OF SELBORNE. 173 



bring their broods into gardens and orchards, and 

 make great havock among the summer fruits 7 . 



7 The whole of this passage is founded in error. There are no birds 

 less shy and less pugnacious than whitethroats. They are amicable in 

 the highest degree, and having kept four or five cocks together in the 

 same cage I never saw an instance of the least dispute among them. 

 They were extremely fond of each other ; and one of them having been 

 taken from the nest to try if it would breed with a hen blackcap, died 

 the next day, having, from vexation at finding itself separated from them, 

 neglected to feed itself. I have seen the eldest of a nest.give victuals to 

 the youngest, when they were just beginning to feed themselves. Those 

 which are caught become tame very quickly, but such as are raised from 

 the nest are the very perfection of amiability, and will come out gently 

 the moment their cage door is opened, and not have the least fear of being 

 handled. The blackcap, however tame while it requires to be fed, be- 

 comes very mistrustful as soon as it can shift for itself, especially the 

 cocks, which are very wary, and in the wild state cannot in general be 

 taken with a trap. I have taken many hen blackcaps in the cherry-trees 

 with a limed rod, but never a cock. It is very difficult to get a sight of 

 the cock blackcap while it is singing : it is always on the watch and 

 shifting its place so as to avoid being seen : but the whitethroat sings 

 boldly close to a person looking at it, and although Mr. White depreci- 

 ates its song, I think it is only surpassed by the blackbird and thrush, 

 excepting of course the matchless nightingale, with whose song all com- 

 parison of melody in this world is idle. In a room the song of the white- 

 throat is very pleasing, and the young ones will sometimes learn some of 

 the nightingale's notes; and their excessive familiarity and gentleness, 

 and their healthy constitution, make them to my mind the most pleasing 

 bird that can be kept in a cage. Their general food should be ground 

 hempseed and bread scalded together, and a little German paste given 

 dry. Insects, and almost any thing which is not salt that a man eats, 

 may be given to them in small quantities as a treat, but much variety only 

 makes them grow too fat. 



This pleasing little bird appears to have been very much out of favour 

 with Mr. White, who accuses it of making great ravages in gardens. I 

 never have seen a single instance of the whitethroat attacking the cher- 

 ries, and it comes very little into walled gardens, unless there be a thick 

 whitethorn fence in them, or very thick bushes which attract it, and in 

 such vicinities they will sometimes attack the green peas. They are 

 very fond of ripe pears in confinement, but our pears are scarcely ripe 

 enough for them before they leave us, and they always abide about low 

 thick covert. 



Mr. White's mistake about the fruit has probably arisen from his con- 

 founding two different birds. Sylvia silviella of English writers, the lesser 

 whitethroat or blue-gray, breeds in our pleasure gardens and haunts the 

 little garths and gardens of villages, and in company with the blackcaps 

 and pettychaps it sometimes attacks cherries, though its attacks are not 

 so determined, and it is very fond of small caterpillars and flies. It is 



