74 SYLVIA 



In general habits it resembles the Garden- Warbler, frequents 

 groves and gardens, not the true forest. It is very shy and 

 retiring and is constantly in motion. Its song is loud, clear, 

 and melodious, beginning and ending with a chattering call, 

 and its call-note is harsh. It breeds in May, placing its nest 

 on a bush or tree. The nest is cup-shaped, neatly constructed 

 of dry grasses or plants, intermixed with spiders' webs and 

 lined with horsehair. The eggs, 4 to 6 in number, are pale 

 creamy grey with scarcely visible grey marblings, or creamy 

 grey with indistinct pale purplish grey or pale brown markings, 

 and in size vary from 85 by 0'61 to 0'86 by 0'65. It feeds 

 chiefly on insects but also to some extent on fruit and berries. 



110. WHITETHROAT. 

 SYLVIA CINEREA. 



Sylvia cinerea, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 514 (1790) ; Hewitson, i. p. 130, 

 pi. xxxv. figs. 1, 2 ; Naumann, ii. p. 464, Taf. 78, figs. 1,2; Gould, 

 B. of E. ii. pi. 125, fig. 1 ; id., B. of Gt. Brit. ii. pi. 57 ; Seebohni, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus, v. p. 8 ; Satmders, p. 41 ; Lilford, iii. p. 50, pi. 25 ; 

 ? S. rufa (Bodd.) Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 35 (1783) ; Newton, i. p. 406 ; 

 Dresser, ii. p. 377, pi. 57 ; S. fuscijnlea, Severtzoff, I. f. 0. 1875, 

 p. 176 ; Seebohm, Ibis, 1884, p. 427. 



Fauvettc grise, French ; Papa-amoras, Portug. ; Pastorcilla, 

 Span. ; Sterpazzolo, Ital. ; Dorn-Grasmiicke, German : Miet-wnk, 

 Dutch ; Gma-Grcessmutte, Dan. ; Graasanger, Norweg. ; Torn- 

 sdngarc, Swed. ; Hermaa-kerttu, Finn. ; Samnicha, Polewaja- 

 Slavka, Rnss. 



ad. (Norway). Upper parts greyish brown, becoming ash-grey on 

 the head and upper tail-coverts ; wing-coverts and secondaries broadly 

 margined with rusty red ; tail brown with lighter margins, the outer 

 feathers broadly edged with white ; under parts white, the lower throat 

 and breast washed with dull rose, the flanks and under tail-coverts with 

 pale buffy brown ; bill blackish brown, the base of the lower mandible 

 yellowish flesh ; legs yellowish flesh ; iris yellowish brown. Culmen 0'48, 

 wing 275, tail 2'52, tarsus 0*85 inch ; spurious primary O'l inch shorter 

 than the coverts ; second, third, and fourth nearly equal, the second 

 rather the shortest. The female is duller, has the head browner, and the 

 breast washed with pale ashy brown, not rose colour. In the autumn the 

 iipper parts are more rufous. 



Hob. Europe generally, north to about 65 in Scandinavia, 

 south to the Mediterranean, wintering in the Canaries and 

 Africa as far south as Damaraland; Asia Minor, Palestine, and 



