WARBLERS* 123 



THE WOOD WARBLER, 



(Sylvia sj'lvicola.) 

 PLATE VIII.- FIGURE I. 



THE Wood Warbler, sometimes called the Yellow Warbler, or the 

 Yellow Wood Wren, is one of the most graceful and elegant of our 

 British species. As its scientific name indicates, it is a dweller in 

 woods and plantations, although it may occasionally be seen in sheltered 

 gardens and shrubberies. It frequents lofty trees, especially oaks and 

 beeches, and even in places where it is most abundant, usually confines 

 itself to some spot of limited area a special corner of a wood, or a 

 particular clump of trees. The males arrive in the south of England 

 at the end of April, or the beginning of May, and the females a 

 week or ten days later. A large number take up their residence in 

 the counties along the southern coast, and others find their way into 

 Norfolk, Suffolk, Derbyshire, and Durham. Mr. Selby states that they 

 arrive in Northumberland just as the oak and elm are bursting into 

 leaf. They also visit Wales and Scotland, but have not been observed 

 in Ireland. This species is included by M. Nilsson among the summer 

 visitors to Sweden, but is rare in the northern parts of Europe 

 generally; it is not uncommon in Germany, Holland, France, and 

 Italy, departing from the latter country about the end of September, 

 and passing the winter, according to S. Savi, in Africa and Asia. 



There is little difficulty in observing the habits of the Wood 

 Warbler, as he is by no means shy, and admits of a very near 

 approach. He is very lively and restless, hopping nimbly among the 

 branches of the oaks and beeches, and gliding about amid the leaves 

 with wonderful dexterity, as he searches for his insect food. He often 

 attracts attention by his peculiar note, likened- by Mr. Blyth to the 

 syllables Twit, twit, twit, tit, tit, tit, ti-ti-ti-i-i-i, beginning slow, but gra- 

 dually becoming quicker, until it dies away in a kind of thrill.-" While 

 uttering it, the little Warbler may be seen perched on a lofty bough, 

 with inflated throat, beak pointed upwards, and the feathers of the head 



