THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 



Warblers, bits of cobweb and cocoons are used to bind the 

 materials together. The five or six eggs are white, some- 

 times suffused with blue or red, in ground colour, clouded 

 and blotched with various shades of brown and grey, and 

 occasionally scratched with very dark brown. Both sexes 

 incubate, and the sitting bird frequently shows great 

 fearlessness at the nest. 



The adult male Blackcap has the forehead and crown 

 jet-black, the remainder of the upper parts grey, suffused 

 with olive on the quills and tail ; the under parts are 

 pale bluish grey, becoming nearly white on the abdomen. 

 The female resembles the male in general coloration, 

 but her forehead and crown are chestnut-brown. Bill 

 dark brown ; tarsi and toes lead-colour ; irides brown. 

 Length 5f inches. The young of both sexes resemble 

 the female in colour. 



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