RUFOUS WARBLER. 



AEDON GALACTODES {Temm.). 



Sylvia galactodes, Temm. Man. d'Orn. i. p. 18.2 (1820); 



Naum. xiii. pp. G2, 398. 

 Aedon galactodes, Yarr. ed. 4, i. p. 355 j Dresser, ii. p. 517. 



Agrobate rubigineux, Bec-fia rubigineux , French ; der rost- 

 farbige Sanger, German ; Alzacola, Rubita, Viiiadera, 

 Spanish. 



As far as I am able to discover, only two occurrences 

 of this beautiful Warbler have been recorded in our 

 country — one not far from Brighton in September 1854, 

 and another in the same month of 1859 near the Start 

 in S. Devon. My own acquaintance with the present 

 species is entirely confined to Greece and Spain ; it is by 

 no means uncommon in Andalucia, haunting gardens 

 and vineyards, and though somewhat shy of observation, 

 sufficiently conspicuous from its well-known habit of 

 spreading and lifting the tail on alighting, thus showing 

 the remarkable white markings with which that append- 

 age is adorned. 



The Rufous Warbler seems to find some special 

 attraction about the plants of prickly pear which are so 

 abundant in Andalucia ; the nest is generally easy to 

 discover, seldom at any considerable height from the 

 ground, and generally ornamented by a piece of serpent's 

 or lizard's skin either inside or on its outside edge. The 

 bird is very active in pursuit of its insect-food, and 

 combines certain characteristics of the Redbreast and 

 Redstart with those of the smaller Shrikes. The song is 

 very peculiar and not to be mistaken for that of any 

 other European Warbler. 



