124 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



on a tall prickly-pear. Its song is loud, sweet, and rather 

 twittering, somewhat Robin-like, and delivered in Thrush-like 

 jerks, some of the notes being fairly full and rich. Perhaps one 

 might syllable it " chitty witty chee tree tee wee." When the 

 Rufous Warbler flies it spreads its tail a little, and displays the 

 black and white markings at the tip. Indeed, on all occasions it 

 is fond of making play and show with its large and distinctly 

 marked tail. 



Three species of the Leaf Warblers of the genus Hippolais 

 were to be seen. H. icterina was found in the bushes near the 

 river, and a little way up the hillside. It has a soft low call-note, 

 " ti-op." Its song is flowing, but not good. It might be written 

 " wardy whichy chyo chyo " over and over again ; but there are 

 considerable variations of this, and other notes are inter- 

 spersed ; now and then, however, it reminds one of the song of a 

 river warbler. The song of H. polyglotta, which was more 

 usually heard at a slightly higher level, is vastly superior; it is 

 varied and occasionally has some fine rich clear notes. Perhaps 

 the bird deserves its name. It sings, like the last-named species, 

 in an exposed position, from the top of a bush, or an outside 

 twig. The song, while it is slightly acrocephaline in character, 

 is delivered in the leisurely manner of a Reed Warbler, but is 

 more flowing, and quite different from that of the latter bird. It 

 is very sweet and a good deal varied. The bird begins its song 

 with a note several times repeated. This varies. It is one of 

 these four: — A soft but clear " whit-way-ee " (a slight emphasis 

 on the middle syllable) ; a rather harsh Sedge Warblers note ; a 

 sharp bright note ; or a sweet and plaintive " wit wee-eee " (the 

 emphasis on the last syllable). Then it goes off into the 

 running song, a varied, rather rapid warble, with some clear, 

 sharp or sweet notes interspersed. The alarm notes are a sharp 

 short " tit," and a harsh rattling " kurrr." H. pallida is a very 

 different bird so far as habits go, and has been, perhaps not 

 altogether wrongly, generically separated from the others by some 

 authors. It is far more of a river warbler. It was fairly 

 common on the banks of the Medjerdah, where these are clothed 

 with thick bushes, for it frequents only the immediate vicinity of 

 Water, and haunts especially the thick covert of the tamarisks. It 

 is a skulking bird, and does not sing mounted on an exposed 

 twig ; it is continually on the move, and sings from the thickest 



