COMMON WHITETHROAT. 337 



I at present possess will sing for hours together against a 

 Nightingale, now in the beginning of January, and it will 

 not suffer itself to be outdone ; when the Nightingale 

 raises its voice, it also does the same, and tries its utmost 

 to get above it ; sometimes in the midst of its song it 

 will run up to the Nightingale, and stretch out its neck as 

 if in defiance, and whistle as loud as it can, staring it in 

 the face ; if the Nightingale attempts to peck it, away it 

 is in an instant, flying round the aviary, and singing all 

 the time. It is readily taken in a trap baited with a living 

 caterpillar or butterfly. One that I caught last spring 

 sung the third day after being in confinement, and continued 

 to sing all through the summer ; but this was most likely 

 in consequence of a tame one being with it, which also sung 

 at the same time." 



The Whitethroat is plentiful in summer in the southern 

 counties of England, from Sussex to Cornwall ; and, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Thompson, is a regular summer visitor 

 throughout Ireland. Northward from London it may be 

 traced to Northumberland and Durham ; but appears to 

 decrease in numbers in northern counties. Mr. Rennie is 

 mentioned as having seen it in Argyleshire ; and Mr. Selby 

 observed it in two localities in Sutherlandshire. 



The Whitethroat visits Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 

 Russia, and Siberia : it is also common during summer in 

 Germany, Holland, France, Provence, Spain, Sardinia, 

 Italy, Sicily, and Crete, remaining in the more southern 

 countries from April to October. Mr. Strickland saw it 

 at Smyrna ; and the Zoological Society have received spe- 

 cimens from Trebizond. 



The beak is brown ; the irides hazel ; the head and neck 

 smoke-grey, tinged with' brown ; the back, wing-coverts, 

 and upper tail-coverts, reddish brown ; quill-feathers 

 blackish brown ; secondaries and tertials broadly edged 



VOL. i. z 



