WAEBLEES. 307 



olive green or yellow colour. Are principally found in leafy 

 plantations, and all, with the exception of the first, build a 

 thin cup -shaped nest on the ground, under a bush or tree 

 root. Eggs all distinctly and minutely spotted with red or 

 reddish brown, generally on a clear white ground. 



A. Hippolais, Bp. 



Beak very broad at the root, and depressed throughout 

 the whole length ; legs with from four to five notches. 



87. FICEDULA HIPPOLAIS, Keys, and Bias. Bastard Nakter- 



gal. The Melodious Willow Warbler. D. F. 



Length about 5 in. Colour, greenish grey above; 



all the under parts, from the chin to the tail, bright 



yellow; secondaries and side tail feathers with white 



grey edges; legs lead grey. First wing feather 



shorter than the coverts ; second shorter than fourth, 



longer than fifth; third longest; tail square, brown. 



The female scarcely differs in plumage from the male. 



Certainly the finest warbler of this class in Scandinavia, 



and is dispersed throughout the summer (but sparingly) over 



the whole of the south and middle of the country, at least as 



far up as Wermland ; in Norway, north of Trondtheim ; in 



Finland, as far up as Kupio Land. Is seldom met with in 



fir woods, only in such plantations where birch and leafy 



trees are mixed with bushes. 



Of all the warblers, I think this builds the sweetest little 

 nest, and lays the handsomest eggs. I have generally found 

 the nest in June, in a small tree, perhaps four feet from the. 

 ground, placed in a cleft between the branches ; formed of 

 dry grass and leaves, ornamented outwardly with the white 

 outer bark of the birch, and inwardly lined with horse hair. 

 Eggs generally five, larger than those of the wood warbler, 

 rose-red, thinly bestrewed, especially towards the larger end, 

 with round purple-black spots and streaks. 



There is a great resemblance between this warbler and a 

 continental species, "Viellot's willow warbler/' S. Hip- 

 polais (Tern.), Ficedula icterina (Keys, and Bias.) ; and Dr. 



