History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Cukkuca. BIRDS. PASSERES. 6058. C. Locustella. Grasshopper Warbler. — Plumage, above,olivaceous-brown, with the middle of each feather dusky.Locustella avicula, Will. Orn. 151— Grasshopper Lark, Penn. Brit. Zool.i. 382 Sylvia Loc, Temm. Orn. i. 184 W, Gwich hedydd.—A regularsummer visitant of England.Length 5| inches ;weight half an ounce. Bill dusky above, whitish beneath.Legs pale brown. Claws horn coloured. The hind claw short andcrooked. Irides hazel. Eyelids, chin, throat, and belly, white. Under thethroat, a band of oval deep-brown spots. Breast, sides, and thighs incliningto brown. Under tail-covers pale-brown, with longitudinal dusky streaks.Quills and tail-feathers dusky brown, with the margins slightly tinged withyellow. The female is like the male, but with less bright colours. Nest, infurze, of dried stalks, lined with fibrous roots. Eggs of a spotless bluish-white.The singular cricket-like song or chirp is the means of discovering the retreatof this species ;otherwise it is a shy bird. I have added the reference to Willoughby,with doubt, as he states the hind claw as " longisshnus,"in which heis followed by Hay, Syn. Av. p. 70.59. C. scdicarica. Sedge Warbler. — Plumage above, yellowishbrown, with dusky spots on the crown, back, and scapulars.Over the eye, a yellowish-white streak followed by a black one.Motacilla salicaria, Linn. Syst.i. 330— Sedge-bird, Penn. Brit. Zool. i.381— Sylvia Phragmites, Temm. Orn. i. 189 E, Sedge-wren;WyKedydd yr helvyg A regular summer visitant of England.Length 5i inches; weight 3 drams. Bill dusky above, whitish beneath.Legs dusky. Irides hazel. Quills and covers dusky, edged with yellowishwhite.Plumage beneath, yellowish-white. The female similar. The nest isplaced amongst reeds, and consists of dried stalks and moss, lined with driedgrass, and a few hairs. Eggs 5 or 6, of a light brown, mottled with darkershades. In the young, the broad stripe over the eye is red, and the breast isspotted. Frequents moist places. Has a variety of notes.fiO. C. arundinacca. Reed Warbler.— Plumage above, plainolive-brown. From the corner of the eye to the nostril, a whiteband, narrowest towards the bill.Motacilla ar., Lightfoot, Phil. Trans. 1785-8, tab. i Reed-Wren, Mont.Orn. Did— Sylvia ar.,Temm. Orn. i. 191.—A regular summer visitantof England, first distinguished by Lightfoot.Length 5^, breadth 7a inches ; weight 177 grains. Bill half an inch long.Upper mandible horn-colour ;lower pale red. Inside of the mouth a deeporange. Legs light olive ;the soles bright yellow. Irides olive brown. Chinwhite, the remainder beneath white, with a tinge of bufK Quill and tailfeathersbrown, with pale edges. Female similar to the mala. The nest consistsof dry stalks and hairs, usually fixed to three or four reed stalks, by meansof interlaced dried grass or threads. Eggs 4 or 5, dirty white, stained withdull olive-coloured spots. The young have not the white stripe in front of theeye.2. Wood Warblers.— Body.slender. Tail horizontal;the feathers equal.Inhabits woods.a. Tail of one colour.61. C. Luscinia. Nightingale — Plumage above, reddishbrown; beneath, pale yellowish-ash. Tail deep tawny red.