SUB-ALPINE WARBLEll. . 31 



According to Savi it is not often seen consorting with 

 Blackcaps or Garden Warblers, altliongli its song is 

 somewhat of the same character. When the male wishes 

 to sing he glides out of the bnshes, and, perching on 

 a neighbonring branch, sends forth his clear agreeable 

 melody. When he has finished, or is disturbed, he 

 glides again into the fence, and only makes his where- 

 abouts cognizable by his frequent call-note, similar to 

 that of the Common Wren. These habits fortunately 

 render it a very difficult bird to capture. 



It builds twice a year; its nest is globe-shaped, placed 

 in thick bushes from three to five feet from the ground, 

 formed outwardly of straw and withered grass, and 

 within of delicate small roots, rarely lined with wool, 

 and interwoven with the webs of spiders and caterpillars. 

 It lays four or five eggs, roundish, greenish white, 

 sprinkled with small brown spots, which are most nu- 

 merous and large at the broadest end. The male 

 relieves the female in incubation during the middle of 

 the day. — Miihle. 



According to M. Moquin-Tandon, as quoted by 

 Degland, M. M. W^ebb and Berthelot brought from the 

 Canary Islands eggs of this species, which were exactly 

 similar to those which he took in the neighbourhood 

 of Montpellier. 



The male in breeding plumage has the head, nape, 

 and scapularies of a bluish lead-colour; upper parts of 

 the wing and tail olive brown. The throat, crop, and 

 flanks russet red, more or less strongly marked; middle 

 of the belly whitish, mottled with bluish spots; a white 

 line or moustache from the gape separates the grey of 

 the nape from the red of the throat and crop. Under 

 tail coverts white, shaded with russet; two outer feathers 

 of the tail white on each side above and inside for 



