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up to over 4000 ft., and is abundant in parts of Portugal. A great 

 part of Spain is unsuited to its habits, but it is found breeding as 

 far S. as the cork woods of Gibraltar. In Italy it is found in the 

 breeding season chiefly in the mountains, from Calabria northward, and 

 is said to nest in the hills of Sicily and Sardinia, but is apparently absent 

 from Corsica. [In N. Algeria AVitherby found a nest which he ascribed 

 to this species.] 

 Neet. Much controversy has raged as to the position of the nest, but 



undoubtedly the normal site is some little distance from the ground, 

 though occasionally it has been found actually upon it. In the British 

 Isles it is usually found among brambles, ferns, rank vegetation, etc., or 

 in bushes, such as holly, yew or laurel, especially where dead leaves 

 have accumulated. It is sometimes built in ivy on a wall, on trellis 

 work, or in gorse bushes. A nest found in Derbyshire was placed some 

 10 ft. from the ground on trellis against the wall of a house, and Nelson 

 mentions one at the end of a pine branch, 9 ft. high, but these sites 

 are unusual , and the majority of nests are from a few inches to 3 or 

 4 ft. from the ground. In character the nest differs from that of the 

 Willow Warbler, being as a rule more bulky and containing many more 

 dead leaves in the substructure. Moss, stalks, dry grasses, roots, and 

 sometimes lichens are also used, and the interior is warmly lined with 

 feathers. Interesting notes on the courtship of this species will be found 

 in HoAvard's British Warblers, pt. 2. 

 Eggs. Usually 6 in number, but clutches of 5 and 7 are sometimes found. 



The egg is white, more glossy than that of the Willow Warbler as a 

 rule, and finely spotted towards the big end with dark purple brown 

 spots. Frequently the small end is almost unspotted, and occasionally 

 perfectly white eggs are found. Occasionally the spots show a tendency 

 to the red brown type of marking, but many supposed Chiffchaffs' eggs 

 of this type are in all probability only WilloAV Warblers' eggs. Some 

 violet shell markings are generally present. 

 Breeding In the southcm counties the earliest clutches may be taken at the 



Season, beginning of May, but in the Midlands seldom before the 12 May, and 

 in Northumberland usually at the end of the month. Some birds un- 

 doubtedly rear two broods, but many late nests are only second layings 

 of birds which have lost their first clutch. In the case of birds which 

 I had under observation an interval of from 3 to 4 weeks elapsed bet- 

 ween the first and second layings, a remarkable divergence from the 

 habits of other passerine birds. In Germany the eggs are found in May, 

 and second layings early in July (Hey). In Spain the breeding time in 

 the S. is about April 20 (Chapman). Incubation lasts about 13 days, 

 and the young remain 15 days in the nest (Howard). 



