58 BIRDS BROWN ABOVE AND WHITE BELOW. 



catcher. Whilst feeding it continues to utter its 

 cheerful call- note, ' Tui!' Its song distinguishes 

 the Willow - Wren unmistakably from its very 

 similar relatives, the Wood-Wren and the Chiff- 

 Chaff. This song consists of about fourteen notes 

 equally spaced, gradually descending in pitch and 

 diminishing in volume, so as to form a true and 

 exquisitely warbled cadence. 



WOOD-WREN 5i inches ; upper parts greenish-yellow ; 

 under parts pure white, except the throat, which is 

 bright yellow ; sides of neck bright yellow instead of 

 dull white as in the Willow-Wren. Sings in high trees 

 a song opening with a few clearly warbled notes, fol- 

 lowed by a rapid, shivering trill. 



CHIFF-CHAFF 4| inches; dull olive above; dull yellowish- 

 white below ; legs and feet blackish. Note, ' Chiff-chaff! ' 

 No proper song. 



WOOD-WREN. Form, resembling Willow- Wren 

 (plate 27). Length, 5i inches. Upper parts yellow- 

 ish-green ; wing and tail feathers dusky, edged in 

 part with yellowish-green ; bold yellow eye-streak ; 

 under parts white, but clear yellow on the throat ; 

 legs and feet light brown. Summer migrant. 



Eggs. 5-7, white, thickly spotted and zoned with 

 reddish-brown and gray ; '65 x '55 (plate 124). 



Nest. Domed, with the opening at the side, 

 made of dry grass and lined with hair, being placed 

 on the ground in beds of dead leaves, or among grass 

 or weed cover. 



Distribution. General in wooded districts in 

 England and Wales ; rarer in Scotland ; occasional 

 in Ireland. 



