A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman.

George Montagu

Date:: 1866

Credit: A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$spring of the year the ■well-known note of j this species of Warbler never once assailed our ears, although every other migrative species of the genus we heard in various parts. In tlie same year several were ob- served about Kiugsbridge, in Devonshire, one of which we afterwards saw in tlie col- lection of i\Ir. Vaughan, that was shot on the 10th of May. We have more than once had auiicular proof of its inhabiting Devonshire; but it certainly is by no means common wiywhere in England, and extremely local. It has been said that, besides the grinding note, it utters a very agreeable kind of warble, and that the male is said to entertain its mate with a nocturnal song. On the contrary, we be- j lieve the Grasshopper Warbler has no other note than the sibilous one, from whence tlie name is derived; and this is uttered more frequently about dusk than at any other time, but not after it is quite dark. If it had any song we must have heard it, from our long attention, and daily acquaintance with the species for some years during the spring. [Warbler, Melodious Willow.— Yarrell,i. 357; Heioitson, xxxvi. 141. Sjdvia hip- polais, Temrn. Man. d’Ornith. i. U22; Gould, Birds of Europe ; Yarrell, i. 357. — “ The bUl is brown above, the under mandible paler, its base yellowish white; from the gape to the eye a small streak of yellow; iiides brown ; top of the head, neck, and all the back to the ends of the upper tail- coverts green, tinged with ash-brown ; up- per wing-coverts, wing, and tail-feathers darker ash-brown, with rather broad lighter coloured external edges; chin, neck, and all the under surface of the body sulphur- yellow ; legs and toes slate-colour. The whole length of the bird is five inches and one-quarter; the wing, from the anterior bend, two inches and three-quarters.” — Yarrell, i. 350. This bird is said by Tem- minck to inhabit France, Germany, Eng- land, Sweden and Holland, in woods, and less frequently in gardens : it feeds on in- sects and caterpillars, and builds its nest in woods of tall trees and on firs : it lays five eggs of a pinkish white, sprinkled | with small red specks. At the time Tem- minck published this information the bird now described had certainly never been observed in England ; the great conti- nental ornithologist must therefore have referred to our Chifi'chatr, which has fre- quently been described under the name of Sylvia hippohiis. A single specimen of this bird is nicorded by Dr. Plomlcy as having been killed at Eythorne, near ' Dover, on the I5th of June, 1H48 : the record occurs at p. 2228 of the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1848, and was transferred by Mr. Yarrell ■ to his excellent work on British Birds. In the Preface to the ‘ Zoologist ’ for the year in question is an editorial notice of the occurrence of this interesting stranger, and a solicitation for a more minute de- scription. Mr. Yarrell does not state whether he has seen this unique British specimen, and his description above cited appears to be derived from Temminck, although not a verbatim translation.] [Warbler, Orpheus.—Yarrell, i. 343; Heio- itson, XXXV. 133. Sylvia Orphea, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 198. Curruca Orphea, Gould, Birds of Europe; Yarrell, i. 343. — The only record of this bird’s occur- rence in Britain is from the pen of Sir William Milner, Bart., by -n'hom it was contributed to the ‘Zoologist’ for 1849, and is printed at p. 2388. The notice is here reprinted entire, and leaves nothing to be desired. “ My bird is evidently a female, and was observed in company with its mate for a considerable time before it was shot. The other bird had a black head, and the description I received left no doubt on my mind that it was a male bird of Sylvia Orphea. The bird of w'hich I send you a description was shot in a small plantation near the town ofWetherby, on the 0th of July, 1848, and was, unfor- tunately, very ill set-up by the man who obtained it : it had the appearance of having been engaged in incubation from the state of the plumage. Mr. Graham, my bird-stuflfer, at Y^ork, hearing that a very uncommon bird had been shot, went over to Wetherby, and, fortunately, ob- tained the specimen for my collection. It has the beak black and very strong, eight lines in length, the upper mandible very much grooved. The w'hole upper part of the plumage dark ash-coloured brown. The outer feather of the tail white; the second on each side edged wdth dirty white; the rest of a brownish black. Chin dirty white; throat and belly browmish white; under surface of the wings and vent light brown. Legs very strong; toes and claws black. Total length six inches three lines. Since procuring this speci- men, I have received a male bird from France, with four eggs, and send you a description in case any other specimen may fall into the hands of j'our readers. The head and cheeks to behind the eyes black; on the top of the head the black blends itself into ash-coloured grey, and so continues over the U])per parts of the plumage. Wings almost black, edged with ash-coloured brown ; the external feathers on each side of the tail white, the inside edges light brown ; the second tipped with white, the rest blackish brown. Throat and belly of a pure white; breast$