THE YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER. 95 



of a few feet from one part of the hedge to another, generally alighting about 

 half way up, and then hopping to the top, and singing its little song repeatedly. 

 A short distance (only a few yards) away another was singing, and behaving in 

 the same way, and two others with precisely the same actions, but not singing, 

 were with them. All four were of the same species : they appeared to be as nearly 

 as possible, intermediate between a Gold-crest and Willow Warbler, so far as I 

 could make out the colouring : this was rather difficult to do, on account of viewing 

 the birds against the sky, as the hedge was on rather a high bank and they kept 

 on the outer side of the hedge. They were olive-greyish-green, or rather olive- 

 greenish-grey, with utiderparts lighter and a distinct pale stripe running from the 

 beak over the eye and beyond it ; the wings (basal half) appeared covered by the 

 side and flank feathers. They reminded me of the Gold-crest, but were not so 

 small or so fluffy, they appeared rather more trim in shape, but more plump in 

 proportion than the Willow Warbler. The song was well in keeping with the little 

 birds and I found no difficulty in noting it, as I repeated it time after time with 

 the birds (which appeared very tame) and by many repetitions I was satisfied I 

 hit it off accurately : this enabled my wife to set it to music, which will convey 

 the character of the birds simple, but merry and pleasing little song. 



Scherzando. emp. 



SOPRANO. 



Apparently these little strangers were on migration, as I saw nothing more of 

 them, although I searched the locality daily afterwards. 



I have little doubt that these birds were Yellow-browed Warblers (Phylloscopus 

 superciliosusj ; if not, what were they ? I do not know if the song of this rare 

 little bird has been described, or if any Ornithologist is acquainted with it; if so 

 the species might be identified with certainty. As well as I remember these birds 

 agreed in size and character with a drawing the late John Hancock showed me, 

 made by him from a specimen of the Yellow-browed Warbler which he shot many 

 years ago and which was the first British specimen : his drawing represented the 

 bird clinging to the flower-head or seeds of a plant, picking the insects from it, 

 and he said it looked so like a Gold-crest that he mistook it for that species ; but, 

 upon shooting it, found he had gained a prize. 



I regret that I had 110 means with me at the time of securing a specimen 

 out of the four I met with, so as to remove all doubt of the species : I should 

 have had no difficxilty in obtaining one or more, had I had my catapult at the 



