SPECTACLED WARBLER, 39 



This beautiful little "Warbler was stated by Temminck, 

 in his first edition, to belong exclusively to Sardinia; ' 

 but, although limited in its range, it has been discovered 

 in Sicily, Spain, in the States of the Church, and by 

 Count Miihle, in Greece. It is also included in Captain 

 Loche's Catalogue, by whom it is stated to occur in 

 the three Provinces of Algeria. 



M. O. Salvin, in the "Ibis," for July, 1859, mentions 

 its occurrence in the Salt Lake districts of the Eastern 

 Atlas of Africa, Avhere it is found abundantly in the 

 low shrubs of the uncultivated portions of that region. 

 He states that it is very shy, and skulks from bush to 

 bush as any one approaches. Malherbe remarks that it 

 only breeds in Sicily, migrating in the winter; but Count 

 Miihle doubts this statement, as he has frequently seen 

 it in winter in Greece, in company with S. melanocephala. 

 This Warbler was discovered by Marmora, in Sardinia, 

 in 1819, and named by him S. conspicillata, from a 

 black "spectacle"-looking mark between the eyes of the 

 male bird. 



According to Savi, the Spectacled Warbler dwells in 

 Italy, among the cistus bushes on the hills, but never 

 in shady places. In Sardinia it inhabits the bush-covered 

 hills, from four hundred to six hundred feet above the 

 sea level. It is a very nimble bird, rivalling the Sar- 

 dinian Warbler, with which it is frequently found, in 

 this respect. Count Miihle tells us that it sings perched 

 on an open branch, with its feathers raised, and that 

 its song is simple, but loud and agreeable. Its call and 

 song-note resembles much that of the other species in 

 the family; it fact it is so closely allied that it has fre- 

 quently been confounded with S. suh-alpina, and has 

 even been considered by some only a southern variety 

 of S. cinerea. It is however easilv distinguished from 



