LESSER WHITETHROAT 
carried as he flutters from one dead stem of vegetation to 
another. 
When pairing has taken place the male confines himself 
to a limited part of the area over which he had previously 
been accustomed to wander, and the nest is then commenced, 
both sexes sharing in its construction. The excitement which 
was So prominent on the first arrival of the female gradually 
disappears, but at intervals, which I believe to be just 
previous to coition, it again becomes very marked. Facing 
one another on opposite branches they utter their harsh, 
scolding note and flutter their wings, or the male, while 
pursuing the female, seizes her and together they flutter to 
the ground. 
The nest, placed as a rule a few feet from the ground in 
thick hedgerows, small holly bushes or brambles, is lightly and 
loosely built, principally of dead grass mixed with pieces 
of thistle or wool. The coarse grasses are placed on the 
outside, but more slender pieces of dead vegetation are used 
towards the interior, the lining being of horsehair and fine 
roots. Five eggs are usually laid. 
The young are hatched about the second week in June, 
and the male shares with the female the task of tending 
them. Both sexes are inclined to be rather shy whilst per- 
forming their parental duties, but I have failed to notice 
any appreciable difference in this respect in the character 
of the sexes. Whilst carrying food, a note, which is some- 
what different in the two sexes, is frequently uttered, the 
male’s being a soft hissing note, but the female’s rather 
harsher. After having actually delivered the food to the 
young they utter their note very hurriedly as if alarmed at 
what they had done. The feces, enclosed in the usual 
membraneous sac, are carried some distance away from the 
nest. 
If the young, especially after having left the nest, are 
approached suddenly or otherwise interfered with, the parents 
become intensely excited. This can easily be tested by 
ia 
