The Dartford Warbler. 83 



active, scarcely resting for a moment, except when warbling its hurried little song 

 from the top of a furze-branch. In many of its habits it reminds one of Cetti's 

 Warbler. It flits up a furze-bush, dodging in and out amongst the side branches 

 in search of insects, perches for a moment on the topmost spray ; but before you 

 have had time to get your binocular on to it, it has caught sight of your move- 

 ment and drops down into the furze-bush as if shot." 



The nest in Great Britain has always been found concealed amongst dense 

 furze, but on the Continent and more especially in the south it is said to be 

 placed in broom or heather ; the dead lower branches of the furze are selected as 

 a building site. In character the nest is small, deep and flimsy ; it is formed 

 principally of thin bents, interwoven with stems of goosegrass and moss, a little 

 green furze, and wool. 



The eggs vary from four to five and' are greenish or bufifish white, mottled 

 with olive and spotted with reddish brown ; the marking is more densely distri- 

 buted over the surface than in eggs of the Greater Whitethroat, to which in other 

 respects they bear a slight resemblance ; they however tend to be longer, and to 

 my mind would be more aptly likened to very diminutive eggs of the Rock Pipit, 

 or to some eggs of the Tree Sparrow. I do not think anyone well acquainted 

 with British Birds' eggs would ever confound those of the Dartford Warbler and 

 Whitethroat. 



The breeding-season of this species is from April to July, and two broods are 

 reared in the year ; the second nest is said to be usually less compact than the 

 earlier one ; this is constructed in June, when there is less necessity for a warm 

 receptacle for the eggs. 



The food of the Dartford Warbler consists principally of insects, and Mr. 

 Booth, in the "Zoologist" for 1887, states that it "generally feeds its young on 

 the body of a large yellow moth" which he says the parent birds hunted for 

 among the lower part of the stems of the foliage. I have little doubt the moth 

 intended is one of the common Yellow-underwings fTriphctna ianthina, orbona, or 

 pronubaj which I have frequentl}^ disturbed from furze-bushes in the day-time. In 

 the autumn wild berries are also eaten. 



As this species is a fairly meritorious songster there is no doubt that it would 

 be an interesting aviary pet ; its scolding note is somewhat harsh cha-cha, but its 

 call-note is probably soft and pleasing like that of other Warblers. Its actions 

 are sprightly, the tail being expanded as it alights ; its flight is rapid and undu- 

 lating, but not powerful. 



There is not the least doubt that this species could be fed in confinement 

 upon the mixture which I have recommended for other Insectivorous birds, supple- 



