MELODIOUS WILLOW WARBLER. 359 



builds its nest at a considerable elevation, sometimes near 

 the top in tall bushes, or young trees. Dr. Schinz, who 

 has included, in his work already referred to, a coloured 

 figure of the nest, represents it as supported on two slender 

 horizontal branches, and placed but a short distance from 

 a small upright stem, not more than half an inch in dia- 

 meter, the coloured bark of which is similar to that of our 

 cherry-tree. This nest is open at the top, cup-shaped, the 

 bottom and sides made up of long grass bents and long 

 hairs interlaid and wound round together, the inside lined 

 with fine roots, hairs and bits of wool. The egg pale 

 pinkish white, speckled with dark or purplish red. The 

 eggs of this bird also differ a little in their ground colour 

 from those of our other Willow Warblers. They are most 

 correctly represented in Mr. Hewitson's work, and they are 

 also figured by Thienemann, PI. 19, fig. 4. 



The food of this species consists chiefly of various cater- 

 pillars, and small insects. 



The bill is brown above, the under mandible paler, its 

 base yellowish white ; from the gape to the eye a small 

 streak of yellow ; irides brown ; top of the head, neck, and 

 all the back to the ends of the upper tail-coverts green, 

 tinged with ash-brown; upper wing-coverts, wing, and 

 tail-feathers, darker ash-brown, with rather broad lighter- 

 coloured external edges ; chin, neck, and all the under 

 surface of the body sulphur yellow ; legs and toes slate 

 colour. 



The whole length of the bird is five inches and one 

 quarter ; the wing, from the anterior bend, two inches and 

 three quarters. 



It maybe mentioned that this species is the true hippolais 

 of continental authors, and that the hippolais of most Bri- 

 tish writers is the rufa of the Continent, the species next 

 to be described. 



