6^ vieillot's willow warbler. 



Ill short I have remarked we do not often find it in 

 the mountainous districts between the Meuse and 

 Prussia, which are doubtless too high and cold. It 

 does not exist in England, but is found in Flanders 

 and Artois." 



M. Sundeval, Curator of the Stockholm Museum, also 

 remarks of this bird: — '"'It catches insects, like the 

 Flycatchers. It is a courageous and quarrelsome bird, 

 perpetually in motion, except when singing, and then 

 it chooses an elevated branch of a tree. Its nest is 

 something like the Blackcap's in form, but contains a 

 greater number of feathers ; it is most frequently placed 

 in lilac bushes or rather low fruit trees. The eggs are 

 four or five, reddish lilac, with black dots thickly 

 scattered over them." 



Of the habits of S. icterina M. Gerbe says: — "It lives 

 on the shaded sides of hills in fertile and humid valleys; 

 it delights to frequent willow oziers, and, it is said, 

 reeds. I have frequently found it in olive plantations. 

 Its food differs but little from that of S. polyglotta, like 

 which, it catches insects on the wing. I frequently 

 found debris of elytrse in the gizzard, mixed with 

 snails. It often adds to its regime fruits and berries. 

 It lays four or five eggs, slightly larger than those of 

 *S'. polijglotta, but having the same form and distribution 

 of colours." 



The male and female have the upper part of the 

 head and neck olive grey; forehead olive, saturated 

 with yellow; rump bright greenish ash. Inferior parts, 

 space between beak and eyes, superciliary ridge, 

 cheeks, and sides of neck, yellow; flanks grey brown, 

 shaded with yellow; wings brown, the primaries being 

 bordered with greenish grey; secondaries broadly frin- 

 ged with yellowish white, and near their origin with 



