402 BRITISH BIRDS. 



The Garden- Warbler is one of the latest of our summer migrants, 

 seldom being observed before the first week iu May. It is a shy, active, 

 and restless bird, like most of the ^Yarblers, and frequents the most 

 secluded parts of the districts -nhich it visits. Its haunts are in the dense 

 tbickets, amongst the thick undergrowth of plantations and copses, and 

 also in the shady dells near running streams which are almost hidden 

 from view by the mass of overhanging vegetation. As its name implies, 

 the bird is also often seen in large gardens, nurseries, and shrubberies. 

 A few days after its return, when the females have arrived, the male bird 

 may be heard warbling its sweet plaintive song. The song of the Garden- 

 Warbler is not surpassed by that of any other British member of the 

 genus except the Blackcap. It is softer and not so loud as the song of 

 that bird, and wants the richness of tone and the full round notes Avhich 

 make the Blackcap almost rival the Nightingale. The Garden-AVarbler 

 may sometimes be observed singing from the topmost twig of a low tree 

 or a bush ; but usually its notes are heard from the dense vegetation, 

 where the sombre little musician is hid in the seclusion he loves so well. 

 The song may be heard at frequent intervals until the first brood is 

 hatched ; then it ceases for some time, to be again renewed before the 

 second clutch of eggs is laid. Its call-note is a harsh teck rapidly repeated 

 and sometimes varied with a few guttural notes. Blyth aptly describes 

 its note as resembling the sound made by knocking two small pebbles 

 together. 



The Garden- Warbler, like all its congeners, keeps assiduously out of 

 sight as much as possible, hopping restlessly from branch to branch, and, 

 if alarmed, silently retiring to the deepest shade. It feeds both on insects 

 and on berries and fruits of various kinds; indeed, according to Naumann, 

 the latter is its favourite fare in autumn. It eats the berries of the ivy, 

 the elder, and the blackljcrry ; and in the gardens it consumes the smaller 

 fruits, such as strawberries, cherries, and especially currants. It feeds 

 largely on insects, often pursuing them in the air like a Flycatcher, and 

 incessantly searching for them under and amongst the leaves and twigs. 

 Sweet states that the larvEC of the cabbage-butterfly is a favourite morsel 

 with this bird. 



Some little time after their arrival the Garden-Warblers pair, and nesting- 

 duties commence. The site for the nest is usually near the ground and in 

 the quietest and most secluded part of their haunt. The nest is often found 

 under the broad leaves of the brambles, or artfully suspended amidst a 

 network of briars ; sometimes it is placed in the low thorn bushes near 

 the ground, almost buried in surrounding herbage, and less frequently 

 in the branches of the gooseberry-bushes. It may also be seen amongst 

 nettles and similar coarse vegetation. The nest is a simple net-like structure 

 made of the withered stems of grasses and a few small roots ; sometimes 



