. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 204 THE CHIFF-CHAFF. very retiring habits it would be a well-known bird, and many persons have been charmed by its melody, who have no idea of tlie bird from whose small throat it proceeds. The food of the Garden Whitethroat is mostly of an insect nature, but the bird is not averse to various fruits, and in the autumn often becomes rather obnoxious to the gardener. The nest is not unlike that of the common Whitethroat, and is placed in similar localities ; a low thick bush being the favo
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 204 THE CHIFF-CHAFF. very retiring habits it would be a well-known bird, and many persons have been charmed by its melody, who have no idea of tlie bird from whose small throat it proceeds. The food of the Garden Whitethroat is mostly of an insect nature, but the bird is not averse to various fruits, and in the autumn often becomes rather obnoxious to the gardener. The nest is not unlike that of the common Whitethroat, and is placed in similar localities ; a low thick bush being the favorite spot, although on occasions the bird will build its house among thick herbage, or even among heavy ivy leaves. The nest is made quite as loosely as that of the prpceding species, and is composed of grasses, fine fibrous roots, moss, haii', and lichens, and the interior is softly lined with hair and other similar substances. The eggs are greenish-white, covered with many spots and blotches of light brovra and ashen-green. By its color the Gai'den Whitethroat can be distinguished from its relative, as the upper surface is of a more delicate brown, and the abdomen of a purer white than the throat, which is tinged with a pale brown. The under wing-coverts are pale buflf, the beak is dark brown, and the eyes are beautiful hazel. The total length of this species nearly reaches six inches. The tiny Ciiiff-Ciiap^f, one of the smallest of the European birds, is the first Warbler that makes its appearance in the north, and that cheers with its pretty little song and its light, lively actions. The curious name of this bird has been derived from its cry, which bears some resem- blance to the words "Chiff-chaff! Chery-churry!"' often repeated. This little song is some- times uttered while the bird is on the ^\ing, but generally when it is j)erched on some con- venient bough of a lofty tree. The localities which it most frequents are woods and hedge- rows, and so lively is it
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
