WHITE THROAT. 331 



building is not so great as that of many other birds, 

 not nearly so great as the titmice, wrens, or other 

 residents. This is what one would expect. These 

 native birds begin earlier, have the choice of the 

 materials, and the whole season to attend to their 

 broods, whereas the others do not begin till May, and 

 are off again in September. Yet this is not universal ; 

 for though the swallows be very expeditious nest 

 builders, there are none more laborious, and those 

 species of them that do not burrow in banks (and the 

 burrowing is a wonderful labour for so small birds) 

 build first a house, and then a nest in it. The white- 

 throat lays the same number of eggs as the blackcap ; 

 and they have pretty much the same relation as the 

 colours of the birds, being of three colours greyish 

 white the ground, grey the mottling, and brown the 

 dots. 



The whitethroat is about the same size and weight 

 as the blackcap, only the tail is rather longer, and the 

 wings rather shorter. The upper part of the head is 

 bright gray, the throat white, the general colour on 

 the back yellowish brown and grey, the belly white, 

 and the breast tinted with rose colour. The female 

 inclines more to reddish brown than the male, and has 

 not the rose colour on the breast. 



The song of the whitethroat is rather pleasing, but 

 it has not the compass or the melody of that of the 

 black cap ; and while that bird sings only when 

 perching, (generally on a lofty tree or the highest point 

 of the coppice near the nest), the whitethroat repeats 

 its short song upon the wing. Its singing appears to 

 be a considerable effort ; for the throat is very much 



