THE GARDEN-WARBLER. 

 Sylvia hortensis, Bechstein. 

 Plate 5. 



Arriving after the Blackcap, the Garden-Warbler is seldom noticed before the 

 first week in May. 



In England it is widely distributed, though local, becoming much scarcer in the 

 south-west and in Wales. 



In Scotland it has not been known to breed north of Perthshire, south of which 

 county it nests in different localities, more frequently in the Lothians and Clyde 

 districts. 



It is rarer in Ireland. 



On the continent of Europe it is widely distributed, and winters in Africa. 



The nest is usually placed in the shade of thick brambles, briars, or bushes, 

 and is composed of stalks of grass, sometimes with the addition of moss, and lined 

 with fine roots and hair. 



The four or five eggs are dull white, blotched with different shades of brown 

 and spots of ash colour. 



The food consists of insects, fruit, and berries. 



This species is more often heard than seen, owing to its shy and skulking ways, 

 and unobtrusive colouring. 



In Surrey I have not noticed that it is more partial to gardens than other 

 places, in fact it seems to prefer the cover of tall hedges and copses. 



The song, though resembling the Blackcap's, lacks its richness and tone. 



The female is very like the male in colour, but slightly paler. 



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