allen’s naturalist’s library. 
182 
of a Whitethroat, but in some of its melody to rival that of the 
Black-cap. Like the latter bird it evinces great partiality for 
elderberries in the autumn. Naumann renders the call-note 
of the Barred Warbler as chek, and like the Whitethroat it has 
a sort of snarling rhar when alarmed ; like the last-named 
bird it ascends into the air for a short distance, and sings while 
descending. 
Nest — Unlike that of most Warblers, being a somewhat bulky 
structure and not semi-transparent, like those of its allies. Mr. 
Seebohm says that it is “composed of dried grass stalks and 
roots, with generally some small-leaved plants, cobwebs, thistle- 
down, or other woolly material mixed with it. Outside it is 
rough enough ; but inside it is very neat and round, rather 
deep, and lined with a few fine roots, cobwebs, or horse-hair. 
The nest is well concealed, and is usually built on a thorn-bush, 
not far from the ground. It is said to be sometimes almost on 
the ground; but an instance has been recorded of a nest being 
built on the topmost twigs of a birch at a height of 25 feet from 
the ground.” 
Eggs From four to five in number, rarely six. They can- 
not well be confounded with those of any other European 
Warbler, as they are so very faintly marked in comparison with 
most Warblers’ eggs. Where they are plainly marked, they 
resemble most the eggs of the Common Whitethroat. The 
ground-colour is creamy-white or very pale olive, faintly spotted 
and mottled with greenish-brown, but the spots so slightly indi- 
cated as to appear in most cases obsolete, and the only visible 
marking are the underlying spots of violet-grey. Where the 
overlying spots are obvious, they are distributed over the whole 
egg, but cluster more particularly round the larger end, the 
underlying grey spots being for the most part hidden. Axis, 
o‘8-o‘ 9 inch; diam., o'55-o'65. 
THE WHITETHROAT. SYLVIA SYLVIA. 
(Plate XX., Fig. I.) 
Motacilla sylvia, Linn., S. N., i., p. 330 (1766). 
Sylvia cinerea, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 350 (1839); Seeb., Cat. 
B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 8 (1881) ; B. (). U. List Br. B., p. 11 
(1883) ; Seeb., Ilist. Br. B., i., p. 405 (1883) ; Lilford, Col. 
Fig. Brit. B,, pt. 1(1885); Saunders, Man., p. 41 (1889) 
