WOOD WARBLER. 327 



food appears to be insects and their larvae ; some are taken 

 on the wing, and others are sought for among the upper 

 foliage of trees. The nest is oval, and domed over, always 

 placed on the ground among herbage, and is formed of 

 dry grass, dead leaves, and some moss, and invariably 

 lined with finer grass and long hairs, but no feathers, 

 which are used as lining to some extent by both the other 

 species of this genus, and serve to distinguish their nests, 

 which are also placed on the ground, from that of the 

 Wood Warbler. 



This bird lays six eggs, white, spotted, and speckled all 

 over, almost hiding the ground colour, with dark purple 

 red and ash colour ; the eggs eight lines in length by six 

 lines in breadth. 



The Wood Warbler is not uncommon in the metro- 

 politan counties, and visits also all those to the south and 

 the west as far as Devonshire ; but though Colonel Mon- 

 tagu includes Cornwall also, I am unable to quote any 

 recent authority for its appearance in that county lately. 

 It is found in Wales, but has not been identified to a cer- 

 tainty as a visitor to Ireland. It is rare in Cambridge- 

 shire, as observed by Mr. Jenyns, but is found in Suffolk, 

 Norfolk, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northum- 

 berland ; but I am not aware of any record of its appear- 

 ance in Scotland. M. Nilsson includes this species among 

 the summer visitors to Sweden, but considers it rare ; it is 

 also rare in the more northern parts of Europe generally ; 

 but is common in Germany, Holland, France, and Pro- 

 vence, quitting Genoa and Italy, Sicily and Malta, by the 

 end of September, and passing the winter, according to S. 

 Savi, in Egypt and Asia. 



The adult male has the beak blackish brown, but lighter 

 in colour along the edges of the mandibles ; the irides 



