116 WOOD WARBLER. 



a white ground colour, thickly spotted and speckled all over 

 with dark purple, red, and grey, forming a mass at the larger 

 end. Some are, however, much less marked than others. 



Male; length, five inches and nearly a quarter; bill, blackish 

 brown, but lighter in colour along the edges, the upper 

 mandible the darkest, the lower one more of a brownish 

 yellow, the inside of the mouth is orange yellow; a streak 

 of bright yellow passes from the base of the lower mandible 

 over the eye; under it, before and behind the eye, is a brown 

 line. Iris, rich dark brown, eyelids, pale yellow; head on the 

 sides, yellow, tinged with brown and green; on the crown, 

 neck on the back, and nape, olive green, tinged with yellow. 

 Chin, throat, and breast, yellow, the latter on the lower part, 

 white; back, olive green, tinged with yellow. 



The wings, when closed, reach over three fourths of the 

 length of the tail, extending to the width of eight inches and 

 three quarters; the first feather is short, the third the longest 

 in the wing; underneath the wings are grey; greater and 

 lesser wing coverts, greyish brown, edged on the outside webs 

 with yellowish green. Primaries and secondaries, greyish 

 brown, each feather with a narrow outer edge of bright 

 yellowish green, excepting the two first, with faint brownish 

 white; tertiaries, greyish brown, with a broader edge of 

 yellowish white; greater and lesser under wing coverts, greyish 

 brown, margined with pale yellow. The tail, greyish brown, 

 the outer edges of the feathers yellow, excepting the side 

 ones, which are edged with pale brown; the middle pair are 

 rather shorter than the others, making it slightly forked; 

 underneath it is grey; upper tail coverts, olive green, and 

 very long; under tail coverts, white, also very long. Legs, 

 toes, and claws, brown. 



The female closely resembles the male, both in size and 

 appearance, but the dark eye streak is not so distinctly 

 denned. 



As the season advances, the yellow edgings of the wings 

 and tail gradually disappear, and the breast becomes of a 

 a purer white. 



The young, which are completely fledged at the end of 

 June, or beginning of July, when fully grown, resemble their 

 parents in appearance, but the colours are less distinct, and 

 of a lighter tint. Their moult does not take place during 

 their stay in this country. 



Mr. Macgillivray says, 'I have not observed any other vari- 



