The Garden Warbler. 75 



young, this species sings frequently throughout the day, but whether it sings 

 again after the rearing of its single brood (I do not believe in the double- 

 broodedness of this bird) I cannot say; probably not: all I can positively state is 

 that I have never heard it even as late as July, a month in which, occasionally, 

 a late nest may be taken. 



The food of S. Iiortensis in the spring and summer consists very largely of 

 spiders, insects and their larvae, the caterpillars of the two smaller cabbage 

 butterflies (Ganoris r-apa. and G. napi) being favourite articles of diet and largely 

 used for feeding the nestlings.* In the summer, however, currants and straw- 

 berries are not despised by the Garden Warbler, while in the autumn fruits and 

 berries seem to become its favourite food. 



The alarm note of the Garden Warbler is a kind of check, check, sometimes 

 followed by a guttural sound. Speaking of the Garden Warbler, Stevenson 

 observes : — " I have rarely detected the song of this warbler in summer in close 

 vicinity to the city, but in autumn, towards the end of August or beginning of 

 September, a pair or two, with their little families (and the same may be said 

 of the Blackcap and Whitethroat) invariably appear amongst the shrubs in vny 

 garden, betraying their presence by the same anxious cries so aptly described by 

 Mr. Blyth, as ' resembling the sound produced by tapping two small pebbles 

 together.' This is evidently intended as a note of warning to the young brood, 

 alwa3'S carefully concealed amongst the thick foliage, their whereabouts being 

 indicated only by a rapid movement of the leaves, as they search the branches 

 for berries and insects." 



The call of the Garden Warbler to its mate is certain to be a soft sound ; 

 but I have not specially noted it ; and, in all works on British Birds which I 

 have studied the cry of alarm or warning is incorrectly stated to be the call-note: 

 the same error is made with regard to many other species, not only of European 

 but of foreign birds ; the harsh scolding chatter of the Pekin Nightingale having 

 been stated to be its call note, probably because both sexes scold in unison : 

 whereas the actual call of that species consists, in the hen — of a single whistled 

 note repeated five times, and in the cock — of a short measured song consisting of 

 seven or nine notes. 



The Garden Warbler in confinement is certainly more sensitive to cold than 

 the Blackcap : a friend of mine who is very fond of fishing, sometimes takes a 

 fine net with him which he fixes up across the trout stream ; by this means he 



* These larva are eaten with aviditj' by all insectivorous birds ; whereas the caterpillars of the large 

 cabbage butterfly (G. Brassiccf) seem to be offensive to nearly all. Why this should be the case, when one 

 sees that all three caterpillars eat the same leaves, and produce very similar butterflies (which are eaten 

 indiscriminately) is a poser. 



