MARSH-WARBLER. 



379 



on the large end of the egg, sometimes so thickly as to almost conceal the 

 ground-colour. They vary in length from '8 to '65 inch, and in breadth 

 from '59 to '52 inch. 



The Marsh-Warbler has the general colour of the upper parts varying 

 from olive-brown in spring plumage to earthy brown in summer plumage, 

 with a scarcely perceptible shade of rufons after the autumn moult, slightly 

 paler on the rump ; the eye-stripe is nearly obsolete ; and the innermost 

 secondaries have broad ill-defined pale edges. The breast, flanks, and under 

 tail-coverts are pale buff, shading into nearly white on the chin, throat, and 

 the centre of the belly. After the autumn moult the underparts are suffused 

 with buff. Bill dark brown above, pale below; legs, feet, and claws pale 

 horn-colour ; iricles hazel. 



Freshly moulted birds of this species may always be distinguished from 

 Reed- Warblers by the colour of the rump. In the Marsh- Warbler it is 

 olive-brown, and in the Reed-Warbler russet-brown. There is no diffe- 

 rence in the wing-formula of these two species. 



