PHYLLOSCOPUS 95 



second intermediate between the 5th and 6th, the third longest, the 

 primaries externally emarginate as far as the 5th. Culmen 0'42, wing 2'65, 

 tail 2*15, tarsus 0'82 inch. The female is rather smaller. The autumn 

 plumage is rather yellower. In the high north the plumage is paler, 

 occasionally almost devoid of yellow. 



Hctb. Europe as far north as the North Cape, and Asia as far 

 East as the Yenesei valley ; winters in southern Europe, Africa 

 as far south as the Transvaal and the Cape, and also in Persia. 



Frequents woods groves and gardens and is active and lively 

 in its movements, continually flitting about amongst the foliage 

 in search of its food, which consists of insects of various kinds. 

 Its call-note is soft and low, weed, weed, or wliit whit, and its 

 song is simple but pleasing. Its nest which is semi-domed, 

 constructed of dry grasses moss or fern and lined with hair, 

 wool, and feathers, especially the last, is placed on the ground, 

 and the eggs from 5 to 7, occasionally even 9 in number, are 

 white, spotted and marked with pale red and measure about 

 0'6 by 0'45 inch. They are usually deposited late in April, and 

 a second brood is generaly raised in the same season. 



137. WOOD-WREN. 

 PHYLLOSCOPUS SIBILATRIX. 



Phylloscopus sibilatrix, (Bechst.) Naturforscher, xxvii. p. 47 (1793) ; 

 (Hewitson), i. p. 135, pi. 36, fig. 3 ; (Naumann), iii. p. 556, Taf. 80, 

 fig. 2 ; (Gould), B. of Gt. Brit. pi. 67 ; Newton, j, p. 427 ; Dresser, 

 ii. p. 497, pi. 77 fig. 2 : Saunders, p. 71 ; Lilford, iii. p. 62, pi. 31 : 

 Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. v. p. 54. 



Poiiillot-siffleur, French ; Folosa, Portug. ; Lui-verde, Ital. ; 

 Wcdd-Laulvogol, German ; Flutter, Dutch ; Gron-Lovsanger, 

 Dan. ; Gronsdngara, Swed. ; Vieheridkerttu, Finn. ; Beresovka y 

 Tjukalka, Russ. 



<J ad. (England). Upper parts olive-green tinged with sulphur-yellow, 

 the crown and rump yellower ; quills and tail slaty brown externally 

 margined with yellow ; forehead and superciliary streak bright sulphur- 

 yellow ; sides of head, chin, throat, breast, flanks and edge of wing 

 sulphur-yellow ; rest of the under parts white ; bill, legs, and iris brown. 

 Culmen 0'5, wing 3'0, tail 2*0, tarsus 0'72 inch. First primary short and 

 narrow, 1'8 shorter than the second which is a trifle longer than the fifth, 

 the third longest. The female is a trifle smaller than the male, and the 

 young bird is rather yellower than the adult. 



Hob. Europe from Southern Scandinavia to North Africa, 

 and east to the Ural ; in winter as far south as the Gold Coast : 

 Great Britain and Scotland, but rare in Ireland. 



