THE WARBLERS. I9I 



more frequently in Potiou, while it also occurs as far as the 

 Vosges and Luxembourg : it has also occurred at Heligoland. 

 In Italy it is somewhat local, but is found plentifully in Greece. 

 Its winter home appears to be North-eastern Africa, and it has 

 also been met with in Senegambia. 



Habits. — In these, says Mr. Howard Saunders, there is 

 nothing particular to record as different from those of the other 

 Warblers. Mr. Seebohm states that he was disappointed in the 

 song, which is louder and harsher than that of the Blackcap, 

 and its alarm-note is very loud, as loud, he says, as that of a 

 Blackbird. Lord Lilford has given the following account of 

 the bird in Spain : " I found it exceedingly common in the 

 neighbourhood of Madrid and Aranjuez.. In these localities I 

 generally met with it frequenting the avenues of elm and 

 deciduous bushes in the gardens and open country, as a rule 

 avoiding thickly-wooded districts ; in Andalucia, on the other 

 hand, our bird appeared especially to frequent the pine-woods, 

 and the willows that grow thickly along certain portions of the 

 Guadalquivir. The nests that we found were placed at various 

 heights, from five to twenty feet from the ground, often resting 

 on the young growers from the trunks of the elms, and perhaps 

 as often in the forks of willows, tamarisks, and olive-trees. 

 The nest is very much more substantially built than that of the 

 other Warblers of this family. The song of the bird, though 

 more powerful than that of our Blackcap, cannot, in my 

 opinion, be compared with it for melody or sweetness. In 

 fact, I have always been puzzled to know why the name of 

 'Orpheus' should have been bestowed on this species." 



Nest. — Generally placed, without any attempt at concealment, 

 in the branch of a tree, at about four or five feet from the 

 ground, or near the top of a bush, and found by Capt. 

 Willoughby Verner in the summit of young cork-trees near 

 Gibraltar, at a height of twelve feet. The nest, says Mr. See- 

 bohm, is a tolerably substantial one, and deep, composed of 

 dry grass and leafy stalks of plants. Inside it is built of 

 finer grasses, and sparingly lined with thistle-down, or the 

 flower of the cotton-grass. 



Eggs.— From four to five in number. They look at first 

 sight like large eggs of the Lesser Whitethroat, though there 



