182 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



of a Whitethroat, but in some of its melody to rival that of the 

 Black-cap. Like the latter bird it evinces great partiality for 

 elderberries in the autumn. Naumann renders the call-note 

 of the Barred Warbler as chek, and like the Whitethroat it has 

 a sort of snarling rhar when alarmed ; like the last-named 

 bird it ascends into the air for a short distance, and sings while 

 descending. 



Nest. Unlike that of most Warblers, being a somewhat bulky 

 structure and not semi-transparent, like those of its allies. Mr. 

 Seebohm says that it is " composed of dried grass stalks and 

 roots, with generally some small-leaved plants, cobwebs, thistle- 

 down, or other woolly material mixed with it. Outside it is 

 rough enough ; but inside it is very neat and round, rather 

 deep, and lined with a few fine roots, cobwebs, or horse-hair. 

 The nest is well concealed, and is usually built on a thorn-bush, 

 not far from the ground. It is said to be sometimes almost on 

 the ground; but an instance has been recorded of a nest being 

 built on the topmost twigs of a birch at a height of 25 feet from 

 the ground." 



Eggs. From four to five in number, rarely six. They can- 

 not well be confounded with those of any other European 

 Warbler, as they are so very faintly marked in comparison with 

 most Warblers' eggs. Where they are plain' y marked, they 

 resemble most the eggs of the Common Whitethroat. The 

 ground-colour is creamy-white or very pale olive, faintly spotted 

 and mottled with greenish-brown, but the spots so slightly indi- 

 cated as to appear in most cases obsolete, and the only visible 

 marking are the underlying spots of violet-grey. Where the 

 overlying spots are obvious, they are distributed over the whole 

 egg, but cluster more particularly round the larger end, the 

 underlying grey spots being for the most part hidden. Axis, 

 0*8-0*9 inch; diam., o*55-o - 65. 



THE WHITETHROAT. SYLVIA SYLVIA. 



(Plate XX., Fig. i.) 



Motadtta sylvt'a, Linn., S. N., i., p. 330 (1766). 



Sylvia cinerea, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 350 (1839); Seeb., Cat. 



B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 8 (1881) ; B. (). U. List Br. B., p. n 



(1883) ; Seeb., Hist. Br. B., i., p. 405 (1883) ; Lilford, Col. 



Fig. Brit. B., pt. i (1885); Saunders, Man., p. 41 (1889) 



