THE WOOD WARBLER. I 7 



noticed ; and the first step should be to dis- 

 tinguish it from its congeners. Perhaps none of 

 the small insectivorous birds have been more 

 confounded one with another than have the 

 members of this group, not only by observers 

 of the living birds, but by naturalists with skins 

 of each before them. Taking the three species 

 which annually visit us — i. e., the Wood War- 

 bler, the Willow Warbler, and the Chiff-chaff- 

 it will be found on comparison that they differ 

 in size as follows — 



Length. Wing. Tarsus. 



Wood Warbler . 5"2 in. . 3-0 in. . o'yin. 

 Willow Warbler . 5*0 „ . 2-6 „ . 07 „ 

 Chiff-chaff. . . 47 „ . 2-4 „ . o'6 „ 



Not only is the Wood Warbler the largest of 

 the three, but it has comparatively the longest 

 wings and the longest legs. The wings, when 

 closed, cover three-fourths of the tail. In the 

 Willow Wren, under the same circumstances, 

 less than half the tail is hidden. The Chiff- 

 chaff's wing is shorter again; In my edition of 

 White's " Selborne," founded upon that of Ben- 



c 



