SYLVIADJE. 115 



taken for them ; they are of a white ground colour, 

 very much speckled with orange-rusty. 



CHIFFCHAFF, Sylvia rufa. The Chiffchaff is one 

 of our most numerous as well as earliest summer 

 visitors : Yarrell says as early as the 12th or 14th of 

 March. I have never observed it myself before the 

 20th, on which day I saw one in 1867, although the 

 snow was four or five inches deep all over the 

 ground: the little bird, in company with some 

 Stonechats, was busily employed in catching insects 

 on a wall against a running stream. Like most of 

 the earlier arrivals, it is late in taking its departure 

 in the autumn, and has been occasionally noticed, 

 especially in the southern counties, during the 

 winter. 



The nest of this species, like that of the last, is 

 generally on or quite near the ground : they are 

 both domed, or perhaps rather, as Meyer expresses 

 it, "hooded": it is made of dried grass, dead leaves 

 and moss, and is lined with feathers. Hewitson says 

 it is occasionally raised above the ground in a low 

 bush. 



The food of the Chiffchaff is almost entirely in- 

 sects. It catches flies much after the manner of the 

 Spotted Flycatcher, and is also said to be very par- 

 tial to caterpillars and moths. 



The beak of the Chiffchaff is dark brown ; irides 

 brown; head, neck and all the upper parts hair- 

 brown, tinged with olive-green ; the greater and 



