The Whitethroat. 



281 



When the female is startled from the nest, she affects 

 lameness, and flies, like a bird with a maimed wing, a few 

 yards at a time, in order to allure anyone to pursue her, 

 and thus entice them away from the locality of her domicile. 

 If either of the parent birds, when catering for their young, 

 should find, on returning to them with a supply of food, 

 an intruder in the vicinity of their offspring, they will not 

 betray them by approaching the nest, but will remain at a 

 distance for a very considerable time, waiting until the inter- 

 loper has retired. The Whitethroat is naturally bashful and 

 timid, and seldom comes near human habitations, especially 

 during the breeding season. During the period of incuba- 

 tion the male makes short aerial flights, singing as he flies, 

 and invariably returns to the same bush or tree from which 

 he ascended. The call notes of these birds vary considerably. 



In the spring, Whitethroats are useful to horticulturists, 

 as they live at that time almost exclusively on insects ; 

 but as the summer advances, and the fruit ripens, they 

 become mischievous and destructive, as they eat strawberries, 

 raspberries, currants, &c., and appear to live almost exclusively 

 on these delicacies while they last. Whitethroats do not show 

 any disposition to breed in confinement when in company 

 with other birds ; but if they were kept by themselves, and 

 under very favourable conditions, it is not improbable that 

 they might be induced to try, though onl}^ those which have 

 been hand-reared and aviary-moulted would be likely to do so. 



Methods of Captuee. — Whitethroats may be taken, in the 

 spring, in an ordinary trap cage, baited with a caterpillar ; 

 or with limed twigs, either placed about bushes which they 

 frequent, or on a sand bed, by a river or brook, which latter spot 

 is a favourite one with these birds, who visit such places several 

 times a day to pick up the fine gravel intermixed with the 

 sand, or to give chase to flies, which accumulate there in 

 the hot weather. Birdcatchers frequently place limed twigs 

 about their nests ; but this is a cruel practice, and no right- 

 thinking person would have recourse to such a plan. In 

 fact, the birds should only be caught prior to, or after, the 

 breeding season. 



Food and Treatment. — The Whitethroat, when in a state 

 of nature, lives on small insects — aphides, flies, moths, cater- 

 pillars, garden beetles — and berries of various kinds. In con- 



