370 SYLVIAS. 



reddish ; head, cheeks, neck, back, and upper tail-coverts, 

 greyish black ; the wing-coverts, wing, and tail-feathers, 

 blackish brown, with rather lighter-coloured edges ; the 

 chin chestnut brown, with specks of dull white ; throat, 

 breast, and sides, chestnut brown, without spots ; the edge 

 of the wing between the carpal joint and the spurious wing- 

 feathers, white ; belly white ; under surface of the wings, 

 under tail-coverts, and the under surface of the tail-feathers, 

 slate-grey ; the tail in shape cuneiform, the outer feathers 

 on each side being three-eighths of an inch shorter than 

 those in the middle, and edged as well as tipped with 

 lighter grey; legs and toes pale reddish brown; claws 

 darker brown. 



Whole length rather more than five inches, the tail- 

 feathers alone being nearly half the whole length of the 

 bird. The wing very short, from the carpal joint to the 

 end of the longest primary only two inches : the first quill- 

 feather very short ; the second equal in length to the 

 seventh : the third equal to the sixth ; the fourth and fifth 

 also equal, and the longest in the wing. 



Females and young birds are more tinged with brown 

 above, and of a lighter rufous colour beneath. The irides 

 of young birds are yellowish. 



By the exertions and perseverance of Mr. Larkham of 

 Roehampton, I am enabled to add as a vignette to the 

 Chiff Chaff last described, an exact representation of the 

 nest of the Dartford Warbler, which was taken from a spe- 

 cimen obtained on Wimbledon Common during the month 

 of May, 1838, after watching the birds for some hours 

 every day for a fortnight. 



