LESSER WHITETHROAT. 107 



suffused with green or buff, spotted and freckled with 

 dark brown, and with underlying markings of paler 

 brown and gray. The spots are usually most numerous 

 on the larger end of the egg, often forming an irregular 

 zone, but sometimes they are more evenly dispersed over 

 the entire surface. Average measurement, '68 inch in 

 length, by "51 inch in breadth. Incubation, performed 

 chiefly by the female, lasts from twelve to fourteen days. 

 DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS : The eggs of the Dartford 

 Warbler very closely resemble those of the Whitethroat, 

 but as a rule the markings are darker and more clearly 

 defined. The eggs of this Warbler require the most 

 careful identification. The nest in some measure assists 

 the collector in the task. 



Family TURDID^E. Genus SYLVIA. 



Sub-family SYLVIJN^. 



LESSER WHITETHROAT. 



SYLVIA CURRUCA (Linnceus}. 

 Single Brooded. Laying season, May and June. 



BRITISH BREEDING AREA: The Lesser Whitethroat 

 is a much more local species than the Common 

 Whitethroat, becoming rare in the west of England 

 and in Wales. It is fairly well distributed over the 

 southern, central, and eastern counties, as far north as 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire. It becomes rare north of 

 these limits ; whilst in Scotland it is even rarer and 

 more locally dispersed, as far north as the valley of 



