THE SINGING BIRDS. 



245 



' diately resume his post ; and this he repeated, sometimes even striking me with his wing, till I 

 satisfied his wishes and impatience." 



THE WHITE THROAT. 



The White Throat (Curruca chierea) is five inches and three-quarters long, and eight inches 



and a quarter broad ; the wing and tail each measure two inches and a half. This species is 



at once recognisable by the slender body, comparatively long tail, white throat, and the reddish 



border that surrounds its upper wing-covers. The head, nape, back, and rump are yellowish grey, 



- 



THE WHITE THROAT (Curruca ciilirea). 



shaded with a faint reddish tinge ; the under side is white, intermixed with reddish grey on the breast ; 

 the quills, tail, and feathers that form the wing-covers are greyish black, the latter being moreover 

 broadly bordered with rust-red ; the eye is brownish yellow, the upper mandible deep grey, the lower 

 reddish grey, and the legs greyish yellow. In the female and young birds these various colours are 

 not so clearly defined as in the plumage of the adult male. These Warblers are met with in North- 

 western Asia and throughout the larger portion of Europe, from Sweden and Russia, as far south as 

 the northern parts of Spain. They are numerous in Great Britain, where they arrive in about 

 the third week in April ; and are only seen in Southern Spain and Greece during the migrating 

 season, when they wander even into Africa. We ourselves have shot them in Eastern Soudan, and 

 other naturalists have found them in the western portions of the African continent. Like other 



