437 



speaks of it as being extremely rare in Provence. It is stated to occur at rare intervals in the 

 neighbourhood of Perpignan ; but I have not seen a specimen from any locality west of Nice, 

 where an example, in Mr. Howard Saunders's collection, was obtained. It has not been recorded 

 from Spain or Portugal. In Italy it is, according to Salvadori, rare, but less so in the Venetian 

 and Veronese districts than elsewhere. It is of accidental occurrence in the Modena district. 

 Professor Doderlein received one shot in 1870. It has not been obtained in Sardinia or Sicily, 

 nor do either Von der Miihle or Lindermayer record it from Greece ; but Mr. Seebohm informs 

 me that it occurs there during migration. It is found, however, in Southern Germany ; but, 

 according to Dr. A. Fritsch, it is rare in Bohemia, but occurs regularly near Prague. Seiden- 

 sacher informed me that it occurs regularly near Cilli, in Styria ; and he sent me its eggs from 

 there. He says that it arrives there early in May, and breeds not unfrequently close to the 

 town of Cilli. Dr. O. Finsch says that it is not common in Bulgaria ; and I never saw it when 

 collecting on the Danube. I have several specimens from Turkey ; and Mr. G. C. Taylor (Ibis, 

 1872, p. 229) "found it abundant in the spring of 1855 in the Crimea, near the camp." 

 Professor von Nordmann says that it occurs in Southern Russia, where it takes up its abode 

 every year in the large gardens which surround Odessa; and Mr. H. Goebel speaks of it 

 (J. f. O. 1870, p. 449) as not being rare in the Uman district. Dr. Th. Kriiper says that it 

 occurs in Asia Minor in April, but is not common ; indeed but few collectors have recorded 

 it from that part of the Continent. It occurs in North-east Africa; and Von Heuglin (Orn. 

 N.-O. Afr. p. 315) says that he only met with it rarely in October, and early in April in Nubia 

 and Northern Sennaar, always singly in thorn-hedges and thickets along the Nile ; and usually 

 young birds were seen. In North-western Africa it does not appear to occur. 



To the eastward its range extends as far as Persia and Turkestan. Severtzoff says that it is 

 distributed throughout Turkestan during the breeding-season, but does not winter there. It 

 breeds in the mountains at an altitude of from 6000 to 10,000 feet above the sea-level. In Persia 

 Major St. John obtained two specimens from Shiraz, which Mr. Blanford says is the most eastern 

 locality from which the present species has hitherto been recorded. 



In its habits it appears to resemble the Garden Warbler or Blackcap. It affects thickets 

 and low-lying districts, and is especially to be found in young growth intermixed with thorn- 

 bushes, and also in willow-growth, being less frequently met with amongst conifer-growth and 

 gardens, and is never seen in the heavy forest-growth ; indeed Von der Miihle says that thorn- 

 growth appears indispensable to its comfort. It is exceedingly shy, and hides itself in the densest 

 thickets, being comparatively difficult to catch a glimpse of. It is never seen sitting still, but 

 appears always moving about. If disturbed, or if it sees any thing strange, it raises the feathers 

 on its head, jerks its tail, and utters a harsh note. It creeps about amongst the bushes, hopping 

 about from twig to twig without using its wings. It is quarrelsome, and drives intruders from 

 the vicinity of its nest. Its song is said to be loud, clear, and melodious; and Von der Miihle 

 says that it is but little less musical than that of the Garden Warbler. It sings from early in 

 the morning, except during the heat of the day, until late in the evening, and frequently sings 

 when at some height in the air or fluttering from tree to tree. Its call-note is harsh ; and it 

 occasionally utters a peculiarly harsh sound like several other species of Warblers. One 

 peculiarity in its song is a peculiar chattering call uttered at the commencement and end of its 



