THE THREE BRITISH TREBLINGS. 81 



Isle of Wight; namely, one in a wood at Stratlifieldsaye, one at East 

 Stratton Park, two in the New Forest, and one in a wood near 

 Highclere : I have not heard it since June 6. Colonel Montagu 

 informed me he had met with it in Wiltshire, and had called it 

 the Wood Wren ; it has also been heard near Uxbridge." — Lin, 

 Trans., ii., p. 246. This account is highly interesting and valua- 

 ble, as being the first description of it as a British Bird, and the 

 description is followed by an elegant representation, the size of life. 



Montagu also describes the species in vol. iv. of the same work. 

 He first discovered it in the latter end of April, 1790. The Wood 

 Treeling is distinguished from its congeners by a broad, conspicu- 

 ous, yellow streak through the eye, by the more vivid tinting on 

 the back, and the silvery white of the under parts. No one who 

 has once heard the very peculiar note of this species can ever mis- 

 take it, or confound it with that of any other bird, and this is ren- 

 dered the more remarkable by a strange shivering or shaking motion 

 of the wings, on which account it has been named the "Shivering 

 Pettichaps." It frequents oaks and other large trees, and is not so 

 familiar a bird as the Garden Treeling. On its arrival in Britain, 

 it continues in song the greater part of the day, and this lasts 

 throughout the spring, and may be heard even in the summer dur- 

 ing the breeding time. The nest is generally placed on the ground, 

 like that of the Hedge Treeling, and is formed of dried grass, 

 amongst which moss is frequently interwoven. Owing to the simi- 

 larity of colour between this and the herbage among which it is 

 usually placed, it is very difficult to find, without watching the birds. 

 Mr. Sweet, who kept this species tame, says that it will soon become 

 familiar, especially if taken young : they must not, however, be 

 given any kind of berries, as they are not fructivorous; but bread 

 and milk, bruised hemp-seed, and boiled egg ; a few flies should be 

 also occasionally administered. 



Willughby describes this bird at p. 228 of his General Ornitho-. 

 logy, under the title " a little yellow bird without name." He 

 says, " it sings like a grasshopper." I shall now give the synonyms, 

 references, and characteristics : — 



Silvia sibilatrix, Bechst., Nat. Deut., lii., j). 561; Selby, Brit. 

 Oni., i., p. 224. — ^Silvia silvicola, Stevens, Shaw's Gen. ZooL^ x,., 

 p. 748. — Becfin siffleur, Tem., Ma7i. d' Orn., i., p. 223, and iii., p. 

 149. — Gruner Sanger, Meyer, Tass. Deut., i. p. 247. — Wood 

 Warbler, Stev., Shaw's Gen. ZooL, x., p. 748; Mudie, Featk. 

 Tribes, i., p. 328, Analyst, iii., p. 202. 



VOL. IV. — NO. XV. F 



