spain, 3 0-67 305 2-65 0-95 



Spain, 2 0-65 295 25 G"9 



Tangier, <j 0-68-071 3-05-31 2-55-2-6 09 -091 



Algeria, $ 0-62-07 31 2-75-278 0-9 



Egypt 0-72 2-98 2-76 0-88 



Syria, d 071 3-1 26 092 



Arabia 075 315-318 2-67-27S 10 -102 



Sennaar 085 3-15 2-65 09 



Asia Minor, d . . . 0-74-081 2-95-3-2 2-67-2-9 0-89-0-92 



Persia, d 077 32 262 095 



Persia, ? 0-75 315 264. 093 



Sindh 0-81 315 2-76 0-97 



Kokand, d 083 3-15 29 098 



Kokand, $.-■-. 088 3-05 2-88 0-91 



The Orphean Warbler inhabits Southern Europe and Northern Africa, having, as a straggler, 

 been met with as far north as Great Britain, where, according to the late Sir William Milner, a 

 specimen is said to have been obtained near Wetherby, on the 6th July, 1848, and is preserved 

 in the collection he made. Professor Newton says that a young bird was caught near Holloway, 

 in Middlesex, in June 1866, and kept alive by Sergeant-Major Hanley for nearly six months, as 

 lie (Professor Newton) was informed by the late Mr. Blyth, who carefully examined the specimen 



