THE MARSH WARBLER. 97 



bridgeshire, many years ago, under the impres- 

 sion that they were 5. strepera ; and three 

 others near Norwich in June, 1869, under the 

 like misapprehension. They do not differ in 

 any way from skins of palustris from France 

 and Germany, with which I have compared 

 them. 



The characters by which this species may be 

 distinguished from S. strepera may be briefly 

 stated as follows : — 



Although the colour of the upper portion of 

 the plumage in both is a uniform olive-brown, 

 vS". palustris is yellower. It is a somewhat 

 longer bird, with a shorter and broader bill ; a 

 buffy-white line, extending from the base of the 

 bill over the eye, is clearly defined. In strepera 

 this line is so faint as to be scarcely discernible. 

 Mr. Yarrell, indeed, considered it to be absent 

 in strepera; but, from this circumstance, and 

 from the fact of his describing the legs of this 

 species as pale-brown, it may be inferred that he 

 had before him, and figured, a young bird. 



The first primary in the wing of both is very 



H 



