THE BLACKCAP. 67 



cherries, raspberries, and currants, and in winter a 

 piece of over-ripe apple or pear, or some roasted 

 apple. With this treatment it will be both cheerful 

 and contented, singing nearly the whole year, except, 

 of course, at the period of moulting, when all birds 

 lose their song. 



The nest, although very slight in structure, is 

 firmly and compactly put together, and much 

 resembles that of the Garden Warbler. It is 

 usually placed in the fork of some shrub or 

 bush at no great height from the ground, and 

 is composed of dry goose - grass and a little 

 moss, lined with fine fibrous roots and a little 

 horse-hair. 



The eggs, usually five in number, are white 

 clouded with pale brown, and sparsely spotted 

 towards the larger end with black dots. They 

 closely resemble the eggs of the Garden Warbler, 

 but differ in being smaller, and as a rule of a warmer 

 tint ; the pink or reddish-brown colour, with which 

 the eggs of the Blackcap are often suffused, is not 

 found in those of its congener. 



Both sexes take their turn at incubation, reliev- 

 ing one another to feed ; but the male will often 



