Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 7 of 9.djvu/14

 white superciliary stripe, the lores are smoky grey, and the sides of the head olive brown. The under parts, including the under tail-coverts, are whitish washed with light buff—inclining to light olive buff in some specimens—on the upper breast and flanks and pale buff on the under tail-coverts. The under parts of the tail and wings are greyish brown, the shafts of the feathers being white; under wing-coverts and axillaries whitish buff. The upper mandible is dark lavender brown, lower fleshy buff darker towards the tip, and the flanges orange; mouth orange yellow; iris brown, the smaller feathers on the eyelid being buffish white. The feet are buffish flesh colour and the soles light olive yellow.

The sexes are alike in plumage.

After the autumn moult the colouring is richer.

Nestling.—The upper parts are brownish buff and the wings slaty brown, the larger feathers being margined with the same colour as the back. The under parts generally are yellowish buff, lighter on the abdomen but deeper on the flanks and under tail-coverts. The bill is pale pinkish brown and the gape yellow, this latter colour extending in a paler shade along the edges of both mandibles to the tip. Feet are pale pinkish brown; toes pale yellowish; hind part of feet yellow, brightest at the joint; under part of toes and claws yellow, upper part pale pinkish brown. The top of the mouth is dull orange, whilst the lower part is dull pinkish orange, the tongue being also orange with two narrow oval black spots at the base.

Though the bird is recorded as breeding in Kent. Surrey. Sussex. Buckingham. Hampshire and Cambridgeshire, and possibly Norfolk, the majority of the individuals seem to pass farther west for breeding purposes—that is to say to the counties of Oxford. Wilts. Somerset. Gloucester, and Worcester. And not only is it more plentiful in many