880 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Drummond-Hay (c/. Trans. Perth Soc. Nat. Sciences, Vol. I., 

 pp. 135-138 ; see also Ibis, 1889, p. 579). 



Mr. H. E. Dresser in his " Manual of Palsearctic Birds " 

 gives the habitat of this species as Asia, north to the Obi 

 and northern Yenesei, south to the Altai and Turkestan, 

 east to Lake Baikal ; in ^\inter migrating south to Assam, 

 northern India, Baluchistan, and Afghanistan ; has occurred 

 in Europe as a rare straggler in the Caucasus, Hungary, 

 Austria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and France and Great 

 Britain. Mr. Dresser also informs us that " it has been found 

 breeding in the Altai Range, and at Imbatskaya, on the 

 Yenesei River," and that it lays four to six eggs, which vary 

 considerably, some resembling the ordinary type of the 

 Blackbird, whereas others more resemble those of the Mistle- 

 Thrush, but have the ground-colour of a deeper blue. 



Thomas Parkin. 



CURIOUS NESTING SITE OF A WOOD- WARBLER. 



While walking along a road on June 5th, 1908, I saw a Wood- 

 Warbler {Phylloscopus sibilatrix) with a mouthful of green 

 grass. Being curious to know what it would do with it, I 

 watched a few seconds. While looking, another Wood- 

 Warbler came up with a white insect in its beak and, strange 

 to say, entered a rabbit-hole on a perpendicular bank, not 

 five yards from me, and in full view. It remained in the hole 

 out of sight for several seconds, and then came out without the 

 insect. I went nearer to see into the rabbit-hole, when both 

 birds flew within a foot of my head, fluttering and tumbling 

 about, and uttering the usual alarm note. On looking into 

 the hole I could see nothing, so put in my hand, and out 

 flew^ six little Wood- Warblers and joined their parents. The 

 nest was exactly twelve inches down the hole, and was quite 

 invisible from its mouth. The nest was not domed as usual. 

 It may be interesting to note also that this particular bird was 

 first heard by me near the spot where I subsequently found 

 the nest, on May 6th, and I think it arrived on that day. The 

 young flew^ out of the nest on June 8th : this seems quick 

 w^ork. Another pecuHarity about this pair of birds w as that 

 the cock omitted the preUminary " chit, chit," and uttered 

 only the second part of the ordinary shivering song — the trill, 

 which was very loud and very prolonged, in some cases lasting 

 fifteen seconds. 



Subsequent observation revealed the fact that the bird 

 with the mouthful of grass referred to above was building a 



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