BRITISH WARBLERS 



with a lighter brownish grey, whereas the secondaries are 

 blackish, edged with light yellowish buff. The tail-feathers 

 are dark brown, edged with dull brownish buff, and the under 

 tail-coverts uniform huffish white. The throat and abdomen 

 are whitish, and the rest of the under parts yellowish buff, with 

 or without smaller longitudinal spots on the upper breast. 

 ■ The under side of the wings is lavender brown, the shafts of 

 the feathers being white. The upper mandible is dark brown, 

 and the lower the same colour at the tip, but huffish flesh at 

 the base. Iris is brown, and the feet buffish flesh colour. 



The adult female is similar in colouring to the adult male, 

 and when very old has a wash of yellow on the light markings 

 of the head. 



In winter the yellowish buff is much richer. 



In the case of the young bird the buff is greyer on the 

 upper parts, and the black centres of the feathers are less 

 distinct. The under parts are buffish white, but otherwise 

 the colouring is similar to that of the adult. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



This species is but an accidental visitor to Great Britain 

 and nearly all the authentic instances of its occurrence have 

 been in autumn. Most of the records come from Sussex, 

 but it has been obtained in Leicestershire, Kent, Norfolk, 

 Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, and one was taken 

 at the Bull Rock Lighthouse, Co. Cork. 



In Spain it breeds in Andalusia, and it is found in Portugal 

 in spring, summer, and autumn. While it is not an un- 

 common breeding species in the south of France it becomes 

 scarce towards the north, and in the departments of Somme 

 and Nord occurs on migration only. Although a rare visitor 

 to Belgium and Holland, it passes Heligoland frequently on 

 migration. In Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein it breeds 

 occasionally, but in parts of the German Empire it is not of 

 uncommon occurrence, and becomes even numerous in Silesia. 



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