SARDINIAN WARBLER. 35 



by far tlie most numerous, and hence its manners and 

 habits are best known. It is a restless and very lively 

 bird, and hops continually through the low bushes, or 

 flies from the under branches of low trees to a shrub, 

 in pursuit of flies. It is not in the least shy of the 

 neighbourhood of men, and may be; observed all the 

 year in gardens where people are constantly working. 

 In the spring the male sings, while sitting on the out- 

 stretched twig of a bush, a feeble and not very melodious 

 love-song; after ending which it creeps quickly back 

 into the bush. The female is seldom seen, and conse- 

 quently much less known than the male; its call is 

 sharp, and similar to that of the Wagtails, or, according 

 to Malherbe, during pairing time, like that of the 

 CicadcE. 



The Sardinian Warbler builds twice or even three 

 times in the year, in a bush or low-hanging bough, not 

 far from the ground, say from one to three feet. The 

 nest is tolerably compact, and is ingeniously built of 

 blades of grass, leaves, with soft woolly plant stems, 

 spiders' webs, and cotton woven together; the inside 

 lined with soft small straws and horse-hair. It lays from 

 four to five eggs in the first, and only three in the 

 second brood. The egg is greenish grey, tolerably 

 thickly marked with small spots, darker, and forming a 

 wreath round the larger end. 



I have been favoured by my friend, Mr. Edward J. 

 Tuck, of Wallington Rectory, Baldock, Herts., with the 

 following account of this bird, as observed by him in 

 France: — "Sylvia melanocepJiala was resident about 

 Cannes, at least I saw it constantly from December to 

 May. It was most common in the pine woods on the 

 hills, which are very dry, and contain underwood of 

 broom, juniper, etc. I used to see it also in the gardens 



