304 



and others have zones of small spots round the big end. As the hen sits 

 very closely identification is not difficult and is indispensable. 

 Breeding Altliough cggs havc bccu taken as early as the middle of May and 



Season. 



once on May 9 in S. England, the usual date is towards the end of the 

 month or early in June, lley says in Germany eggs are seldom found 

 before May 10: often up to the end of June or July. In Spain Irby 

 found eggs on May 10. Only one brood is reared and the late nests are 

 apparently those of birds which have been robbed. Incubation lasts 13 

 days: Bau says the male relieves the hen in the middle of the day. 

 Measure- Avcragc of 100 cggs (50 by Rey and 50 by the writer), 20.05x14.69, 



Max. 23x14.8 and 19x16, Min. 18x14.6 and 19x13.4. A double egg 

 measures 23.8x16.4 (Rey) and dwarfs measure 14.5x12, 16.2x13.2 etc. 

 Average weight, 140 mg. (Hey.) 



145. Blackcap, Sylvia atricapiila (L.) 

 Plate 27, fig. 11—15 (Germany). 



Eggs: Thienemann, Fortpfl. Tab. XX, fig. 1, a — d. Hewitson, I 

 Ed. I. pi. XLII fig. 3; II Ed. pi. XXVII, fig. 1,2: III Ed. pi. XXXIV, 

 fing. 1,2, Baedeker, Tab. 51, fig. 12. Taczanowski, Tab XL VIII, fig. 

 2. Seebohm, Br. Birds, pi. 10: id. Col. Fig. pi. 52. Frohawk, Br. Birds, 

 pi. II. fig. 38—41. Cat. Eggs Br. Mus., IV. pi. VIII, fig. 114. 

 Dresser, pi. — , fig. 19 — 21, Howard, Br. AVarhlers, pi. Ill, fig. 1 — 12. 

 Nest: O. Lee, IV. p. 126. 



British Local Names: Blackcap Peggy, Coal Hoodie. Welsh: 

 Peiiddii. Foreign Names: Bohemia: Cernolddvek. Denmark and Nor- 

 way: Mimk. Finland: Muslapad-Kerttu,. France: Fauvette a tete noire. 

 Germany: Moiich-Grasmiicke. Holland: Zwartkop. Hungary: Bardtka 

 poszdta. Italy: Capinera. Poland: Pokryivka czarnogtowka. Portugal: 

 Tidinegra real. Russia: Tscliernoyolowka. Spain: Pulverilla. Sweden: 

 Svarthufvad Sdngare. 



Sylvia atricapiila L. Newton, ed. Yarroll, I. p. 418. Dresser, B. of 

 Europe, II. p. 421 and Man. Pal. Birds p. 84. Saunders, Man. p. 47. 

 S. atricapiila atricapiila (L.) Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 583. 



Breeding Range: The British Isles, Continental Europe (except 



the high North), and the Mediterranean Islands. [Also the Cape Verde 



Isles, the Azores and in N. W. Africa, Asia Minor, Palestine and AV. 



Persia.] 



British jjj England this species is on the whole generally distributed but is 



Isles. _ ' 



much commoner in some of the home counties than further north, and 

 is scarce in W. Cornwall, Lincolnshire and the Sol way coast; while in 



