SYLVIADE. LIS 
taken for them; they are of a white ground colour, 
very much speckled with orange-rusty. 
CurrrcHarr, Sylvia rufa. The Chiffchaff is one 
of our most numerous as well as earliest summer 
visitors: Yarrell says as early as the 12th or 14th of 
March. I have never observed it myself before the 
20th, on which day I saw one in 1867, although the 
snow was four or five inches deep all over the 
sround: the little bird, in company with some 
Stonechats, was busily employed in catching insects 
on a wall against a running stream. Like most of 
the earlier arrivals, it is late in taking its departure 
in the autumn, and has been occasionally noticed, 
especially in the southern counties, during the 
winter. 
The nest of this species, like that of the last, is 
generally on or quite near the ground: they are 
both domed, or perhaps rather, as Meyer expresses 
it, “hooded”: it is made of dried grass, dead leaves 
and moss, and is lined with feathers. Hewitson says 
it is occasionally raised above the ground in a low 
bush. 
The food of the Chiffchaff is almost entirely in- 
sects. It catches flies much after the manner of the 
Spotted Flycatcher, and is also said to be very par- 
tial to caterpillars and moths. 
The beak of the Chiffchaff is dark brown; inides 
brown; head, neck and all the upper parts hair- 
brown, tinged with olive-green; the greater and 
