204 NATURAL HISTORY 



former month, notwithstanding so many young are 

 hatched daily. Sure I am, that it is far otherwise with 



seasons very few visit us, in others they are sufficiently plentiful. Its 

 habits are somewhat similar to the whitethroat, but it is much more quar- 

 relsome ; sometimes so much so that it must be taken from the other birds, 

 or it will worry them to death, even if they are double its size. 



In confinement, it will soon become tame and familiar, and will 

 readily take to feed on bread and milk, and also on bruised hemp-seed 

 and bread. One that I bred up from the nest became so attached to its 

 cage, that it could not be prevailed upon to quit it for any length of time ; 

 when the door of it was set open, it would generally come out quickly 

 and first perch on the door, then mount to the top of the cage, from 

 which it would fly to any other cages that were in the room, and catch 

 such flies as came within its reach ; sometimes it would descend to the 

 floor, or perch on a table or chair, and would fly up and take a fly out of 

 the hand, or drink milk out of a spoon if invited : of this it was very fond. 

 As soon as it was the least frightened it would fly immediately to its cage, 

 first on the top, thence to the door, and would enter in exactly as it came 

 out. I have often hung it out at the window perched on the top of its 

 cage, with the door open, and it would never attempt to fly away ; some- 

 times if a fly should happen to pass near it, it would fly off and catch it. 

 and return with it to the top of the cage ; after remaining there a consi- 

 derable time it would either return into it, or fly in at the window and 

 perch on the cages of the other birds. 



It requires precisely the same treatment as the whitethroat, in food 

 and management, but is rather more tender. 



The Garden Warblei; (Curruca hortensis, BECHST.) This interesting 

 species is scarcely inferior to the blackcap in song, and by some persons 

 is even preferred ; its song is certainly very loud and musical, its notes 

 very deep and harmonious, but it wants the blackcap's lively, shrill, and 

 cheerful song. It is, however, a great favourite with me, as its song is 

 so different from any other bird, and has a sort of foreign sound with it ; 

 the song is of great length and very variable in the notes, which it raises 

 and lowers in a curious manner. Although so fine a songster, and in 

 some years very plentiful, it is quite unknown amongst the bird-catchers 

 and bird fanciers ; but it is, since my publication on the British Warblers 

 with figures, becoming to be known a little about London, where it is now 

 known by the name of garden warbler. It is more tender than the black- 

 cap, and will not succeed well, if the room in which it is kept be allowed 

 to get below temperate in winter. Its food is entirely the same as the 

 blackcap, fruit and berries being its favourite food ; but it is also very 

 partial to some sorts of insects, particularly caterpillars, moths, and but- 

 terflies, of which it will swallow enormously large ones : grasshoppers 

 and crickets it is also fond of, and it is very curious to see what very 

 large ivy-berries it will swallow whole. There is no occasion to make 

 the least difference between the food of the present and the blackcap ; 

 and when in a cage they will agree very well together, and succeed much 

 better than when kept separate. 



It is one of the latest visitants to this country, seldom arriving till 



