522 



Adult Male (Malta, May). Upper parts, including the scapulars and upper wing-coverts, greyish olive, 

 underparts lemon-yellow j lores and a streak over the eye yellow, auriculars dull brownish yellow ; 

 quills dull brown, with light external margins, the inner secondaries having this edging of a pale 

 yellowish tinge ; tail dull brown, most of the feathers with indistinct paler edges ; bill brown above, the 

 lower mandible yellowish ; iris brown ; legs dull slate-colour. Total length about 5 inches, culmen 

 0-68, width of mandible at base 0-3, wing 8*1, tad 225, tarsus 08, first primary small, scarcely so long 

 as the primary coverts, 1-8 shorter than the second, which is nearly equal to the fourth, third and 

 fourth nearly equal, the former being the longest. 



Female. Resembles the male, but is a trifle paler in colour. 



Nestling (Belgium) . Like the adult in coloration, except that the upper parts are darker and browner, and 

 the wing-feathers broadly margined with dull pale olive-brown or dull buff. 



The range of the present species is most difficult to define ; and until specimens have been 

 examined from all localities where it and Hypolais polyglotta occur, it will be impossible to state 

 exactly where each species is found, as up to quite lately they have been much confounded. 

 Judging from what materials I have at hand, I fully agree with Professor Newton in considering 

 that it is a more eastern as well as a more northern species than the Melodious Warbler ; for all 

 the specimens I have seen from Eastern Europe belong to this species and not to H. polyglotta. 

 It is merely a summer visitant to Europe, and probably winters far south in Africa, as it is 

 recorded from Northern Africa as a migrant, and has been obtained as far south as Caffraria. 



It has occurred in Great Britain on two occasions, and was recorded under the name of the 

 Melodious Willow-Warbler, the specimens obtained being then supposed to be the Sylvia poly- 

 glotta of Vieillot (S. kippolais, Bechst., nee Linn.). However, thanks to the liberality of the 

 owners of the two British-killed specimens, they were both intrusted to my care for examination, 

 and I was enabled to prove, when I exhibited them to the British Association at Brighton, 

 August 20th, 1872, that they belong to the present species, and are not H. polyglotta. The first 

 of these specimens was, as recorded by Dr. Plomley, killed at Eythorne, near Dover, June 15th, 

 1848, and passed into the collection of Dr. Scott, of Chudleigh. The second was shot on June 

 Sth, 1856, by Mr. J. G. Rathborne at Dunsinea, on the banks of the river Tolka, in the county 

 of Dublin, and was by him presented to the Royal Dublin Society's Museum. This last occur- 

 rence was recorded by Dr. Carte, in January 1857 (Journ. R. Dubl. Soc. i. p. 440), and the first 

 by Dr. Homlcy, in the ' Zoologist,' 1848, pp. 2228, 2346. 



In Scandinavia the present species is not uncommon in the southern districts, and is found 

 in Norway to 67^° N. lat, and in Sweden to about 63° N. lat. 



Mr. Collett says that it is generally distributed throughout the lowlands of Norway up to 

 Helgoland; and Mr. Godman obtained it at Bodo, in 67^° N. lat. It is most common along the 

 coast, and breeds numerously near the Christiania fjord, in Nedermes, and near the Trondhjems 

 fjord. In the interior it is rarer, but has been found breeding at Lillehammer and in Land. 

 Nilsson says (Sk. Faun. p. 326) that it only occurs in Southern Sweden, but is said to be common 

 near Gothenburg, and a few breed in Wermland. In Skane it breeds regularly. Professor 



O 



Sundevall (Sv. Fogl. p. 68) records it as occurring in Jemtland and Angermanland, in about 

 63° N. lat. ; and in Finland, according to Von Wright (Finl. Fogl. p. 135), it is found here and 



