THE WHITETHROAT 
tangle, some small bush, or at the bottom of some 
dense hedge, among briars and brambles. It may be 
found hanging daintily among the stems of tall 
weeds, and sometimes even on the ground. 
No birds are more anxious to guard their treasures 
than the Whitethroats. Often they may be seen 
sitting on some spray with their tails in the air and 
the feathers of their head and throat erected, scolding 
with all their might, begging the intruder to go away. 
Poor little creatures ! How terrified they must be at 
the thought that some cruel hand may tear down the 
dainty nest that they have built so carefully, and steal 
or destroy the four or five eggs within. These eggs 
may be known by their greenish-white ground colour, 
and their spots and speckles of grey. 
The Whitethroat rears one brood in the year, but 
if her nest is stolen she will build another and lay 
more eggs. She has been known to build three 
nests and lay three clutches of eggs before she was 
allowed to rear her nestlings in safety. 
One mother bird, seeing a stranger near, flung 
herself down the side of a bank, then struggled and 
shuffled along as if she were injured, trying in this 
way to draw attention from her nest. 
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