66 WOOD-WREN. 



in the Baltic provinces, rarer in South Finland, and a straggler to 

 Archangel. Eastward it can be traced to Kazan, the lower valley of 

 the Volga, the Caucasus, and the western shore of the Caspian. In 

 Palestine, Asia Minor and Greece, it occurs on migration ; but it 

 breeds in Turkey, Transylvania, and Europe generally, although 

 rarely in the extreme south ; while in Portugal the bird seems to be 

 almost unknown. It appears probable that a few remain during the 

 summer in the mountain forests of the Atlas ; the winter migrations 

 extending to the Gold Coast on the west side of Africa, and to 

 Abyssinia on the east. Notwithstanding its comparatively long 

 wings, the Wood-Wren appears to hug the land on passage far more 

 closely than is customary with the Willow- Wren and the Chiffchaff, 

 thousands of w^iich annually visit Heligoland on their migrations ; 

 whereas the Wood-Wren is seldom met with there. 



Like its congeners, this species makes a domed nest of dry grass 

 with a little moss, but there is no lining of feathers. Sloping 

 wooded banks are favourite situations for the nest, which often 

 is not merely on the ground, but is actually set in some natural 

 hollow, well concealed by herbage. The hen at times sits very 

 close : when fairly beaten out, she will feed in an unconcerned 

 manner, uttering a \o\\ pi-o for a quarter of an hour or more; 

 after which she works round to a branch above her nest, drops 

 down abruptly, and enters it in an instant. The eggs, 5-7, are 

 white, thickly spotted and frequently zoned with purplish-brown and 

 violet-grey : average measurements "65 by '55 in. Ph. boneilii, a 

 miniature Wood-Wren, common on the Continent, especially in the 

 south, lays similar but much smaller eggs. The food is principally 

 flies — often taken on the wing— and other insects ; but in the season 

 it eats berries, and probably fruit. Its call-note is dee-ur, dee-ur, 

 dee-ur; and the shivering song may be syllabled as — chit, chit, chit, 

 chit, chitr, ir-tr-tr-tr-tr-tre, accompanied by rapid vibrations of the 

 wings and tail. 



In spring the adult has a broad and characteristic sulphur-yellow 

 streak above and behind the eye ; the upper parts yellowish-green ; 

 wings greyish-brown, edged with yellowish, turning whiter on the 

 inner secondaries ; tail greyish-brown ; belly and under tail-coverts 

 white ; breast and throat sulphur-yellow ; bill, legs and feet brown. 

 Length 5*9 in. ; wing, to the tip of the 3rd and longest quill, 3 in.; 

 the first or bastard quill being very short ; tarsus 7 in. In plumage 

 the sexes are alike ; the young differ in being rather yellower than 

 the adults. The coloration, larger size, and proportionately long 

 wing suffice to distinguish this species from its allies. 



