308 SYLVIAD.E, 



14tli of March ; by the 20th several have been noticed, 

 and they are frequently heard in the woods before the trees 

 are in leaf to hide them. On their first arrival they are said 

 to feed chiefly " on the larva of the different species of Tor- 

 trix that are rolled up in the unfolding buds of various trees, 

 rendering good service in devouring those insects that would 

 otherwise destroy a great part of the fruit. If the weather is 

 fine and mild, they may be seen among the most forward 

 trees in orchards, flying from branch to branch, and from tree 

 to tree, chasing each other, and catching the gnats and small 

 flies that come in their way. In the summer they feed on 

 the aphides which infest trees and plants, and they are also 

 very partial to small caterpillars, flies, and moths." 



These birds frequent shady woods, hedgerows, and bushes; 

 and their song, sometimes given while the bird is on the 

 wing, and frequently from a branch of a tall tree, consists, as 

 before mentioned, of two notes repeated several times in suc- 

 cession. 



The nest is in form like that of the Willow Warbler, 

 oval, or rounded, with a hole in the side by which the little 

 bird enters. The outside of the nest is composed of 

 dried grass, dead leaves and moss, lined with a profusion 

 of feathers. It is generally placed on or near the ground in 

 a hedgebank, sometimes raised a little above the ground in a 

 low bush. Mr. Henry Doubleday sent me notice of an in- 

 stance in which he found the nest of this bird, formed ex- 

 ternally of dead leaves, placed in dead fern, at least two 

 feet from the ground ; and Mr. Hewitson mentions another, 

 at an equal elevation, that was built in some ivy against 

 a garden wall. The eggs are usually six in number, about 

 seven lines in length by five lines and a half in breadth, 

 Avhite, with a few specks of dark purplish red. 



As this little bird is one of the first to arrive here in the 

 spring, so is it also one of the last to leave us in autumn, and 



