ORPHEAN WARBLER. 425 



tions in Algeria the nests of each are very similarly placed 

 and constructed, though that of the present species is more 

 compact and thicker. The eggs are four or five in number, 

 of a french-white, with small blotches of pale grey and 

 irregular spots and specks of deep brown inclining to 

 yellowish. They ordinarily measure from *78 to '76 by 

 from *56 to *53 in., but it has been remarked by Mr. 

 Saunders that, in Southern Spain, " about three nests out of 

 five contain one egg almost as large as that of the Wood- 

 chat, and also one rather smaller than the average." Mr. 

 Salvin states that the note of this species "is pleasing, but 

 hardly so as to entitle it to the name of the Orphean 

 Warbler ; " and MM. Jaubert and Barthelemy-Lapommeraye 

 say much the same of its song. Its food is varied ; beetles 

 and caterpillars were found in the stomach of a cock bird 

 obtained by Strickland in Zante, 18th May, 1836 ; but in 

 autumn it is said in France to eat berries, and is then 

 regarded as a great delicacy for the table. 



The male in spring has the bill black, with the base of 

 the lower mandible yellowish : irides whitish : the top of 

 the head, around the eyes and the ear-coverts, deep sooty- 

 black, which, after the autumnal moult, changes to dark 

 grey, darkest on the forehead and ear-coverts ; neck, back, 

 scapulars and upper tail-coverts, ash-grey ; wing-quills clove- 

 brown, with lighter edges, the shafts darker brown ; the outer 

 pair of tail-quills have the inner web brown, the outer 

 white, the dark shaft being very conspicuous ; the next pair 

 have a whitish triangular patch at the tip ; the third pair 

 are slightly tipped with white ; the rest are of a very dark 

 slaty-brown with still darker bars ; the throat, breast and 

 belly white, tinged on the sides with grey ; flanks, and lower 

 wing- and tail- coverts buffy- white ; tail beneath ash-grey : 

 legs and toes dark brown ; claws nearly black. 



The whole length is six inches and three-eighths ; bill, 

 from the point to the gape, nearly seven-eighths ; wing, from 

 the carpal joint to the tip, three inches; the second pri- 

 mary shorter than the fourth, but longer than the fifth. 



Milner described the female in his possession as having 



VOL. i. 3 i 



