THE ST. HILDA WEEN. 495 



and remarkably loud for size of bird . A sharp clicking " chit, chit," 

 used by old and yonng, functions as call and alarm-note, but under 

 stress of excitement a hoarse " ter-tzer-tzererrrr " is uttered. 



Breeding-habits. — ^Found almost everywhere from sea -level up 

 to mountain -tops. Nest. — ^Li very varied sites ; in hedges, iyx, 

 banks, sides of stacks, thatch, old nests of other birds (Sparrow, 

 Swallow, House-Martin) crevices of rock, and holes of trees. Bu It 

 of moss, dead grass, dead leaves, bracken, etc., neatly domed with 

 rounded entrance at side and lined warmly with feathers. Male 

 buikls several nests, but lining is only added by the female to that 

 which is used for breeding. Eggs. — Usually 5-6, sometimes 7, 

 occasionally 8 to 11 and even 14 and 10 on record, white, spotted 

 rather s^jaringly with bro\\Tiish-red chiefly at big end. Markings 

 sometimes absent or almost so. Average of 100 eggs, 16.5 X 12.5 

 mm. Br ceding -season. — From latter half April onward : double 

 brooded. Incubation. — Period 14-16 days from last egg (W. Evans). 



Food. — Insects : coleoptera, lepidoptera (larvae of Geometrae and 

 Noctuae) diptera (larvae of Tipulidae), neuroptera, etc. Also spiders, 

 aphides and seeds. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. Generally distributed, 

 except where replaced by local forms {ut infra). 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Passage-movements along east coast 

 (Orloxeys to Channel) (only one record Fair Isle and none certain 

 Shetlands) mid-Sept, to mid-No v. and west coast (Hebrides to 

 N. Wales and north, east and west coasts Ireland) same period. 

 Emigration from south coast England and Ireland with passage 

 through Channel Islands, whether of British residents, jDassage- 

 migrants or both uncertain, second week Oct. to first week Nov. 

 Weather-movements in winter Orknej^s and western isles frequent. 

 Return migration lasts to early May, beginning in western isles and 

 Orkneys in early March, but not recorded as yet from elsewhere on 

 east, west and south coasts or south-east coast Ireland till second 

 week April. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe from north Scandinavia to 

 Urals in east, and shores of Mediterranean, but rej^laced by allied 

 forms on some islands in north Atlantic Ocean, in Mediterranean, 

 north-west Africa, Caucasus and Persia, Turkestan, and other parts 

 of north and east Asia to Japan and Kuriles, as well as North 

 America. 



202. Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis Seeb. — THE ST. KILDA 



WREN. 



Troglodytes hirtensis Seebohm, Zoologist, 1884, p. 333 (St. Kilda). 

 Troglodytes 'parv^dus K. L. Koch, Yarrell, i. p. 400 (part) ; Saunders, 

 p. 115 (part) ; T. t. hirtensis Seeb., Hartert, Brit. B., i, p. 219. 



