348 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Both Wood- Wren and Willow- Wren must be considered out 

 of the question also, if we are to apply to them any of the ordinary 

 tests of identification. Of the latter species there were several 

 close at hand singing their familiar song. As I said at the be- 

 ginning of this paper, I have never heard anything like the song 

 of this mysterious creature either in England or the Continent. 

 I have searched Dresser's ' Birds of Europe,' and many other 

 works, for some account of a small bird's song which might at 

 all resemble ours ; but among the numerous tribes of Warblers 

 I can find none, unless it be Phylloscopus borealis, and I cannot 

 honestly say that any description I have read, of the song, or the 

 plumage of that species gives me much encouragement. I am 

 still quite in the dark about the bird which gave me so much 

 interesting employment last June, and must postpone further 

 investigation till June of next year, in hopes that a bird which 

 has already spent three seasons in one particular spot may return 

 for a fourth. Meanwhile, it is possible that some readers of 

 ' The Zoologist,' who have a larger acquaintance than I have with 

 foreign birds and their songs, may be able to contribute some 

 suggestion towards the solution of the problem. 



