THE WOOD WARBLER. 367 



mer visitants. The general tint of the upper plumage is a 

 soft and very peculiar shade of green, produced by the blend- 

 ing of sulphur yellow on the points, and ash grey on the basis 

 of the feathers. A streak of the same colour passes across 

 the eye; and the ear coverts are slightly tinged with it. 

 Over the eye there is a bright and well-defined streak of gam- 

 boge yellow, and the same colour appears partially on the 

 chin and sides of the neck, and the under parts of the shoul- 

 ders ; but it soon passes into pure silvery white, which, un- 

 broken by spot or stain, is the colour of the whole under part 

 of the bird, except the thighs, which are pale yellow, as far as 

 the tail feathers. This beautiful whiteness of the under part 

 preserves the bird, in some places, the local name of linty 

 white. The wings and tail are dusky brown, the coverts 

 margined with greenish, and the quills and tail feathers, 

 except the two outer ones of the latter, are margined with 

 sulphur yellow. The upper mandible is dark yellowish-brown, 

 and the under one the same colour but paler. The irides are 

 hazel, the feet greenish-brown, and the claws the same colour, 

 only a shade paler. The colours of the female bird differ little 

 from those of the male ; and even the young, before they leave 

 the nests, are so distinctly marked as to be easily distinguished 

 from the young of any other. 



The shape of the wood warbler is particularly handsome, 

 light without being feeble ; and the wings and tail indi- 

 cate very considerable command of the air. The wings 

 are long, reaching when closed to nearly two-thirds the length 

 of the tail ; and the tail is slightly forked or rather lobed. 

 The length is rather more than five inches, the weight not 

 quite three drachms. 



The wood warbler has sometimes been confounded, in the 

 description of authors, with the lesser petty-chaps or hedge 

 warbler, and the field warbler or willow warbler, from both 



