CATALOGUE OP^ BIRDS. I41 



Howard Saunders says : " The oval-domed nest 

 of the Chiffchaff is generally placed near to, but a 

 little above the oround, in rank veo'etation and ferns. 

 The entrance hole is rather nearer the top than the 

 middle ; the materials are dry grass, leaves, and 

 moss, with an abundance of feathers as a lining. 

 The eggs — commonly six in number, are of a pure or 

 creamy -white, spotted with purplish-brown with 

 underlying blotches of violet-grey." 



Abroad, the Chiffchaff ranges in summer up to 

 the Arctic circle, and as far east as the valley of the 

 Volga, southwards to the Mediterranean region, and 

 is more or less resident beyond the Pyrenees and 

 Alps. The winter is spent in Africa and Western 

 Asia. 



The specimen in the case was, I think, shot in 

 Surrey. 



The Willow Wren. 



Family^ Turdidce. 



This is one of our earliest migrants, following close 

 upon the Chiffchaff, arriving on our coasts towards 

 the end of March and the beginning of April. It is 

 very widely distributed over England, Wales, and 

 Scotland, though perhaps rather local in Ireland. 

 It is almost a facsimile of the Chiffchaff, and only an 

 expert could tell the difference between them, which 

 is, that the Chiffchaff is rather the smaller of the 

 two, duller in colour, and with darker legs. I can't 

 say that I know the song of this warbler, but that 



