306 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Food. — Eggs, larvae and imagines of insects, mainly coleoptera, 

 diptera, and smaller lepidoptera, chiefly from hedgerows and 

 bushes : also aphides, spiders, etc. Elder berries and currants 

 eaten in autumn (Naumann). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Summer-resident, abundant and 

 widely distributed, but somewhat local Cornwall, local north 

 Caithness, local Skye, but common in other I. Hebrides ; has 

 nested very rarely 0. Hebrides and Shetlands, but is seen on spring 

 and autumn passage in these islands, as weD as Fair Isle and 

 Orkneys. Also abundant passage -mi grant on south, west, and 

 east coasts England, and east coast Scotland. Occasionally stays 

 winter in south (rarely in north) England and in Ireland. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Early arrivals from third week March 

 onwards (early dates March 9, 10, 11). Main arrival of summer- 

 residents begins second week April and becomes merged in move- 

 ments of passage-migrants that start at same time and last to 

 first week June. Departure of summer-residents begins last week 

 July and lasts to end Sept. Passage-migration, early Aug. to end 

 first week Oct. Stragglers fairly frequent up to Oct. 22nd (late 

 date Nov. 5). ^ 



Distribution. — Abroad.— From Lapland, Finland, Scandinavia, 

 and north Russia throughout west, central, and south Europe, 

 except in Balkan Peninsula. In winter in Africa, in small numbers 

 in Mediterranean countries. Passage-migiant Cana^-ies : casual 

 Madeira. Replaced in north -east Russia and Siberia by Ph. t. 

 eversmanni. 



127. Phylloscopus trochilus eversmanni (Bp.) — THE 

 NORTHERN WILLOW-WARBLER. 



Phyllopneuste eversmani (corr. eversmanni) Bonaparte, Consp. Gen, 

 Av., I, p. 289 (1850 — Ex Eversmann, Addenda. Actual typical 

 locality : Kazan and Orenburg). 



Phylloscopus trochilus eversmanni (Bonap.), C. B. Ticehurst, Bull. B.O.C., 

 xxm, p. 20 ; c/. Brit. B., 11, pp. 234, 342, v, p. 28). 



Description (Plate 11).- -Adult male and female. Winter. — Like 

 Ph. t. trochilus and impossible to distinguish satisfactorily but 

 usually rather browner and less green on upper-parts. Moult 

 as in Ph. t. trochilus. Summer. — Moult as in Ph. t. trochilus after 

 which it is considerably browner and less green than the typical 

 form on upper-parts ; eye-stripe whiter ; ear-coverts and sides 

 of neck broAvn and white ; under-parts whiter, less marked with 

 yellow ; under wing-coverts and axillaries yeUow to pale yellow 

 (occasionally whitish). Lidividuals vary, some (especially more 

 eastern examples) having scarcely any green on upper-parts and 

 having no yellow on under -j)arts (except under wing) and eye- 



