402 BRITISH BIRDS. 
The Garden-Warbler is one of the latest of our summer migrants, 
seldom being observed before the first week in May. It is a shy, active, 
and restless bird, like most of the Warblers, and frequents the most 
secluded parts of the districts which it visits. Its haunts are in the dense 
thickets, amongst the thick undergrowth of plantations and copses, and 
also in the shady dells near running streams which are almost hidden 
from view by the mass of overhanging vegetation. As its name implies, 
the bird is also often seen in large gardens, nurseries, and shrubberies. 
A few days after its return, when the females have arrived, the male bird 
may be heard warbling its sweet plaintive song. ‘The song of the Garden- 
Warbler is not surpassed by that of any other British member of the 
genus except the Blackcap. It is softer and not so loud as the song of 
that bird, and wants the richness of tone and the full round notes which 
make the Blackcap almost rival the Nightingale. The Garden-Warbler 
may sometimes be observed singing from the topmost twig of a low tree 
or a bush; but usually its notes are heard from the dense vegetation, 
where the sombre little musician is hid in the seclusion he loves so well. 
The song may be heard at frequent intervals until the first brood is 
hatched ; then it ceases for some time, to be again renewed before the 
second clutch of eggs is laid. Its call-note is a harsh ¢eck rapidly repeated 
and sometimes varied with a few guttural notes. Blyth aptly describes 
its note as resembling the sound made by knocking two small pebbles 
together. 
The Garden-Warbler, like all its congeners, keeps assiduously out of 
sight as much as possible, hopping restlessly from branch to branch, and, 
if alarmed, silently retiring to the deepest shade. It feeds both on insects 
and on berries and fruits of various kinds; indeed, according to Naumann, 
the latter is its favourite fare in autumn. It eats the berries of the ivy, 
the elder, and the blackberry ; and in the gardens it consumes the smaller 
fruits, such as strawberries, cherries, and especially currants. It feeds 
largely on insects, often pursuing them in the air like a Flycatcher, and 
incessantly searching for them under and amongst the leaves and twigs. 
Sweet states that the larvee of the cabbage-butterfly is a favourite morsel 
with this bird. 
Some little time after their arrival the Garden-Warblers pair, and nesting- 
duties commence. ‘The site for the nest is usually near the ground and in 
the quietest and most secluded part of their haunt. The nest is often found 
under the broad leaves of the brambles, or artfully suspended amidst a 
network of briars ; sometimes it is placed in the low thorn bushes near 
the ground, almost buried in surrounding herbage, and less frequently 
in the branches of the gooseberry-bushes. It may also be seen amongst 
nettles and similar coarse vegetation. The nest is a simple net-like structure 
made of the withered stems of grasses and a few small roots; sometimes 
oxcganiill 
