5686 Birds. 



not long in discovering, as it was perched on one of the topmost twigs of 

 a bush, at the distance of thirty yards. The grasshopper warbler, we are told, 

 is generally dispersed, and so it may be; nevertheless, it is my belief that not 

 one person in fifty has ever set eyes on it, though possibly they may have heard 

 the notes, which doubtless would be taken for those of the grasshopper or cricket. 

 But even if occasionally seen (which, from its skulking habits, is not likely), it would 

 probably, unless in the very act of singing, be taken for a whitethroat, to which it bears 

 a striking resemblance, particularly when creeping among the bushes. Having shot 

 the bird, and wishing to compare it, I turned over Temminck's beautiful coloured 

 prints, and might have continued to do so from that time to this without recognizing 

 it, had it not been for the name at the foot of the page, for the artist has made both 

 throat and belly black, whereas those parts are white. The work referred to originally 

 belonged to Yarrell (who has made notes in it, and added an English index), or I could 

 have fancied the print had been tampered with. In the specimen about to be 

 described (a male) the under tail-coverts are nearly as long as the tail, but in the 

 print they do not reach half-way up, and the upper mandible is too much arched. 

 Having examined it well before removing the skin, I found the measurements as 

 follows : — Length 5 inches and 6-tenths ; extent of wing 7 inches and 6-tenths ; wing 

 from flexure 1\ inches ; bill along the ridge 4-tenths of an inch ; lower mandible 

 3^-tenths of an inch from plumes; tarsus 8-tenths of an inch ; middle toe 6-tenths of 

 an inch, claw 1^-- tenth ; inner toe 4-tenths of an inch, claw l^-tenth ; outer toe 

 4-tenths of an inch, claw 1^-tenth; hind toe 4-tenths of an inch, claw 25-tenths. 

 Dorsal line straight for more than half its length, but considerably curved towards the 

 point, which is acute; lower mandible straight and overlapped by the upper, which 

 has a notch to receive it, light horn-colour at the base, but with a purple tinge towards 

 the point, the latter being of a dark reddish brown ; legs flesh-coloured, toes and claws 

 a shade or two darker, the latter moderately arched ; head much depressed and 

 tapering; nostrils linear, but partly concealed ; there are a few black bristles at the 

 base of the lower mandible, but becoming more numerous at the upper, extending 

 towards the eye, which is small and black, with the iris hazel, over which there is a 

 light yellowish streak, and beneath a dark brown one; chin and throat pure white; 

 breast of a most delicate fawn-colour; lower parts white; under wing-coverts and 

 sides light buff, but the feathers are yellowish brown towards the vent, and for the 

 most part dark brown on and near the shafts ; under tail-coverts pointed and very 

 elongated, reaching to within four-tenths of the end of the tail, hair-brown at the 

 base and on the shafts, the rest of the feathers gray, tinged with yellow. General 

 colour of the back and head olive, tail and coverts clove-brown : most of the feathers 

 of the upper parts are either black or dark brown in the centre, which, being partly 

 concealed, leave triangular or spear-shaped spots, disposed in regular lines down the 

 head and back ; those on the former proportionally minute, and branching off from 

 the bill till they terminate suddenly at the nape, with the exception of a few which 

 become so faint as to be almost blended with the rest of the plumage. Tbe tail, which 

 is two inches and two-tenths in length, is composed of twelve broad feathers, but 

 suddenly tapering at the points, the two centre ones being the longest, the rest 

 rapidly decreasing ; the outer webs clove, the inner hair-brown, transversely barred 

 with black. The wing is short, and has nineteen quills, hair-brown on the inner webs, 

 but broadly margined with gray and tipped with the same colour, the three first only 

 edged with gray on the outer webs, the rest with greenish yellow; the first quill is 



