THE BLACKCAP AND WHITETHROATS. 105 



satisfied that the Whitethroats perform their migrations 

 in the night. They will be seen in plenty in the hedge- 

 rows one day, and the next not a single bird is seen, and 

 their well- known cries are heard no more. 



The third of these little choristers now before us is 

 the Lesser Whitethroat, a bird, as its name implies, a 

 Whitethroat, but slightly smaller than the one whose 

 life history has just been traced. Like its congener, it 

 is a migratory bird, and arrives a little later in the year, 

 seldom being seen before May. It is a shy and wary 

 little creature enough, only inhabiting the most tangled 

 hedgerows, the deepest woods and dells, or most impene- 

 trable thickets ; and though absolutely common nowhere, 

 still I suspect its retiring nature and unobtrusiveness 

 combined cause it to be looked upon as a much rarer 

 bird than it really is. 



It is only by exercising the utmost caution that you 

 can observe this little creature, for on the least alarm it 

 instantly darts into the thickest cover, and there remains 

 until the intruder retires. I sometimes succeed in watching 

 him when seeking for food. I have seen him when so en- 

 gaged amongst the dense branches of the tallest trees, from 

 which he sometimes sallies on fluttering wings to secure 

 the passing insects. Though the common or greater 

 Whitethroat may often be seen on the fruit trees, in the 

 garden, still I seldom or never see the smaller species, as 

 it probably contents itself with the various wild fruits 

 growing in its haunts. The Lesser Whitethroat is another 

 very late breeder. When the vegetation in its haunts is 

 enclosed in its summer wreath, the little birds seek out a 

 nesting-site. It has not far to go, the nesting materials 

 are at hand. Concealment and seclusion are the two 

 main things required, and the brambles or thickets, the 

 opmost branches of a tangled hedgerow, or the bushes 



