238 BIRDS' NESTS. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



GROUND VARIOUS, MOTTLED WITH GREEN OR BROWN, 



BLACKCAP. Curruca atricapilla. 

 PLATE XX. FIG. 3. 



THIS, one of the most delightful of our 

 summer warblers, builds its nest rather late in 

 the season, and is said to be so very particular 

 in selecting a spot as frequently to commence 

 and abandon a nest in two or three different 

 places. When a locality is finally determined 

 on, the nest is usually placed in a hedge or low 

 bush, a few feet from the ground, and is con- 

 structed of bents, lined with fibrous roots and 

 hair. The eggs are five, of a pale greenish 

 white, variously mottled with several shades of 

 brown, three quarters of an inch long, and 

 little more than half an inch broad. They re- 

 semble so closely those of the garden warbler, 

 that it is impossible to decide between them 



