J32 



SYLVIAD^. 



Whitethroat, then a "new bird," inasmuch as it had not been 

 made a distinct species, and necessarily a " rare" bird, not 

 because a few only visited Britain, but because, until he 

 had himself set the example, competent observers of birds 

 were rare. It differs externally from the preceding, in its 

 smaller size, and the darker colour of its beak, upper plumage, 

 and feet, and resembles it closely in its habits, though I 

 have never observed that it indulges in the eccentric per- 



TtlE LESSER WHITETHROAT. 



pendicular flights which have gained for its congener, the 

 Greater Whitethroat, the quaint sobriquet of '' singing sky- 

 rocket." It feeds, too, on insects, and is not found wanting 

 when raspberries and cherries are ripe. But no matter what 

 number of these it consumes, it ought with its companions 

 to be welcomed by the gardener as one of his most valuable 

 friends. For it should be borne in mind, that these birds, 

 by consuming a portion of a crop of ripe fruit, do not at all 



