TURDID.E. 25 



Icterine Warbler does not in its nesting-habits or song agree with the 

 group of AYillow-Warblers (Phi/lloscojn), which all build dome-shaped 

 nests in banks or upon the ground, whereas the Icterine "Warbler places a 

 loosely constructed open nest upon the forked bough of a tree, and in its 

 other habits comes nearer to the Sedge-Warblers. We quote Bellamy's 

 account of the 8outh-Devon specimen : — " Eecently a bird has been shot 

 by Pincombe, taxidermist of Devouport, at Whitetord, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Plymouth, which bears a great resemblance to the Chiffchaff in 

 colour, and is but a trifle longer ; the differences worthy of note being 

 first and principally a greater width of the base of the upper mandible 

 [one of the characteristics of C. L. Brehm's genus Hypolais] ; secondly, 

 a want of correspondence between certain quill-feathers, the second and 

 seventh being the same length in the Chiffchaff, the second and sixth in the 

 Yellow Wren (FJii/Hoscojms trocMlus, Liun.), while in this new species each 

 feather differs in length from the rest ; thirdly, that the alula spuria is of 

 a brighter yellow, and somewhat larger. The note is unknown to the 

 person who procured it." (N. H. S. Devon, p. 207.) 



The song of the Icterine Warbler is remarkably fine. We often stood 

 beneath one which spent a summer with us at Stone Hall, in Pembroke- 

 shire, which we should never have distinguished from a somewhat large 

 C'hiflchaft' had it not been for its delightful melody. The little songster 

 danced up and down upon the branch, opening and closing its wings in its 

 joy as it poured forth its notes, as we have also seen the Wood-Wren 

 doing while singing in May in an oak. (M. A. M.)] 



Rufous Warbler. Aedon galactodes (Temm.). 



An accidental visitor from Soufhern Europe of very rare occurrence. 

 The same district of South Devon has afforded two instances of ihis 

 Warbler. The first was shot near the Start by Mr. W. Dillwyn Llewellyn, 

 of Penllegare, in September 1859, after a strong wind had been blowing 

 lor some time, and w^as so much injured that it could not be mounted. It 

 liad lust its tail and was very thin, aud was presented to the British 

 Museum, and is now scarcely to be recognized as a liufous AVarbler. The 

 capture of this example was recorded by Mr. G. \i. Gray in the ' Annals 

 and Magazine of iS'atural History,' 3rd ser, iv. p. 309, and in 'The Ibis' 

 for lb(j<^ p. 103. The second instance occurred near Ivingsbridgo on the 

 ]l!th of (Jctober, 1870. The bird was first noticed in a turnijj-field by a 

 gentleman out shooting (Mr. W. Bastard, of Slapton), who was attracted 

 to it both by its colour and its strange antics. When fiushcd from the 

 turnips it flew to a hedge, from which it made short fiights into the air, 

 descending each time with its tail ex])anded. We had the pleasure of 

 examining this example shortly afterwai'da at Mr. iS'icholls's house in 

 Kingsbridge. It was in very good condition, and was evidently, from the 

 crescentic markings upon the plumage, a young bird of the year. It is 

 still in tiie jjossession of Mrs. Bast;ird (II. N., MS. Notes; \i. P. N., in 

 ' lield ' for October 1870; and Zool. 18r0, p. 5170). Only one other 



