264 



peculiar song, which is short and lively, but not 

 remarkably pleasant. The Whitethroat feeds on 

 insects, larvee, and soft fruits. The nest, usually 

 placed among brambles, briers, or rank herbaceous 

 plants, is elegantly but loosely constructed of 

 withered stems of goosegrass, lined with finer 

 filaments and hair. The eggs, generally five in 

 number, are of a greenish white, spotted and 

 freckled with greyish green and purplish grey. 

 The young often leave the nest before they are 

 well able to fly, particularly if disturbed. 



WHITETHROAT, LESSER. 



SYLYIA SYLYIELLA, Penn. 



This bird arrives and departs about the same 

 periods as the rest of its species. It is uncommon 

 in the south of Scotland, and less common than the 

 other species of Whitethroat in any part of Eng- 

 land. It feeds on insects, larvae, and small fruits, 

 and frequents garden hedges and thickets. It is 

 extremely active and shy, and has a short and not 

 unpleasant warble. The nest, which is placed 

 among briers or herbage, is composed of the 

 stems and leaves of slender grasses, rather loosely 

 interwoven, with a lining of fine straws, fibrous 

 roots, and hair. The eggs, usually five in number, 

 are of a greyish white, spotted and patched with 

 light grey and brown. 



