108 WHITETHROAT. 



concealment. The young quit the nest early, even before 

 they are full able to fly, if alarmed for their safety. Two 

 broods, and not uncommonly three, are reared in the season; 

 in the south of Scotland, however, the first nest is seldom 

 completed before the end of May. The bird has been known 

 to build close to a public road, and in the immediate vicinity 

 also of an occupied dwelling-house. 



The eggs, four or five in number, are of a greenish white 

 ground colour, with spots and speckles of greenish grey and 

 brownish grey. 



Male; weight, about four drachms; length, from about five 

 inches and a half to nearly six inches; bill, bluish brown; 

 the base of the under mandible yellowish brown, and the 

 corners of the mouth yellowish green; between it and the 

 eye is a tinge of grey; iris, bronze yellow; eyelids, olive 

 brown; over the eye is a streak of yellowish white. Head 

 on the crown, slate grey, with a tinge of brown; neck on 

 the sides, pale brownish grey; on the back and nape, lighter 

 greyish brown than the head; chin and throat, silvery white ; 

 the latter has the feathers somewhat puffed out, as when it 

 is inflated in singing; breast above, pale dull white, tinged 

 with rose-colour, and on the sides shaded off to yellowish 

 white, and into greyish white below; back, reddish brown, but 

 tinged with olive on its lower part. 



The wings, which extend to within an inch and a half of 

 the end of the tail, and expand to the width of eight inches 

 and a half, have the first feather extremely short, the second 

 and third of equal length, and the longest in the wing; the 

 edge of the outer quill is white; underneath, they are grey; 

 greater and lesser wing coverts, reddish brown; primaries, pale 

 brown, narrowly edged, and the secondaries and tertiaries also 

 pale brown, broadly edged with brighter chesnut than the 

 former. The tail, somewhat rounded, the feathers being grad- 

 uated and slightly decreasing in length from the middle to 

 the side ones, is brown, the margins light coloured, the outer 

 feather on each side dull white over the greater portion, or 

 even the whole of the outer web, and often a portion of the 

 inner; the next two feathers are tipped with the same; 

 underneath, the tail is grey; upper tail coverts inclining to 

 olive brown; under tail coverts, pale brownish white, with a 

 tinge of faint rose red. Legs, pale rust-coloured brown; toes, 

 rather darker, with more of an olive tinge; the claws, dusky 

 brown. 



