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THE ZOOLOGIST. 



had moved from Thun to the hotel at the top of the Briinig Pass, 

 rather less than 4000 ft. above the sea. Here, just before it 

 reaches the railway station, the road is skirted for some twenty 

 or thirty yards by a miniature precipice of rock, hewn perpen- 

 dicularly to make room for it, and about ten feet high, with a 

 steep bank above it covered with hazel bushes. I heard BonelWs 

 sibilation here at once, and sat down on the opposite side of the 

 road to watch. Very soon I found that the nest, in which the 

 birds were feeding young with insects, was in a little hollow 

 exactly at the top of the rock, just where it fitted into the steep 

 grassy bank — a curiously conspicuous place, and one which 

 human beings are constantly passing. But the birds did not 

 seem at all alarmed, and showed themselves to me as I have 

 never known them do before ; both together being sometimes at 

 the nest, while I sat watching their proceedings but a few yards 

 away. It was not possible to climb the ten feet of smooth rock, 

 but a day or two later we explored the nest by executing a flank 

 movement. It was composed outside chiefly of moss — of course, 

 with the hole in the side — and deftly hidden under a projecting 

 stone ; the young birds were crammed into it, and it was very 

 wet with heavy rain, so we abstained from taking them out to 

 note the nature of the lining, which was no doubt as usual of 

 dry grass and hairs without feathers. 



At other spots along the road, such as I have described 

 above, we met with Bonetti again, but were unable, in spite of 

 minute search in at least one place, to find another nest ; nor 

 did I again have such good opportunity of observing the parent 

 birds. I may say, in conclusion, that the outward appearance 

 of Bonelli is slightly different, to my eye at least, from that of 

 the other three Phylloscopi ; the upper parts are greyer than 

 those of Chiffchaff and Willow- Wren in the breeding season, and 

 the wash of yellow on the under parts is barely visible to the 

 eye, even with the aid of a glass. There is a faint eye -stripe, 

 but you have to look carefully for it. For other details I must 

 refer the reader to the excellent account of Prof. Fatio, quoted 

 above. As with most of these little Warblers, the voice is really 

 the one easily attainable point of identification ; and I think 

 that when this has been once heard, it can never, in spite of its 

 unobtrusive gentleness, be mistaken or forgotten. 



