LESSER WHITETHROAT. 413 



throat, and is often made of coarser materials. It is usually made of fine 

 dry gra-s-stalks, amongst which the twigs that support it are artfully 

 interwoveu. It is generally bound together with spider's webs or the 

 cocoons of caterpillars, and lined with a few fibrous rootlets and some- 

 times a little horsehair. The bird is very easily driven from its uncom- 

 pleted nest, and, if frequently disturbed, will soon forsake it. The eggs 

 of the Lesser Whitethroat are four or five in number, an^d present in 

 their variations two very distinct types. The first type, and perhaps the 

 commonest, is pure white or pale creamy white in ground- colour, spotted 

 and blotched with rich greenish brown, and with underlying shell-markings 

 of violet-grey. The second type has the ground pale buff or stone-colour, 

 and the markings are not so bold and deep in colour. The markings are 

 confined for the most part to the large end of the egg, often forming a 

 zone, sometimes an irregular circular patch. Many of the eggs are streaked 

 with very deep brown ; and usually most of the large spots are paler round 

 the edge than in the centre ; and on all eggs the large spots are inter- 

 mingled with finer markings of pale yellowish brown. They measure from 

 78 to '6 inch in length, and from "55 to -5 inch in breadth. 



The bird is a very close sitter. When the nest is approached the female 

 remains silent and motionless on her eggs until almost touched by the hand. 

 The male bird also generally soon appears upon the scene, and, in com- 

 pany with his mate, hops anxiously from twig to twig, both uttering their 

 harsh and monotonous notes. The more frequently the nest is visited the 

 more wary the birds become ; and Naumann states that when the bird is 

 frightened off the nest it flutters about in the open to attract attention. 

 The Lesser Whitethroat leaves this country for the south during the last 

 half of September ; specimens have been obtained as late as the middle of 

 October ; and in the month of November last year an example was caught 

 at Brighton by Mr. Swaysland. 



In spring plumage the male Lesser Whitethroat has the general colour 

 of the upper parts pale slate-grey, more or less suffused with brown on the 

 back, lores, and ear- coverts. The eye-stripe is almost obsolete. The inner- 

 most secondaries have paler edges ; the wings and tail are brown, the latter 

 broadly tipped with white on the outside feathers. The underparts are white 

 on the chin, throat, the centre of the belly, and the under tail-coverts, shading 

 into very pale brown on the breast and flanks. The axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts are white. Bill dark bluish grey, the under mandible pale 

 at the base ; legs, feet, and claws bluish grey ; irides light brown. The 

 female scarcely differs from the male, but has not even the rudiments of an 

 eye-stripe. After the autumn moult the breast and flanks are somewhat 

 more sufficed with brown. Birds of the year have the upper parts still 

 more suffused with broMn, and the pale brown of the underparts extends 

 to the under tail-coverts. The bill and legs are also somewhat paler. 



