472 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRTTISH BIRDS. 



Juvenile. — Like that of Nightingale but upper -parts less rutous ; 

 tail and wings darker and less rufous and spots at tips of innermost 

 secondaries and wing -co verts paler. 



First winter. Male and female. — Like adults, except for pale 

 spots at tips of innermost secondaries and outer half of greater 

 coveits. The juvenile body -feathers, lesser, median and inner 

 half of greater wing -co verts are moulted July-Aug., but not remiges, 

 rectrices, primary-coverts nor outer half of greater wing-coverts. 

 Summer. — Pale tips of innermost secondaries and outer greater 

 coverts are usually not all worn off. 



Meojiurements and structure. — (^ wing 84-92 mm. (one 95), 

 tail 63-71, tarsus 25-28, bill from skull 16-17 (12 measured). $ 

 wing 83-90. Primaries : 1st minute and about half primary- 

 coverts, 3rd longest, 2nd and 4th 2-5 mm. shorter, 5th 7-10 shorter, 

 6th 9-14 shorter ; 3rd emarginated outer web. Secondaries nearly 

 as long as 10th primary, tips fairly square. Rest of structure as 

 Nightingale. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark brown, base of lower mandible pale 

 brown ; legs and feet pale broMai ; iris dark brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Dark colour and different wing- 

 structure distinguish it from other Nightingales. 



Field-characters.- — Appearance same as Common Nightingale's, 

 but at close quarters spotted breast and more olivaceous colour 

 can be recognized. Song more powerful than Nightingale "s, and 

 the flute-like "piou" represented by marvellously pure, bell-like 

 notes. Although the song is often intermingled with a rasping 

 "dserr," it is altogether more solemn and more beautiful than 

 Nightingale's, and cannot be mistaken for that of latter. (E.H.) 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts marshy woodlands, nesting on stump 

 or among low bushes near ground, and well hidden. Nest. — Built 

 with characteristic foundation of dead leaves, of bents, stalks, etc., 

 and lined with finer grasses. Eggs. — Usually 4-5, similar in type 

 and range of colour to Nightingale. Average of 72 eggs, 21.7 X 

 16.2 mm. Breeding -season. — Varies according to latitude from 

 early May to June. Incubation. — No reliable field observations, 

 but in confinement period 13 days, by hen only (Teschemaker). 

 Apparently single brooded. 



Food. — Chiefl}^ worms and larvae of insects, especially coleoptera, 

 and lepidoptera and pupae of hymenoptera (ants). Berries of elder, 

 etc., also eaten (Naumann). 



Distribution. — Scotland. — One Fair Isle (Shetlands), May 15, 

 1911 {ut supra). [One at Smeeth (Kent) Oct. 22, 1904 (M. J. Nicoll, 

 Bull. B.O.C., XV, p. 20) was considered an unlikely genuine migrant 

 owing to the late date (c/. Hartert, t.c, p. 47 ; Saunders, Brit. B., i, 

 p. 8). Another said to have been taken Norfolk, June 5, 1845, 



