188 
SYLVIAM. 
cularly abundant. Early in July, 1837, a nest containing eggs 
was discovered at the “Falls,” within about ten paces of a public 
highway, and twice that distance from an occupied dwelling- 
house. It was elevated about a foot above the ground, in a sloe- 
bush, and concealed by the growing grass of a late meadow. 
White-throats, perched on hedges or underwood, with caterpil- 
lars in their bills, denoting the vicinity of the nestlings, will often 
permit our approach within a few paces, all the time keeping a 
great uproar, consisting of a mere repetition of the word churr. 
A young white-throat caught in the middle of June when just 
fledged, was taken home by the captor. It was at first fed on 
bread and milk, and worms, but on the third day began to catch 
flies for itself, when taken near to them. It became perfectly tame. 
Its favourite perch was the finger of its owner, from which it very 
expertly picked up the “ flies on the window-panes of the house.”* 
On April the 23rd, 1841, when on the way from Malta to the 
Morea, in H.M.S. Beacon, a white-throat, migrating northwards, 
flew on board, when we were 80 miles from Malta, and 50 from 
Cape Passaro, the nearest land: when walking about Navarino 
on the 28th, my attention was called to one by its song. 
In Dr. Patrick Brown's “ Catalogue of the Birds of Ireland,” 
published in Exshaw's Magazine for 1772, I find , — “ Motacilla 
Curruca, White-bellied Nightingale, seen about Bally dangan, in 
May, 1774, Brown.” To the Catalogue a notice of the “ska or 
white-throat” is also appended. No specimen of the Lesser 
White-throat ( S . curruca) obtained in Ireland, has as yet come 
under my own notice, or that of any of my correspondents by 
whom the species is known, but I anticipate its being added to 
the Irish Eauna : the gun being very rarely directed against warb- 
lers, may be the reason that it has not yet been met with. Its 
occurrence, even in the south of Scotland, was not known to Sir 
Wm. Jardine at the time of his writing the “ British Birds ;” 
Mr. Macgillivray, however, notices the species as met with there, 
but as being “very uncommon,” vol. ii. p. 358. 
* Garrett. 
