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
Licence: Public Domain Mark
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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![and flanks of a white, with very delicate rose tint; vent and under coverts of the tail of a light brownish red. The lower mandible of a yellowish brown at its base; the upper one black, much grooved and thick. The legs', claws, and toes black and strong. The length same as the fe- male. This bird is very common in Italy, and the southern parts of Erance and Piedmont, and sometimes is found in Switzerland. It builds its nest sometimes in low bushes, and not uncommonly in holes of rocks and walls, also on the roofs of deserted houses, and lays four to five eggs; white, irregularly marked with yel- lowish brown spots, chiefly at the larger end, about the size of the Garden Warbler, but more pointed at the small end.”] Warbler, Reed. — Supplement. — Sylvia arundinacea. Wren, Eeed, Orn. Diet. Lesser Fauvette, Bewick, Br. Birds, i. p. 220. — It is not unusual to find this and the Sedge Warbler confounded together. Mr. Bewick has certainly described and figured the Eeed Warbler, which is erro- neously called the Passerine Warbler (Mo- tacilla Passerina of Linne), a species that has never yet been discovered so far west in Europe as England, although probably farther north. 'I his author has also at- tached the name of Eeed Fauvette to the Sedge Warbler, which serves only to con- tinue the confusion between these two species. We have never been able to ascertain this bird in the West of England; indeed its manners and habits are so simi- lar to those of the Sedge Warbler that it becomes difllcult to trace it, especially as it is undoubtedly more nue and more local. [See Wren, Eeed, to which species this supplementai-y note appHea.] [Warbler, Rufous Sedge —Yarrell, i. 314. Sylvia galactotes, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. i. 182. Salicaria galactotes, Gould, Birds of Enrope ; Yarrell, i. 314. — “ The beak is slightly curved, measuring from point to gape five-eighths of an inch in length ; upper mandible brown above; lateral edges and under mandible pale yellowish brown; irides reddish brown, over and under the eye, and passing backward over the ear-coverts, creamy white; from the gape to the eye a dark streak ; upper sur- face of the head, neck, shoulders, wing- coverts, and back fawn-colour; wing- primaries and secondaries brocoli-brown; outer edges reddish buft'; upper tail- coverts and the two long central tail- feathers uniform reddish buff; the outer five tail-feathers on each side reddish buff over two-thii-ds of their diminishinglength; then a broad band of black extending over both webs of the feather; the remainder of the length pure white; each extreme outside feather vrith the most elongated portion of white ; chin, throat, and all the under surface of the body, and under tail- coverts, dull white ; under surface of the wings, the sides and flanks delicate fawn- colour; under surface of the tail-feathers marked like the upper surface, but tbe colours not so bright; legs, toes, and claws pale wood-brown. The plumage in colour resembles that of our well-known Bearded Tit. Tbe whole length of the specimen seven inches ; from the bend of the wing to tbe end of the longest quill-feather tbree-and-a-half inches; the first wing- feather short; the second and sixth fea- thers about equal in length ; the third, fourth, and fifth feathers equal in length, and the longest in the wing.”— Yarrell, i. 316. This species inhabits tlie South of Europe, but little or nothing is known of its habits. The only record of its occur- rence in Britain is from the pen of Mr. Borrer, in the ‘ Zoologist ’ for 1854, at p. 4511; as it is complete in itself, it is here extracted entii'e. “ As G. Sw'aysland, a bird-stuffer, of Cranboume Street, West Street, Brighton, was driving on the South Downs, about six miles from Brighton, near a part of the Downs known as Plump- ton Boi thill,’ he noticed a bird which he at first took for a cream-coloured variety of the Nightingale. Having no gun with him, he proceeded about four miles to obtain one, and, returning to the spot, found the bird about twenty yards from where he first observed it. It was very wary, flying always to the further side of some furze-bushes, and settling on the side furthest from him, mounting to some fifteen yards. Swayslnnd describes its flight as resembling that of the young of the Bed-backed Shrike. He at Inst got a shot at about forty yards, and killed it: this was on the 10th of September last. The bii'd, on dissection, proved to be a male, and would shortly have moulted, one or two young feathers of the primaries having made their appearance on each wing; these are darker than the old ones. The feathers also on the back and tail, especially the central ones of the latter, ai'e much worn. 1 borrowed the bird and sent it to Mr. Yarrell, who returned it with various references, stating also that he was not aware of its having previously occurred in Britain.”] [Warbler, Savi's.—Yarrell, i. 307; Hewit- son, xxxi. 115. Sylvia luscinioides, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. iii. 110; Gould, Birds of Europe. Salicaria luscinioides, Yarrell, i. 307. — “ The beak is brown; the head, neck above, back, wings, and tail-feathers reddish brown ; the latter indistinctly](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28089935_0400.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
