PALLAS'S WARBLER. 317 



apparently not wing -feathers, wing-coverts or tail-feathers. New 

 plumage as winter. Tips to wing-coverts frequently become 

 much reduced by wear during summer. 



Nestling. (Not examined). 



Juvenile. Like adult but crown dark sooty-brown with eye- 

 stripe and median -stripe much less distinct than in adult and pale 

 buff not so yellow ; mantle, scapulars and back brown with only 

 a tinge of green ; rump white tinged buff ; tips of wing-coverts 

 and edgings of inner secondaries yellowish-buff ; axillaries yellow 

 as adult but rest of under -parts pale buff. 



First winter. Apparently like adult but tips to wing-coverts 

 not so yellow more buffish -white. The juvenile body-plumage 

 and apparently median and lesser coverts and perhaps some of 

 the inner greater coverts and innermost secondaries are moulted 

 in early autumn, but not rest of wings or tail. N.B. No specimen 

 actually moulting from juvenile to first winter has been available 

 for examination. 



Measurements and structure. wing 49-56 mm., tail 35-42, 

 tarsus 16-17, bill from skull 8-9 (12 measured). $ wing 47-55. 

 Primaries. 1st 5-8 mm. longer than longest primary -co vert, 

 4th and 5th equal and longest, 3rd .5-1.5 shorter, 6th 1-3 shorter, 

 7th 4-6 shorter, 2nd between 7th and 9th ; 3rd to 6th emarginated 

 outer webs. Extreme tips of wing- and tail-feathers sharply 

 pointed as in Ph. h. prcemium. Rest of structure as Chiffchaff. 



Soft parts. Bill dark brown with basal part of lower mandible 

 yellowish ; legs and feet sepia ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. Ph. p. newtoni (Himalayas) 

 has a deeper yellow eye-stripe and usually 2nd primary is shorter. 

 Most like Ph. h. prcemium but eye-stripe, stripe down middle of 

 crown and tips of wing-coverts brighter yellow and easily dis- 

 tinguished from this and all other British Phylloscopi by its yellow 

 rump. 



FIELD -CHARACTERS. Yellow rump at once very obvious except 

 when wings are closed, but one usually sees it hovering with rapidly 

 whirring wings searching for insects among outer foliage. This 

 habit and very small size make it look like a Regulus. When 

 amongst thick foliage very difficult to find, and must generally first 

 be located by its small soft but quite Phyllosc" opine " weesp >r 

 (H. Lynes). 



BREEDING-HABITS. A forest breeding form, nesting on boughs 

 of moss-covered pines at 9-12 t. from ground. Nest. Domed,, 

 built of green moss and grass, lined feathers. Eggs. 5-6, white 

 spotted dark red, generally with zone. Average size from 15 X 

 10.5 to 14 x 11 mm. Breeding-season. Mid-June. 



FOOD. Insects, chiefly taken from trees or on the wing. Lynes. 

 records small diptera and hymenoptera (flying ants). 



