THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 289 



a restless, almost nervous, manner, and is incessantly uttering cries. 

 Its plumage, moreover, is of firmer texture ; and the structure of 

 its nest, which is now known as well as its eggs, is similar to those 

 of the other Warblers, and not at all like that of the Golden- 

 crested Wren. It was probably its small size, combined with the 

 light wing-markings, which induced observers to include the first 

 examples of this species amongst the Crested Wrens ; observation 

 of the bird in nature in no way justifies such a position. I myself, 

 accordingly, noted the first examples of this species obtained and 

 observed here, which at that time were quite unknown to me, under 

 the name Sylvia (Ficedula) in my Ornithological Journal ; nor has 

 any of the older shooters, nor of the younger blowpipe sportsmen 

 of Heligoland, ever thought of applying to this bird any other name 

 than that of ' Straked Fliegenbitter,' i.e. Striped Warbler. 



It is owing to the tendency exhibited by this bird for selecting 

 as its habitat the small gardens between the houses, where a gun 

 can only rarely be called into requisition, that of the individuals 

 observed on the island such a comparatively small number is 

 secured ; moreover, under such conditions, one is generally obliged 

 to shoot at a very short distance, and hence it unfortunately too 

 often happens that, though one may scarcely use half the usual 

 charge, this interesting visitor is frequently so much damaged as 

 to be quite useless for preserving. 



Apart from this, it is by no means easy to get a shot at the little 

 stranger ; for there are few birds which are so clever in covering 

 themselves, as they hop through the bushes, with branches and 

 foliage in sufficient quantity to render a successful shot impossible. 



The whole of the upper plumage of this species is of a beauti- 

 fully fresh olive-greenish yellow (olivengelbgruri), the colour being 

 somewhat darker on the top of the head, and somewhat more yellow 

 on the rump. The under parts are pure whitish sulphur-yellow 

 (weisslich schwefelgelb), the belly and under tail-coverts being 

 nearly white. A very broad sharply-defined light sulphur-yellow 

 eye-streak, extending to the nape, and two broad bands of the same 

 colour across the wing, distinguish the bird from all its European 

 congeners, with the exception of the species next to be described, 

 which, in its turn, is principally distinguishable by the broad 

 pure yellow marking of the rump. 



In the older males the markings of the head, wings, and upper 

 breast are of a purer and lighter yellow, and there is a fairly distinct 

 lighter streak on the centre of the crown of the head, extending 

 from the base of the bill to the nape of the neck. In the less 

 handsome specimens there is only a faint indication of this mark- 

 ing, while females and young birds have not even a trace of it. In 



T 



