A delicate ring of snow-white feathers encircles the eyes of this pretty bird. It is far from being peculiar to Madagascar (as Dr. Latham's name of Madagascariensis would seem to imply), but is spread over a wide extent of the eastern hemisphere; being found both in the Isle of France, the Cape of Good Hope, and Madras. The name, therefore, is peculiarly inapplicable; but this is not all: for we find that the same author, a few pages after, has given this identical name to another very different bird; the same error is transferred into Shaw's Zoology.
SYLVIA annulosa,
White-eyed Warbler.
Generic Character.—See Pl. 139.
Specific Character.
- S. olivaceo-viridis, infrà albescens; jugulo flavescente; palpebris plumis niveis insignibus.
- Olive-green, beneath whitish; throat yellowish; eyes encircled by a ring of snowy feathers.
- Sylvia Madagascariensis. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 533. Gm. 1. 981.
- White-eyed Warbler. Lath. Gen. Syn. 4. 475. Gen. Zool. 10. 2. 720.
- Ficedula Madagascariensis minor. Briss. Ois. 4. p. 498. t. 28. f. 2. (male.) Briss. Orn. 1. 446.
- Le Figuier Tcheric, Le Vaill. Ois. d'Af. 3. pl. 132.
Figure, the size of life: colour above, olive green; ears and sides of the head the same: chin, throat, and under tail covers yellow; breast cinereous, changing to dusky brown on the flanks; the middle of the body whitish; between the eye and bill a velvet-black line, which forms a partial margin to the snowy feathers of the eyelids; wings and tail dusky black, margined with olive.
Very indifferent figures of both sexes will be found in Vaillant's African birds; from his description it seems to be a gregarious species. I regret not being able, at this moment, to refer to the work.