THE MELODIOUS WARBLER. 355 



Measurements and structure. — ^^ wing 64-69 mm., tail 49-55, 

 tarsus 19-22, bill from skull 12-14.5 (12 measured). 9. wing 63-66. 

 Primaries : 1st 2-8 mm. longer than longest primary-covert, 3rd and 

 4th longest, 5th occasionally as long, usually .5-2 mm. shorter, 6th 

 2-5 shorter, 2nd usually between 6th and 7th, occasionally between 

 5th and 6th or 7th and 8th ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. 

 Other structure as in H. icterina. 



Soft parts. — -Bill dark broAATii, lower mandible yellowish- 

 flesh (inside mouth bright orange) ; legs and feet grey, tinged 

 olive ; iris dark brown. 



Characters. — -No subspecies. 2nd primary being shorter than 

 5th distinguishes it from H. icterina, besides other differences in 

 wing-formula and shorter wing. 



Field-characters. — Lemon-yellow colouring of under -parts dis- 

 tinguish this species from all allies except Icterine. Melodious 

 Warbler is rather smaller, slightly darker on crowTi and wings, 

 and has a different song, less vehement and persistent (F.C.R.J.). 



Breeding-habits.— Breeds usually in bushes by side of streams, 

 but occasionally in scrub on hillsides. Nest. — Neatly built of 

 vegetable down and grasses, lined with down, roots, hair and 

 occasionally feathers, placed in fork of bush about 3 to 5 ft. from 

 ground. Eggs. — Normally 4, sometimes only 3, and occasionally 5. 

 Ground-colour dull rose with violet tinge, varpng in depth, and 

 black spots and streaks. Average of 100 eggs, 17.7 x 13.2 mm. 

 Breeding-season. — -Latter half May onwards in south Europe. 

 Apparently two broods, second late June. 



Food. — Chiefly insects and their larvae : few definite data available, 

 Diptera freely taken ; Lynes found hymenoptera (ants), and J. H. 

 Stenhouse flies, small beetles and grasshoppers in stomach. 



Distribution. — England. — Only three obtained. Male, Burwash 

 (Sussex), April 30, 1897 (N. F. Ticehurst, ZooL, 1897, p. 333). 

 Male, Ninfield (Sussex), May 10, 1900 (W. R. Butterfield, Ibis, 

 1900, p. 569). Male near Sandplace, Looe (CornwaU), May 12, 1905 

 (J. Clark, ZooL, 1907, p. 282). This, or the Icterine, several times 

 reported as seen and heard singing, notably in Pembroke in summer 

 1886, and in south-east Devon near Lyme Regis in May, 1897, 

 and in some numbers in May, 1898, when they were said to be 

 nesting. Eggs, apparently of this, but possibly of preceding 

 species, were taken at Lancing (Sussex) about 1893, and near 

 Croydon (Surrey) in 1884. Scotland. — Female, Isle of May (Forth), 

 Sept. 27, 1913 (E. V. Baxter and L. J. Rintoul, Scot. Nat., 1913, 

 p. 273). Ireland.— One, Old Head Light, Kinsale (Cork), Sept. 23, 

 1905 (R. M. Barrington, Irish Nat., 1906, p. 157). One said to have 

 been seen and heard singing at Coollatin (Wicklow), May, 1886. 



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