SYLVIA1XE. 101 



lilacs or laurustinus growing in a shrubbery at some 

 distance from the water.* 



The food of the Keed Warbler appears to consist 

 of worms, slugs, aquatic insects and the smaller 

 species of dragonflies.t 



The beak is of a pale brown, inclining to yel- 

 lowish white on the under mandible ; the irides 

 brown ; the head, neck and all the upper surface of 

 the body uniform pale brown, with a tinge of chest- 

 nut, the primary quills being a little darker ; the tail 

 is rounded, the outside feathers being shorter than 

 the middle ; the chin and throat are white ; the 

 breast, belly, flanks and under tail-coverts pale buff, 

 rather lighter in the middle than on the sides; 

 legs, toes and claws pale brown. Although much 

 resembling both the Grasshopper and Sedge War- 

 bler, this bird may be distinguished from them by 

 its more uniform colour and by the absence of the 

 pale streak over the eye : there are some other dis- 

 tinctions mentioned by Yarrell, but they do not 

 appear so obvious. 



The eggs are of a greenish white ground colour, 

 spotted and speckled with ash-green and light 

 brown, occasionally (according to Hewitson) much 

 resembling those of the Sedge Warbler, from which, 



* Hewitson. There are also various notes in the 

 * Zoologist' to the same effect, 

 f Yarrell, vol. i., p. 310. 



K3 



