108 WHITETHROAT. 
concealment. The young quit the nest early, even before 
they are full able to fly, if alarmed for their safety. Two 
broods, and not uncommonly three, are reared in the season; 
in the south of Scotland, however, the first nest is seldom 
completed before the end of May. The bird has been known 
to build close to a public road, and in the immediate vicinity 
also of an occupied dwelling-house. 
The eggs, four or five in number, are of a greenish white 
ground colour, with spots and speckles of greenish grey and 
brownish grey. 
‘Male; weight, about four drachms; length, from about five 
inches and a half to nearly six inches; bill, bluish brown; 
the base of the under mandible yellowish brown, and the 
corners of the mouth yellowish green; between it and the 
eye is a tinge of grey; iris, bronze yellow; eyelids, olive 
brown; over the eye is a streak of yellowish white. Head 
on the crown, slate grey, with a tinge of brown; neck on 
the sides, pale brownish grey; on the back and nape, lighter 
greyish brown than the head; chin and throat, silvery white; 
fhe latter has the feathers somewhat puffed out, as when it 
is inflated in singing; breast above, pale dull white, tinged 
with rose-colour, and on the sides shaded off to yellowish 
white, and into greyish white below; back, reddish brown, but 
tinged with olive on its lower part. 
The wings, which extend to within an inch and a half of 
the end of the tail, and expand to the width of eight inches 
and a half, have the first feather extremely short, the second 
and third of equal length, and the longest in the wing; the 
edge of the outer quill is white; underneath, they are grey; 
greater and lesser wing coverts, reddish brown; primaries, pale 
brown, narrowly edged, and the secondaries and tertiaries also 
pale brown, broadly edged with brighter chesnut than the 
former. The tail, somewhat rounded, the feathers being grad- 
uated and slightly decreasing in length from the middle to 
the side ones, is brown, the margins light coloured, the outer 
feather on each side dull white over the greater portion, or 
even the whole of the outer web, and often a portion of the 
inner; the next two feathers are tipped with the same; 
underneath, the tail is grey; upper tail coverts inclining to 
olive brown; under tail coverts, pale brownish white, with a 
tinge of faint rose red. Legs, pale rust-coloured brown; toes, 
rather darker, with more of an olive tinge; the claws, dusky 
brown. 
