422 BRITISH BIRDS. 



of the tamarisk, which form the outside^ — the inside and lining being 

 usually coot's or duck's feathers mingled with wool or camel's hair ; and, 

 in nine cases out of ten^ a small piece of serpent's skin is loosely placed ia 

 the bottom of the nest." It should be remarked that Canon Tristram 

 also mentions this strange material in the nest-lining. In Southern Spain 

 the Rufous "Warbler is said by Saunders to build its nest between the 

 leaves of the cactus, which forms the hedges in the vineyards. 



The eggs of the Rufous Warbler are from three to five in number^ and 

 differ somewhat in the extent and colour of the markings. The usual type 

 is very pale bluish white or French grey in ground-colour, irregularly 

 marked and dashed with large brown spots, and with a few streaks of the 

 same colour and pale violet-grey shell-markings. Another type is very 

 pale blue in ground-colour, finely speckled with pale brown, the spots 

 being most numerous on the large end of the egg. They measure from 

 •95 to -8 inch in length, and from -67 to -59 inch in breadth. The eggs 

 of the Rufous Warbler very closely resemble those of the Tawny Pipit 

 {Anthus cainjjestns) ; but, as a rule, the eggs of the latter bird are compara- 

 tively broader in proportion to their length. Canon Tristram states that 

 his Palestine eggs of the Rufous Warbler are much more delicately 

 and sparsely spotted than those from Africa. 



The food of this bird is composed of insects, for which it searches 

 not only in the branches but also on the ground. It may sometimes be 

 seen turning over dung like a Thrush ; and very often it flies into the air 

 to catch a passing insect. 



The typical form of the Rufous Warbler has the general colour of the 

 upper parts pale chestnut-brown, with a bufiish-white eye-stripe extending 

 to the nape. The quills and wing-coverts are brown, margined on the 

 outside web with huffish white. The tail is rich chestnut-brown ; the two 

 centre feathers have a more or less obscure broad terminal dark band, 

 which is sometimes obsolete ; and the remaining feathers have broad 

 terminal white bands and nearly black subterminal bands. The whole of 

 the underparts are very pale huffish white, slightly darker on the sides of 

 the breast and flanks. Bill brown above,- horn-colour below ; legs, feet, 

 and claws pale brown ; irides hazel. The female does not differ in colour 

 from the male ; and the differences caused by age and season are very 

 small. 



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