186 



THE YOUNG 



NATUBALIST. 



it was not so : it had eaten nearly all the 

 unripe seeds, had moulted once and pre- 

 pared for a second change. The exposure, 

 however, was more than it could bear, and 

 it died. Mr. Buckler concludes from this 

 experiment (the full details of which will be 

 found in the Ent. M. Mag., vol. xvi., p. 52-4) 

 that the species is not a Dlanthcecia, and 

 finding that the description of the larva, 

 "not only when full fed, but even in its 

 earlier age, between the first and second 

 moults, agreed so well with Guenee's de- 

 scription of that of Luperina luteago that, 

 although some disparity of size and colour- 

 ing exists in the perfect insects, as most 

 obligingly shown me by Mr. E. Birchall, 

 yet I am constrained by the evidence to 

 believe Barretti to be an isolated and 

 melanic form of luteago'"' To this a foot- 

 note is added: — "When last in London, 

 Dr. Staudinger stated to me that, in his 

 opinion, D. Barretti is a form of D. luteago 

 — R. McL." Whether, therefore, this spe- 

 cies remains with the present genus, or is 

 transferred to the genus Lui^erina, is a 

 matter for future consideration, on which I 

 certainly am not competent to give an 

 opinion. 



BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR 

 NESTS AND EGGS. 



By S. L. MosLEY. 

 45- WOOD WARBLER. 

 Sylvia sylvicola, Penn. 

 SylvICola (L.), to inhabit woods. 

 Size. — Length, sJin. ; expanse, 8^ in. 

 Plumage— Bill brown; eyes hazel; 

 the whole of the upper surface is olive green, 

 yellow at the sides of the head and neck ; a 

 distinct yellow eye-stripe extends from the 

 base of the bill to the crown ; a greenish 

 line runs through the eye ; wings and tail 

 brown, each feather edged with bright 

 yellow or greenish; under parts white, 



tinged with lemon yellow ; legs brown. 



The sexes do not differ in size or colour. 



The Young. — Similar but duller in colour. 



Varieties. — Mr. Bond has one lemon- 

 colour, and has seen two white. 



Flight. — The flight is generally from 

 tree to tree, rather quick and uneven. 



Migration. — a summer visitor to this 

 country, arriving at the end of April or 

 early in May, and departing again in Sep- 

 tember. 



Song. — The song is short, but very 

 pleasant, and continued unceasingly through 

 the summer. It resembles the syllables 

 "tzit, tzit," begun rather slow and ending 

 in a thrill. It is uttered from the lower 

 branches of a tree, and is accompanied by 

 a shivering movement of the wings and tail. 



Food.—Small insects. 



Habitat. — Purely a wood bird, especi- 

 ally those of older growth, and where the 

 underwood is thick (?). It is found through- 

 out England and Wales, but locally and less 

 frequently in Scotland ; in Ireland very 

 rarely. 



Abroad it is found throughout Europe, 

 but only in summer ; and found during 

 migration in Greece, Asia Minor, and Pales- 

 tine ; in winter, in parts of Africa. 



Nest.' — The nest is placed upon a 

 sloping bank in a wood where it is concealed 

 by long grass or other herbage, or among 

 leaves at the base of a stump. It is dome- 

 shaped, having the entrance at the side, and 

 is composed of dried grass stems with a bit 

 of moss or dry leaves. The inside is lined 

 with finer grass or hair, and in this respect 

 differs from that of the Willow Wren. It is 

 difficult to find. 



Eggs. — From six to seven eggs are laid. 

 They are white, thickly spotted with purple, 

 red, and ashy grey, the spots being most 

 numerous at the large end, sometimes form- 

 ing a zone or entirely covering the end with 

 a confluent blotch. 



