THE ICTERINE WARBLER. 353 



Soft parts. Bill brown, lower mandible yellow (inside mouth 

 bright orange) ; legs and feet lead-blue ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS. No subspecies. 2nd primary being longer than 5th 

 distinguishes it from H. polyglotta, the only other Hypolais with 

 yellow under-parts. 



FIELD-CHARACTERS. The Icterine and Melodious Warblers attract 

 attention at once by their peculiar songs and bright yellow colour- 

 ing of under-parts, which at once distinguish them from all allied 

 species on British List. Icterine is the larger, and male has an 

 extraordinary song, uttered with great energy, generally while bird 

 is in motion among the branches, lacking in melody, made up for 

 by vehemence (F.C.R.J.). 



BREEDING-HABITS. Breeds in gardens, osier-beds, hedgerows, etc., 

 placing neatly built nest in fork of bough, often of lilac, syringa or 

 osier, from 4 to 8 ft . from ground as a rule . Nest. Built of vegetable 

 down, grasses, wool, etc., interwoven with bark-fibre or roots, 

 decorated outside with birch-bark or bits of paper, and lined grass, 

 roots and hair, sometimes feathers. Eggs. 4-5, rarely 6, ground 

 dull rose or very pale pinkish-violet, sparingly spotted and streaked 

 black. Average of 142 eggs, 18.3 X 13.4 mm. Breeding-season. 

 From end May or early June : mid- June in Scandinavia. 

 Incubation. 13 days ; by both sexes. 



FOOD. Chiefly insects and their larvae: coleoptera, diptera, lepi- 

 doptera (smaller moths), orthopteia (earwigs). Saunders says 

 " principally insects and small snails," the latter presumably picked 

 off plants. Ripe fruit (cherries and currants) freely eaten, also 

 berries of elder and bird-cherry. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. Fifteen obtained and others seen, 

 mostly Sept., but one Aug., three June, two May and one April. 

 Isle of Wight (St. Catherine's Light) one ; Sussex three ; Kent two 

 obtained and two seen, and one seen Kentish Knock Lt.-v. ; 

 Norfolk seven procured, two seen (all north coast) ; Yorks. one 

 taken, another seen ; Northumberland one. Scotland. Fair 

 Isle (Shetlands), one June 1908, three June 1911, five Aug. 1912, 

 one May 1913, one June 1914 ; Lerwick (Shetland) one May 1910 ; 

 Pentland Skerries (Orkneys) two June 1914. Ireland. One 

 Dunsinea (Dublin), June 8, 1856 ; one Tuskar Rock (Wexford), 

 Sept. 2, 1914. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Greater part of Europe (except extreme 

 north, west France, Spain, and Greece), and perhaps north-west 

 Africa (north Algeria) where however breeding not certain and 

 probably only late migrant ; wintering in tropical Africa. 



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