MARSH-WARBLER. 



379 



on the large end of the egg, sometimes so thickly as to almost conceal the 

 ground-colour. They vary in length from '8 to "65 inch, and in breadth 

 from '59 to 02 inch. 



The Marsh- Warbler has the general colour of the upper parts varying 

 from olive-brown in spi-ing plumage to earthy brown in summer plumage, 

 with a scarcely perceptible shade of rufous after the autumn moult, slightly 

 paler on the rump ; the eye-stripe is nearly obsolete ; and the innermost 

 secondaries have broad ill-defined pale edges. The breast, flanks, and under 

 tail-coverts are pale buff, shading into nearly white on the chin, throat, and 

 the centre of the belly. After the autumn moult the underparts are suffused 

 with bu^ff. Bill dark brown above, pale below; legs, feet, and claws pale 

 horn-colour ; irides hazel. 



Freshly moulted birds of this species may always be distinguished from 

 Reed-Warblers by the colour of the rump. In the Marsh-Warbler it is 

 olive-brown, and in the Reed-Warbler russet-brown. There is no diffe- 

 rence in the wing-formula of these two species. 



