SMALL BIRDS IN THE GARDEN 73 
of elders, both Sambucus nigra and S. racemosa. I have 
also seen them attracted to Crategus pyracantha, but not 
to the common white-thorn, which, however, is not 
generally ripe enough before the birds have left the 
country. : 
Wood-warblers and Willow-wrens bear so close a 
resemblance to one another, in many respects, that it is 
curious they should differ in tastes; yet while the former 
have repeatedly been seen to take an occasional black 
currant, I have never noticed a Willow-warbler, though 
it is so much more numerous than its congener, paying 
any attention to fruit of any kind. They have been closely 
watched on many occasions picking aphids and other insects 
from branches laden with ripe berries, but have always 
totally disregarded the fruit. 
The Common Whitethroat is almost as fond of an 
occasional berry as the Garden-warbler or the Blackcap, 
and I have watched it taking red, white, and black currants 
with equal avidity. It also steals rasps, and, where the pods 
have been previously opened by Tits or other birds, is addicted 
to green peas. It seems, however, to be much less given 
to waste than, for instance, the Robin; for I repeatedly 
watched it last autumn descend to the ground to recover 
a fallen berry—a rare trait in bird-life in my experience. 
These little peculiarities amongst allied species are interest- 
ing. How far they may be due to local or even individual 
habit, rather than to racial character, is another matter. 
The Lesser Whitethroat is not a common bird here, 
and has only been represented by at the most two broods 
this year. It would, therefore, be unsafe to generalise from 
such scanty material, but so far as I have observed, it 
seemed to be much less given to fruit-eating than the 
Common Whitethroat. In their actions in autumn young 
Lesser Whitethroats much resemble Willow-wrens; they 
are fond of investigating rows of peas, but higher trees 
have more attractions for them than berry-bushes. Their 
chief objective seems to be green caterpillars, and for the 
purpose of identification, I disturbed one that was worry- 
ing some large creature on the path; it proved to be a full- 
liege AND oni 4 K 
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