262 TJiE ZOOLOGIST. 



long list, and included the Blackcap, Wryneck, Greater Spotted 

 Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Wood Lark, Cirl and Meadow 

 Buntings, Dotterel, Dunlin, Ring Ouzels, Little Bustard, and 

 many others. 



On Nov. 29th a Blackcap was singing in a public garden in 

 Florence. It need hardly be said that the specimens in the market 

 with chocolate heads were, from their size, apparently all females. 

 On Dec. 10th, while skinning Acredula Irbyi — the only specimen 

 of this form which I obtained — in a garden near Florence, I heard 

 a Warbler trying to sing in a thick shrub close by. The song 

 was not unlike that of a Garden Warbler, but it was more inter- 

 mittent, and the bird was singing in a half-hearted manner. After 

 some trouble I managed to get a good look at the singer, who 

 proved to be the Sardinian Warbler, S. melanocephala, a most 

 beautiful bird, with his coal-black head and pure white throat ; 

 but the most noticeable point about him was his bright salmon- 

 coloured eyelids, which showed out much more clearly in the live 

 bird than in either of the specimens I obtained in the market. 

 This species was very common in the neighbourhood, and always 

 betrayed its presence by a very loud and resonant "chat, chat." 

 I was somewhat surprised at hearing the song in December, but 

 apparently it is not unusual, for Dresser, in his * Birds of Europe,' 

 quoting Irby, says, " its song is to be heard at all seasons." It 

 is worth mentioning that there were many male birds in the 

 market, but only one female, and she was too far advanced to 

 skin ; she showed the same brightly-coloured eyelids as the male 

 bird. On my first visit to the market I found a curious variety 

 of the Calandra Lark with white secondaries : this bird, lying on 

 a heap of others, made me for a moment think I had got hold of 

 a White-winged Lark — which is nearly as great a rarity in Italy 

 as here. 



A Dipper from the market, which came from the Appenines, 

 was a fairly typical Cinclus albicollis. C. aquaticus and melano- 

 gaster also occur in Italy, but are rare. Except in the colouring 

 of the upper parts, my Florence bird does not differ materially 

 from two Norfolk specimens in my collection, though the red on 

 the belly is much less bright than in a bird from Devon, but 

 rather brighter than one labelled " Silesia." 



Through the kindness of Prof. Gigholi, I was able to spend 

 some very pleasant afternoons in the Museum at Florence 



