WOOD WARBLER. 349 



dry grass, dead leaves, and some moss, and invariably lined 

 with finer grass and long hairs, but no feathers, which are 

 used as lining to some extent by the other species of this 

 genus, and serve to distinguish their nests, which are also 

 placed on the ground, from that of the Wood "Warbler. 



This bird lays six eggs, white, spotted, and speckled all 

 over, almost hiding the ground colour, with dark purple 

 red and ash colour ; the eggs eight lines in length by six 

 lines in breadth. 



The Wood Warbler is not uncommon in the metro- 

 politan counties, and visits also all those to the south and 

 the west as far as Devonshire ; but though Colonel Mon- 

 tagu includes Cornwall also, I am unable to quote any 

 recent authority for its appearance in that county lately. 



It is found in Wales, but has not been identified to a cer- 

 tainty as a visitor to Ireland. It is rare in Cambridge- 

 shire, as observed by Mr. Jenyns, but is found in Suffolk, 

 Norfolk, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northum- 

 berland ; but I am not aware of any record of its appear- 

 ance in Scotland. M. Nilsson includes this species among 

 the summer visitors to Sweden, but considers it rare ; it is 

 also rare in the more northern parts of Europe generally ; 

 but is common in Germany, Holland, France, and Pro- 

 vence, quitting Genoa and Italy, Sicily and Malta, by the 

 end of September, and passing the winter, according to S. 

 Savi, in Egypt and Asia. 



The adult male has the beak blackish brown, but lighter 

 in colour along the edges of the mandibles ; the irides 

 hazel ; a streak of bright sulphur-yellow passes from the 

 base of the upper mandible, behind the nostril, over the 

 eye, and over the ear-coverts ; the upper part of the ear- 

 coverts, the top of the head, neck, smaller wing-coverts, 

 back, and upper tail-coverts, olive-green, tinged with sul- 

 phur-yellow ; smaller wing-coverts slate-brown, edged with 



