360 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



under tail-coverts much as in male ; tail-feathers browner, with the 

 white much duller and less in extent ; wing-feathers and wing- 

 coverts browner with tips and edgings very pale brown or whitish- 

 brown. Moult as in male. Summer. — Moult as in male, after which 

 much like adult winter male, being browner and considerably less 

 barred than summer male and usually with less white in tail. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Whole upper-parts brown, feathers with greyish 

 bases and rusty tips, with no greyish tips even on upper tail -co verts ; 

 lores pale buff ; ear-coverts pale buffish-brown ; chin, throat and 

 belly buffish-white ; breast buff ; flanks and under tail-coverts 

 pale greyish -brown, feathers tipped buff ; tail- and wing-feathers as 

 adult winter female ; greater coverts browii with buff edgings and 

 tips ; median and lesser coverts uniform brown. 



First winter. Male and female. — Like adult winter female 

 but males are perhaps slightly greyer on upper -parts, wings and 

 tail, and females usually have no trace of barring on sides of breast 

 and flanks. The juvenile body -feathers, lesser and median wing- 

 coverts and some inner greater coverts are moulted in July, but not 

 primary-covexi:s or wing- and tail-feathers. Summer. — Moult as 

 in adult, after which there seems no certain distinction. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ -wing 85-91 mm., tail 68-74, 

 tarsus 23-26, bill from skull 14-17 (12 measured.) $ wing 84-90. 

 Primaries : 1st one-third to half as long as primary-coverts, 3rd 

 longest, 2nd occasionally as long but usually as 4th .5-1 mm. shorter, 

 5th 3-5 shorter, 6th 6-8 shorter ; 3rd and 4th distinctly and 5th 

 very slightly, emarginated outer webs. Secondaries equal to or 

 rather shorter than 10th primary, tips rather square. Tail square 

 except that outermost pair are 4-5 mm. shorter, 12 feathers, tips 

 rounded. Bill fairly strong, culmen slightly curved at tip. A good 

 many rictal and nasal bristles. Nostrils not covered by feathers. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark horn, base of lower mandible brownish- 

 flesh ; legs and feet bro^\^lish-grey ; iris pale brownish -yellow. 



Characters and allied forms. — S. n. merzbacheri (west Siberia, 

 Turkestan) is, in the adult summer male, rather paler grey on upper- 

 parts but is often difficult to distingaish. In some plumages might 

 be confused with Orphean Warbler, but longer tail and different 

 wing-formula and whitish tif)s to upper tail-coverts (except in 

 juvenile) distinguish it. 



Field -CHARACTERS. — Distinguished by its large size and pale colora- 

 tion and comparatively long tail. Slight barring of young bird in 

 autumn is not noticeable in the field. Rather skulking in habits 

 (H.F.W.). 



Breeding-habits. — Nests in hedges, low bushes or scrub as a rule 

 within a few feet of ground and only exceptionally at a height above 

 it. Nest. — Built of bents and grasses, lined horsehair and fine 



