BIRDS OE HELIGOLAND AND OE THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 263 



cola, shot in June, 1864, which probably overshot the mark in 

 migrating from its winter quarters to its breeding-grounds in 

 South-east Eussia. The genus Hypolais is only represented in 

 the British Islands by one species, H. icterina, which has been 

 twice shot in June — once in England and once in Ireland. In 

 addition to this species the Heligoland list contains four species. 

 An example of H. polyglotta was shot on the 23rd of May, 1846 ; 

 one of H. pallida on the 20th of September, 1883 ; one of H. 

 caligata on the 28th of September, 1851 ; and one of H. olive- 

 torum in May, 1860. These four species all breed in Southern 

 Europe. The four species of the genus Sylvia which visit the 

 British Islands every summer, S. atricapilla, S. hortensis, S. 

 cinerea, and S. curruca, pass over Heligoland every spring and 

 autumn ; and an example of S. provincialis is believed to have 

 been caught half a century ago, and a second one seen in May, 

 1851. S. nisoria, which breeds in the south of Sweden, and has 

 now occurred at least five times in the British Islands, is a rare 

 and somewhat irregular visitor to Heligoland. S. orpheus has 

 only occurred two or three times in either locality. S. melano- 

 cephala, like the last-mentioned bird, is a southern species whose 

 claim to be inserted in the Heligoland list rests on a vague iden- 

 tification at least half a century old. There are two forms of S. 

 galactodes — the western or typical form, and the eastern form, 

 S. galactodes familiaris. It is rather curious that three examples 

 of the former are recorded from the British Islands, whilst three 

 of the latter are supposed by Gatke to have visited Heligoland. 



In addition to the four British species of the genera Phyllo- 

 scopas, P. sibilatrix, P. trochilus, P. rufus, and P. superciliosus, 

 ho fewer than eight are added by Gatke to the Heligoland list. 

 One example of P. bonelli was shot in 1861, and a second in 

 1874, both in October, though the species breeds in Southern 

 Europe. Two species breeding in North-east Europe, P. borealis 

 and P. tristis, have been shot on Heligoland (the former in Oct. 

 1854, and the latter in Oct. 1846), as well as two Siberian 

 species, P. proregidus and P. coronata (the former in Oct. 1845, 

 and the latter in Oct. 1843). Three examples (one shot in Sept. 

 1878, the second in May 1879, and the third in June 1880) are 

 identified by Gatke as P. viridanus, from Turkestan ; and an 

 example shot in October, 1867, is unquestionably P. nitidus, a 

 species formerly supposed to be confined to the Himalayas, but 



