igiS. BuRKirr. — Notes on Birds. I41 



The nest at one site for example will be well on within four 

 days after the very first song has been heard in the country. 

 The tenant of another site does not appear for about thirteen 

 days later (though he thus risks being mateless, see below). 

 Thirteen days is a long time with Whitethroats as they 

 come in a wonderful rush. There is no mistaking the 

 return being to the same spot ; there is the same favourite 

 perch in the same bush in a hedge, or on the same identical 

 inch of telegraph wire. This migration to the same site 

 and at the same regularly early or late date suggests food 

 for thought to those better up in migration than I am. 

 Or is it already old ground ? 



I hav^e further interesting matter about the White- 

 throat. In the Irish Naturalist of September, 1916, there 

 was a note by me on what I then called dummy nests of 

 Whitethroat and Garden Warbler. I found least year a 

 male Whitethroat (A) building such a nest. That is to 

 say there was no female, and when the outside frame- 

 v.'ork was done he proceeded to decorate with, and pile on 

 on one side masses of wool (otherwise always willow-down 

 and catkin scales, see my note). About ten days after his 

 frame nest had been made, eggs appeared to my surprise. 

 He had found a mate ; and though it became a poor 

 lopsided nest ^-et the young were brought up. I naturally 

 suspected that I must have been in error about the original 

 absence of a female, though I had followed the male up 

 and down the hedges without a sign of her, and he showed 

 the peculiarities of the lonely male builder mentioned 

 below. So I waited till this year to see further. I also 

 wanted to check a note in our great Ussher's book that a 

 certain careful observer " invariably found the male the 

 nest-builder without any assistance from the female, and 

 singing as he built." From my experience of paired birds 

 I found it hard to accept that. So I took pains to watch 

 this year an early pair until I saw conclusively that that 

 female did the building ; and I think the male does no 

 building when he has a mate. 



Then I watched for my (A) bird to arrive, which he 

 did on the 20th May. Five days later I found the frame 

 built and decorations in progress. There was no female. 



