Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 1 of 9.djvu/15

 the small coverts, and forming a sort of dark band across the wing, almost hiding the dark centres on the upper wing, making this part look uniform in colour. The sides of the face and neck are rather rich olive-buff with faint dark centres to the feathers, and there is a moustache stripe, though not very conspicuous. The throat is pure whitish buff; the crop and flanks are buff, with or without a faint olive wash, the former being furnished with brownish grey spots. The abdomen is whitish, blending into a pure buff on the under tail-coverts; under surface of the tail and wings are lavender grey narrowly edged with light buff and the feather shafts are white. The upper mandible is dark horn lavender, lower mandible light lavender flesh, darker towards the tip, and the corner and inside of the mouth orange yellow. Irides dark brown, the small feathers above are light buff, those below white. The eyelid is dark lavender flesh. Tibia olive buff. Tarsus and toes fairly light greenish lead colour; soles yellowish olive, and the claws olive grey.

It is so generally distributed from the middle of April to September throughout the British Isles that it is not necessary to mention any particular locality: we find, however, that as we proceed further north it is rather more local, and does not apparently reach the Shetlands, although in the Orkneys it is by no means uncommon. In the north-west of Skye it is rare, but in the islands further south. Islay and Mull, more numerous. In Ireland it breeds in every county, and is even found on Achil Island.

Crossing the English Channel and commencing in the south-west, we find it rare in the south of Spain and in Portugal, but rather more numerous further north, especially near Aroza Bay. In the Pyrenees it is common, also in suitable places throughout France, Belgium, and the