GARDEN WARBLER. 35 



ripe cherries being a particularly sweet mouthful for 

 this bird. As a rule, it is a restless, retiring little bird, 

 and if you wish to observe it and listen to its song, it 

 must be approached with great caution. The male 

 can then be easily recognised by its black crown ; the 

 feathers on the head of the female are reddish brown. 

 The breast is yellowish grey in colour, and the back 

 an ash-coloured brown. 



The nest is usually commenced in the beginning of 

 May. It is very thinly but compactly put together. 

 It is generally placed in the fork of a bush or a 

 bramble, about two or three feet from the ground, 

 and is made of grass and roots, mixed with a little 

 wool or moss, and lined with roots or hair. The birds 

 resent any interference with their property, and very 

 little meddling will cause it to be forsaken. 



The eggs, four or five, rarely six, vary very much 

 in colour and size. The commonest variety perhaps is 

 a pale greenish white, faintly mottled with brown and 

 grey, and spotted and streaked with blackish brown. 

 Some eggs are salmon colour, and others white, 

 blotched with reddish brown. The most uncommon 

 variety is almost brick red, marked with brownish 

 blotches. Care must be taken not to confuse the 

 eggs of the Blackcap with those of the Garden 

 Warbler, which they very much resemble. 



GARDEN WARBLER. 



SYLVIA HORTENSIS. 



Family Passerid^. Sub-family Sylviin^. Genus Sylvia. 



Pettychaps — Greater Pettychaps. 



This beautiful songster arrives very late on our 

 shores, about the end of April or the beginning of May. 



