THE YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER. 315 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Like adult but considerably browner on upper- 

 parts and slightly tinged with greyish-buff on under-parts and 

 tips of greater and median wing-coverts tinged buff. 



First winter. Like adult. The juvenile body -feathers and 

 lesser wing-coverts are moulted in Aug. but not rest of wings nor 

 tail-feathers. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 55-60 mm., tail 38^44, 

 tarsus 17-18.5, bill from skull 9-10.5 (12 measured). <J> wing 

 52-57. Primaries : 1st 3-7 mm. longer than longest primary- 

 covert, 3rd to 5th about equal and longest, 6th 1.5-3 shorter, 

 7th 4-7 shorter, 2nd between 7th and 8th, very rarely slightly 

 longer than 7th ; 3rd to 6th emarginated outer webs. Extreme 

 tips of wing- and tail-leathers sharply pointed. Rest of structure 

 as Chiffchaff. 



Soft parts. Bill brown, with basal three-quarters of lower 

 mandible straw-colour ; legs and feet greyish-brown ; iris dark 

 brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. Ph. h. humei (Altai, north- 

 west Himalayas) has browner upper -parts and somewhat isabelline 

 tinge in eye-stripe and under-parts, Ph. h. mandellii (eastern 

 Himalayas) is rather bigger with longer tail. Small size, very 

 distinct double wing-bar, pale edges to inner secondaries, pale 

 line down centre of crown and green rump distinguish it from 

 other British Phylloscopi. N.B. Wing-pattern much resembles 

 that of Goldcrest, but easily distinguished from juvenile of latter 

 by its yellow eye-stripe and other differences. 



FIELD -CHARACTERS. Small size, light green above and white 

 below as well as prominent superciliary stripe and wing-pattern 

 are all noticeable characters and make it quite easy to distinguish 

 (H. Lynes). 



BREEDING-HABITS. Breeds on ground among moss and grass, 

 sometimes among rhododendron bushes. Nest. Domed, built 

 of dead grasses and lined deer hair. Eggs. 5 to 7. White, with 

 fine spots of dark red-brown, chiefly at big end. Average of 4 

 eggs, 14.8 x 11.2 mm. Breeding-season. End of June or early 

 July. 



FOOD. Small insects (Lynes). Detailed information wanting. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Formerly considered rare vagrant, 

 has lately been so often recorded on east coasts Great Britain and 

 in Fair Isle that it may now be considered as an almost regular 

 passage-migrant in very small numbers (more numerous some years 

 than others) along east coast from mid-Sept, to late Oct. Has 

 also occurred very rarely in west and once in Ireland. Two seen in 

 spring (Kent, April 15, 1899, Dumfries., April 11, 1909). Following 



