438 



song. It feeds, like the rest of the "Warblers, chiefly, if not entirely, on insects. It breeds in 

 the month of May, placing its nest in a tolerably high bush or near the ground. Mr. von Preen 

 (J. f. O. 1859, p. 455) says that he took a nest on a birch tree at least twenty-five feet above the 

 ground, and found another on the ground. The nest is cup-shaped, neatly constructed of dried 

 grass or plant bents, often intermixed with spiders' webs and lined with horse-hairs; and the 

 number of eggs deposited is usually from four to six, five appearing to be the usual complement. 



The eggs are tolerably easily distinguishable from those of any other of our European 

 Warblers. I have examples from Styria and Pomerania, some of which are of a peculiar pale 

 creamy grey colour, with scarcely visible grey marblings, and others are indistinctly marked and 

 marbled with pale purplish grey and pale brownish, on a creamy grey ground. In size they 

 measure from f^ by f^ to f§ by J-§ inch. 



The specimens figured are an adult male from Sweden, in my collection, and a young female 

 from Persia collected by Mr. Blanford, these being the specimens described. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E litis. II. E. Dresser. 



a,<$. Oland, July 8th, 1867 (Mcves). b, d . Stehag, Sweden, May 23rd, 1868 (Meves). c, d . Moravia 

 (J/". Schluter). d, d . Ortakeuy, Turkey, May 15th, 1869. e, d . Ortakeuy, May 9th, 1870 {Robson). 

 f, d. Smyrna, April 22nd, 1872 (Dr. Kruper). 



E Mus. E. Hanjitt. 



a, d ■ Moravia {W. Schluter). 



E Mus. Ind. Calc. 

 a, ?. Shiraz, summer, 1870 (Blanford). b, ?. Shiraz, summer, 1870 (Blanford). 



E Mus. Howard Saunders, 

 a, f juv. Syria (Verreaux). bjuv. Savoy. c,d. Karatau, Central Asia, May 11th, 1866 (Severtzoff). 



E Mus. II. B. Tristram, 

 a, 2 . Wady Kelt, Palestine, April 27th, 1861. b, d. Gennesareth, April 28th,. 1864 (H. B. 71). 



