58 BIRDS BROWN ABOVE AND WHITE BELOW. 



catcher. Whilst feeding it continues to utter its 

 cheerful call- note, ' Tui I ' Its song distinguishes 

 the Willow - Wren unmistakably from its very- 

 similar relatives, the Wood-Wren and the ChifF' 

 Chaff. This song consists of about fourteen notes 

 equally spaced, gradually descending in pitch and 

 diminishing in volume, so as to form a true and 

 exquisitely warbled cadence. 



WOOD-WREN — 5^ inches; upper parts greenish-yellow; 

 under parts pure white, except the throat, which is 

 bright yellow ; sides of neck bright yellow instead of 

 dull white as in the AVillow-Wren. Sings in high trees 

 a song opening with a few clearly warbled notes, fol- 

 lowed by a rapid, shivering trill. 



CHIFF-CHAFF— 4| inches ; dull olive above ; dull yellowish- 

 white below ; legs and feet blackish. Note, * Chiff-chaff I ' 

 No proper song. 



WOOD-WREN. — Form, resembling Willow-Wren 

 (plate 27). Length, 5i inches. Upper parts yellow- 

 ish-green ; wing and tail feathers dusky, edged in 

 part with yellowish-green ; bold yellow eye-streak ; 

 under parts white, but clear yellow on the throat ; 

 legs and feet light brown. Summer migrant. 



Eggs. — 5-7, white, thickly spotted and zoned with 

 reddish-brown and gray ; 'GS x "55 (plate 124). 



Nest. — Domed, with the opening at the side, 

 made of dry gi-ass and lined with hair, being placed 

 on the ground in beds of dead leaves, or among grass 

 or weed cover. 



Distribution. — General in wooded districts in 

 England and Wales ; rarer in Scotland ; occasional 

 in Ireland. 



