582 



GARDEN WARBLER. 



of cinereous : throat, neck, breast, and sides, 

 dirty white ; the two latter inclining to brown : 

 belly and under tail-coverts white : tail similar to 

 the wings : legs blueish brown : both sexes are 

 alike. v . 



This species is found in Sweden, Italy, England, 

 and other parts of Europe : in this country the 

 males arrive about the last week in April, the 

 females some days later : it frequents fields and 

 gardens, and builds its nest in a thick bush, or on 

 pea-sticks ; it is composed of dried fibres, wool, 

 and a little moss, outwardly, the inside lined with 

 horse-hair ; it is flimsily put together : the eggs 

 are generally four in number, of a dirty white, 

 blotched with light brown, especially at the larger 

 end, where there are also some spots of ash. The 

 young remain in the nest till they are nearly 

 feathered. 



The song of this bird is only inferior to that 

 of the Nightingale, either in melody or variety : 

 some of the notes are sweetly and softly drawn, 

 others are quick, lively, loud, and piercing, reach- 

 ing the ear with pleasing harmony, like the whistle 

 of the Blackbird ; by some the song is thought 

 superior to the Nightingale. Its general food 

 consists of insects ; but it will also feed on fruits, 

 resorting, in the autumn particularly, to gardens 

 with other birds of a like disposition, for the sake 

 of the currants and other fruits. 



This was first discovered to be a native of Eng- 

 land by Sir Ashton Lever, who took several in 

 Lancashire j but since that time it has been ob- 



