THE WOOD WREN. 189 



When in H.M.S. Beacon, on the 25th of April, 1841, 

 and about 60 miles from Calabria (the nearest land), and 

 135 east of Mount Etna, a scops-eared owl was knocked down 

 on the deck and captured, just as he had clutched a lesser white- 

 throat (S. curruca), of which species two or three appeared. 

 On the 26th another 8. curruca alighted, when the vessel was 

 about 90 miles from Zante (the nearest land), and 130 from 

 Navarino. On this day, a sub-alpine warbler (Sylvia suhalpina, 

 Bonelli) — a south of Europe species — also came on board. 



THE WOOD WEEN. 



Sylvia sylvicola, Lath. 

 „ sibilatrix, Bechst. 



Holds a very doubtful place in our Fauna. 



In my series of papers on the Birds of Ireland, the following ap- 

 peared : — Relying on the accuracy of a relative, who has bestowed 

 much attention on birds and their nests, I should be disposed to 

 give this species a place here with confidence but for one charac- 

 ter, hereafter to be mentioned. On June 19th, 1832, it is 

 remarked of a nest he detected on the ground in a small meadow 

 surrounded by a wooded glen at Wolf-hill, near Belfast, that it 

 belonged to a bird most nearly approaching the willow wren, 

 (S. Trochilus,) but larger, and with a whiter breast ; and that the 

 eggs, instead of being marked with numerous very minute, and a 

 few large specks of a dark pink colour, like those of the S. Tro- 

 chilus, were dotted all over, so much so as to give the egg, at a 

 cursory view, a light-brown appearance. Sketches of these eggs 

 and of those of the willow wren, made at the time, are now before 

 me, and present the difference here pointed out. He observes 

 that it was a very pretty nest, formed of moss, and lined with 

 feathers.* On the morning of the 1 9th of June it contained one 

 egg, on the 21st three, and on the 24th five eggs ; on July the 7th 



* This is the only character against its heing that of the S. sibilatrix, whose nest 

 is stated by authors to differ from that of the S. Trochilus in not being lined with 

 feathers. 



