THE SPECIES. 115 



Phasianus. Plate xxiv. PHASIANIDM. 



273. colchicusy 34 in. Pheasant. Remiges 26 ; tail long and wedge- 

 shaped, and of iS feathers. 



The Pheasant— Dimensions, So ; Eggs, Md — was acclimatised from the Phasis, whence 

 also the colchicus^z. long time ago, and seems always to have been "preserved' in this 

 country. This is the kind without a white neck-ring. The one with the white ring, 

 P. iorguatus, was acclimatised from China, also a long time ago, but is not yet considered to be 

 British. The pheasant never flies if it can help it. It runs along with its tail horizontal, and 

 it flies with its tail spread \ a heavy, rapid, whirring flight taken in short stages as a rule, but 

 occasionally settled down into and prolonged for miles. The female is smaller than the male 

 and much duller in plumage, and she has a shorter tail ; but pure bred specimens of the real 

 P. colchicvs are very rare. The nest is a mere scratching, and hardly that, amid grass and 

 weeds ; and the eggs are from 8 to 13 in number. 



Phoenicopterus. Plate xviiL PHCENICOP TERIDM. 



216. roseus, 60 in. Flamingo. Plumage rosy-white, with scarlet wing 



coverts and black primaries. 



The Flamingo — Dimensions, Tn ; Eggs, Sl — is not quite the sort of bird one would expect 

 to see in the British List, but as some one once happened to shoot one on British ground, its 

 inclusion was inevitable under the prevailing rule. At the same time it is only fair to note 

 that a few flamingoes are stated to have been seen in this country outside the Zoological 

 Gardens, and that flocks of them yearly come north and visit Southern and Central France. 



Phylloscopus. Plate iii. TURDINM (Passeridas). 



32. superciliosus, 4 in. Yellow-Browed Warbler. Six outer primaries 



notched ; plumage yellowish green ; distinct eye 

 stripe ; two yellow bars on wing ; legs brown. 



33. rufuSy 4f in. Chiffchaff. Six outer primaries notched ; 



plumage olive green ; faint greyish white eye 

 stripe ; legs nearly black. 



34. trochilus, s i^- Willow Wren. Five outer primaries notched ; 



first primary over half an inch in length ; plumage 

 olive green ; faint greenish eye stripe ; legs light 

 brown. 



35. sibilatrix, 5^ in. WooD Wren. Four outer primaries notched ; first 



primary under half an inch in length ; plumage 

 yellowish green ; bright yellow eye stripe ; legs 

 brown. 



The Yellow-browed Warbler — Dimensions, Ad ; Eggs, Ac — is a rare straggler from 

 Siberia. 



The Chiffchaff — Dimensions, Ao ; Eggs, Ad — is one of the earliest of our summer 

 migrants, and comes in the middle of March. Its wings when closed cover hardly a quartea 

 of Its tail, and its second primary is equal to the seventh and halfway in length between 

 the sixth and ninth. It has an undulatory flight, with the wings flapping rapidly. The song 

 from which it derives its name ** Chiffchaff," is usually delivered from near the top of some 

 good sized tree; it has been also syllabised as "till-tell-true, jink-junk." The nest is 

 generally within a foot of the ground — a complete oval with the hole near the top — made of 

 grass, leaves, and moss, and lined with feathers. It contains from five to seven eggs. 



The Willow Wren — Dimensions, At ; Eggs, Ah — is the comm,onest of the warblers, and is 

 with us from April to September. Its wings when closed cover less than half its tail, and its 

 third and fourth primaries are the longest. It hops like a robin, and has a short, rapid, 

 dipping flight. Its song is a descending scale of " twiu, twiu, twin, tin, tiu, tiu, tiu, twee, 

 twee, twee, twee, twee, twai, twal," with an alarm of *' na, na, na, na," and a call of " whit." 

 Its nest is on or near the ground, a flattened sphere, with the rim sloped at half a right angle, 

 of dead grass and moss, dry leaves, roots, horsehair, and feathers, particularly feathers, con- 

 taining from five to eight eggs. 



The Wood Wren — Dimensions, Bj ; Eggs, At — arrives a little after the Willow Wren. Its 

 wings when closed cover three-quarters of the tail ; the second primary is the same length 

 as the fourth, and the third and fourth primaries are sloped off. It is generally found in 

 beech woods, and its flight is swift, dipping;, and gliding, with a spiral descent as it settles. The 

 call is " dear, dear, dear,'* and its song is a rippling " chit, chit, cherry-tr-tirrereetirreree," 

 with a rapid jarring trill and much vibration of the wings and tail. The nest is near the 

 ground, semi-domed like that of its congeners, but it has no feathers iu its lining. It contain^ 

 from five to seven eggs. 



