BLYTH ON THE BRITISH FRUIT-EATING WARBLERS. 315 



heard to very great advantage in a room, but the cheering, animated 

 notes with which he usually finishes his song are almost too loud and 

 stunning when heard in doors, though so exquisitely beautiful in the 

 open air. The notes of two of these birds which I have long kept in 

 confinement are extremely different, so that I can always with ease tell 

 which of the two is singing ; yet no person who knows the song of the 

 blackcap could ever possibly mistake the voice of either of them, for 

 that of another species, though so different from each other. One of 

 them sings part of the garden- warbler's song, and the other intermixes 

 a number of the nightingale's notes, though both of them were old birds 

 when caught. A few weeks since, when a nightingale that I also have 

 in confinement was singing, in his finest style, I observed one of 

 the blackcaps to listen with great attention, and when the nightingale 

 had ceased, the latter repeated several of his notes very correctly, but I 

 have never observed him to attempt them since. The blackcap is 

 known in some parts of England by the name of mock-nightingale : I 

 once heard a wild individual repeat the notes of the song so correctly as 

 to deceive me, until he broke out into his usual loud clear notes, which 

 latter are, in fact, a challenge and defiance to others of his kind. 



The warble of the babillard or lesser whitethroat (F. garrula) is 

 pretty and lively, but its song is rendered monotonous, in the spring 

 and summer, by the constant repetition of its loud note of defiance, 

 analogous to the clear lively note with which the blackcap generally 

 concludes : this may be expressed by the monosyllable see, repeated 

 nine or ten times in quick succession, and at times very loudly : it is a 

 note which, though agreeable enough when only heard occasionally, 

 becomes tiresome when continually reiterated. This species, however, 

 can warble very sweetly if it please, and in confinement, during the first 

 months of the year, its song is heard to great advantage in a room ; it 

 then rarely repeats its loud see, see, see, and when at that time the above 

 mentioned note is uttered, it forms, indeed, an agreeable variety. The 

 song of the babillard is formed by a number of soft chirping notes, many 

 of which are extremely sweet and musical, and though at times tolerably 

 loud, yet they are generally delivered in a very low tone, scarcely 

 audible at a little distance. The male is almost perpetually singing, 

 erecting his crest and the feathers of his throat in the manner of a 

 whitethroat, and like that species of the furze warbler, he is in constant 

 motion the whole time, throwing himself into a variety of odd gesticu- 

 lations. The song of this bird is very superior to that of many white- 

 throats, but not to all ; he has none of those harsh sounding notes which 



