62 OUR RARER BIRDS 



incessantly hopping and creeping about in search of its food. 

 Now you see the prickly branches quiver near the top of the 

 bush, and catch a momentary glimpse of the dark-looking 

 bird ; then almost instantly it drops down again into the very 

 roots of the gorse, or flutters upwards into the air to catch a 

 passing fly. In autumn it pays short and timid visits to the 

 fruit trees in the farmers' gardens near the coverts, and hunts 

 about the adjoining moors for bilberries and other ground 

 fruits. Its young are largely fed on caterpillars, as well as on 

 the perfect insect. 



The breeding season of the Dartford Warbler begins about 

 the middle of April, the eggs usually not being laid before 

 the last week in that month. The nest is cunningly con- 

 cealed amongst the thickest portions of the coverts, not very 

 high up in the branches, but amongst the dead twigs and 

 long grass at the foot of the bushes. It is a flimsy structure, 

 very like the Whitethroat's in general appearance, made of 

 dead grass stalks, bits of withered furze, and scraps of moss, 

 lined with finer stalks and sometimes a few hairs. It is not 

 quite so deep as the Whitethroat's, and if anything a trifle 

 more bulky. The eggs are four or five in number, and so 

 closely resemble those of the Common Whitethroat that it is 

 with difficulty they can be distinguished. As a rule they 

 are a trifle smaller, and the dark markings are a little more 

 intense. As in those of the Whitethroat, the spots often form 

 a zone round the large end. The female sits closely, and I 

 have sometimes stood within a few feet of the nest without 

 her showing much alarm. Few nests are more difficult to 

 find, and the only way of ensuring success is to carefully 

 watch the old birds, who rarely fail to disclose their secret if 

 patiently observed. Two broods may be reared in the season, 

 but such is by no means generally the case. 



