THE WHITETHROAT. 



Sylvia cineeea, Lath. 



This bird is about the same size and weight as 

 the Blackcap, only the tail is rather longer, and 

 the wings rather shorter. The upper part of the 

 head is bright grey, the throat white, the general 

 colour of the back yellowish brown and grey, the 

 belly white, and the breast of the male tinted with 

 rose colour in the spring. The female inclines 

 more to reddish brown than the male, and has not 

 the rose colour on the breast. 



The Whitethroat arrives in this country about 

 the middle of April, when it becomes pretty gene- 

 rally diffused over all parts of the kingdom which 

 are enclosed. 



The song of the Whitethroat (says the author of 

 the British Naturalist) is rather pleasing, but it 

 has not the compass or the melody of that of the 

 Blackcap : and while that bird sings only when 

 perching, (generally on a lofty tree or the highest 

 point of the coppice near the nest,) the Whitethroat 

 repeats its short song upon the wing. Its singing 

 appears to be a considerable effort ; for the throat 

 is very much distended, and the feathers on the top 

 of the head are erected so as to form a sort of crest. 

 It utters its song as it rises from the spray on 



g 2 



