io6 The Icterinr Warbler. 



Family— TURDID.E. Sub/muUy—SYIA'ILW-E. 



The Icterine Warbler. 



Hxpolais icterina, ViEILL. 



A NORTHERN and Central European species, of which the first example was 

 killed near Dover, on June 15th, 1848 ; the second in co. Dublin, on June 

 8th, 1856; the third in Norfolk, on September nth, 1884. Two other 

 examples have now been killed in Norfolk, the last at Cley on the 7th September, 

 1896. Others have been obtained subsequentl3% and I have seen an egg received 

 in a consignment of eggs from Norfolk which was suspiciously like that of this 

 species. 



The general colouring of the Icterine Warbler is olive-green ; an indistinct 

 yellowish eyebrow stripe ; flights brown, edged and tipped with greenish- white ; 

 coverts and innermost secondaries more broadly edged with brownish-white ; tail- 

 feathers brown, with indications of transverse bars and narrow pale edges ; under 

 parts greenish-yellow ; under wing-coverts and thighs flecked with brown ; bill 

 dark brown, paler on lower mandible ; eyes hazel ; feet bluish-grey ; sexes much 

 alike, but the bills should be compared. 



The nest is usually built in the fork of a small tree eight to ten feet above 

 the ground, and is formed of dry grass intermixed with moss, wool, spiders' webs, 

 vegetable down, bark, and lichen, and lined with rootlets, bents, and horsehair ; 

 four to five, or rarely six, eggs are laid, of pinky-brownish colour, uniformly 

 spotted and occasionally streaked with purplish-brown, sometimes very deep in 

 colour ; shell-markings ill-defined. 



The song of this species is somewhat harsh, though strong and varied : to 

 compare it with that of the Nightingale, as has been done, is generally regarded 

 as a libel on the performance of that most excellent songster. 



It is in the highest degree improbable that either of these species will fall 

 into the hands of any of the readers of this present work : should they have the 

 good fortune to meet with them I hope that, in the interests both of humanity 

 and science they will not shoot them ; but, if possible, capture and study them 

 living. It is a melancholy fact that almost every rare bird which accidentally 

 wanders to our shores is doomed to be shot, for the mere satisfaction of labelling 



