THE WHITETHROAT 



STLFIA CINEREA 



LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Hayjack," 

 " Haychat " (Essex). 



^STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely 

 distributed summer visitor. 



RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 

 PAUL'S : Although the Whitethroat cannot be regarded 

 as a visitor to the inner portions of the Metropolitan 

 area, there are many places in the suburbs where it is 

 fairly common during the summer. I have never met 

 with this species in any of the strictly urban parks and 

 pleasure-grounds, though there are some in which it 

 might be reasonably expected, as, for instance, in the 

 Botanical Gardens ; on the other hand, I may mention 

 Dulwich and Wimbledon as districts it regularly fre- 

 quents. Regarding the more outlying areas, however, 

 there are many spots still sufficiently rural to afford it a 

 suitable summer residence. It may be noticed in many 

 parts of Middlesex Park Royal, Wembley, Harrow, 

 Kingsbury, Hendon, and so forth ; whilst in Essex it 

 regularly visits the Epping district, Wanstead, and Dagen- 

 ham. In Kent it has many haunts about the Grays and 

 elsewhere ; whilst Surrey, of course, affords it others in 

 many scattered localities well within the fifteen-mile 

 radius Kew, Richmond, and so on. I have heard of 

 this species as a visitor to large gardens in the autumn 

 much nearer the city, where a plentiful crop of fruit 

 has, of course, been the chief attraction. 



If there are Whitethroats in a locality the fact can 

 scarcely be overlooked by any one familiar with the species. 

 The bird is particularly partial to hedges, and has a 

 habit of mounting to the top of them to sing, flitting 

 along before the observer, hovering in the air, or con- 

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