380 THE WHITETHROAT. 



fruit or berry which is wholesome, that it will refuse ; it generally 

 tastes the plums, pears, and early apples, before it leaves us : 

 and when in confinement, it also feeds freely on elder, privet, and 

 ivy berries ; it is also partial to berberries, and a soft apple or pear. 



" These birds are not so easily caught as some of the other 

 species ; they are more shy of getting into a trap ; but in gardens 

 where they are plentiful, they may be taken occasionally in a 

 Nightingale-trap, baited with a ripe cherry or raspberry, or a 

 living butterfly or caterpillar pinned on. They will readily take 

 to feed on the bruised hemp seed and bread, or on bread and 

 milk ; they are also fond of fresh raw meat, both fat and lean, 

 also the yolk of an egg occasionally. To bring them to eat it 

 directly, a few currants or raspberries, or other small fruit, must 

 be stuck in it ; in eating these out, they taste the other food, 

 which they prefer to the fruit at first, for a change. Fruit of 

 some kind or other, should, if possible, be always kept in their 

 cage. In winter they are very fond of a roasted apple ; and as 

 soon as the berries of the ivy are ripe, they should be supplied 

 with some ; they will then succeed very well. 



" This species builds its nest on trees or high shrubs, from ten 

 to twelve feet above the ground ; it is generally very deep, but 

 thin, and composed of dry grass. It is not so tender as I formerly 

 supposed; one that I have now kept nearly six years, never 

 seems to mind the cold at all. I have kept females of this 

 species, and also of both species of Whitethroats, for several 

 years, but none of them ever attempted to sing." 



149. THE WHITETHROAT. 



Motacilla, or Sylvia Cinerea, LIN. Le Fauvette Grise ou Grisette, BUF. 

 Die Gahle GrasmiicJce, BECH. 



Description. This slender and elegantly-formed bird is five 

 inches and a half in height, of which the tail measures two 

 inches and three quarters. The beak is five lines long, blackish 

 on the upper mandible, on the lower grey, and at the corners, 

 and in the inside, yellow. The iris is greyish brown ; the feet 

 ten lines in height, and brownish flesh-colour. The head is 

 grey; the cheeks, neck, back, rump, tail-coverts, and smaller 

 wing-coverts, are grey, tinged, especially on the back, with 

 brown. The throat and the belly are a beautiful white ; the 

 breast, sides, and vent feathers, are white, tinged with reddish 

 flesh-colour. The wings are dark brown ; the larger and the 

 hinder wing coverts having a broad border of rust colour, which 

 appears, indeed, to be the general hue of the wings when folded. 

 The tail is dark brown ; the outermost feather having a large 



