48 OUR FAVOURITE SONG BIRDS 



throat rears one brood only in the year. The hen is 

 a very close sitter, and when driven from the nest is 

 soon joined by her mate, the two birds then flitting 

 uneasily to and fro amongst the cover, uttering harsh 

 notes of remonstrance. 



The food of the Lesser Whitethroat is chiefly 

 composed of insects and their larvae ; but later on in 

 the summer this fare is varied with fruit of various 

 kinds, berries, and even green peas. The migration 

 south is undertaken in Septernber, but laggards 

 have not unfrequently been noticed in October, and 

 odd birds have been found in this country even as 

 late as November. 



The Lesser Whitethroat is a very plain-looking 

 little bird, having the general colour of the upper 

 parts brownish-grey, tinged with brown on the back 

 and ear-coverts. The wings and tail are brown, the 

 outermost feathers of the latter being tipped with 

 white. The general colour of the under parts is 

 silvery-white, with an almost imperceptible brown 

 shade on the breast and flanks. The axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts are white. The female closely 

 resembles the male in colour ; both sexes are about 

 five inches in total length. 



