Sweden and Norway; it also inhabits the whole of the northern coast of Africa, Persia, and the peninsula
of India, over the greater part of which, Mr. Jerdon informs us, it is found in the “ cold weather, and is
much more common than the Sylvia orphea and S. affims. It frequents similar localities, and has the same
hahits and food feeding both on insects and flower-buds, and incessantly moving about the upper and extreme
branches of trees. Mr. Blyth, who observed it in Bengal, noticed that it frequented Mimosas in small parties
and kept chiefly to trees." Besides insects, this species, like the other members of the genus, eats the elder-
and other berries, and makes a foray on the fruits of our gardens, particularly in autumn.
H Its song,” says the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert, I is pleasing, bnt not so strong and vaned as that of the
Whitethroat.’ It builds in gardens, like the Blackcap, and with it attacks the fruit, though less pertinaciously
as it is very fond of flies and small caterpillars, and probably on the whole does more good than
harm in a garden. The nest is very small and slender, so that it may actually he seen through; and it is
often placed in the fork of a rose-bush or thorn, sometimes eight or nine feet from the ground, a t others
in a low brier. I t does not lay, so far as I have seen, above four eggs.” In captivity, “ it has a little of the
manners of the Tits, often running along the wires of the cage, suspended by the feet, which is not usual
with the birds of the genus Syhia. I t is of a remarkably tame nature. I have captured a cock bird and its
young and the day after it was taken, it fed them upon bread and hemp, and reared them, and some months
after it would even perch upon my hand to feed itself. It is fond of the seeds o f the broad-leaved plantain."
A nest which I took from a garden a t Maidenhead was cup-shaped, and composed of various dried grasses,
lined inside with similar but finer materials, fibrous roots and horsehair, to which, in another example, a
little wool and flocculent vegetable substances were added. The eggs were stone- or greenish white, speckled
with brown and ashy grey, particularly at the larger end. They were about 8 lines long by 6 lines broad.
On the 11th of August, 1858, a bird-catcher brought me a beautiful clean-moulted example, which may
be thus described:— , .
Head and ear-coverts dull g rey ; chest and abdomen greyish white, the former very slightly tmged with
vinous, and the flanks with buff; upper surface olive-brown ; rump grey; tail and wings brown, edged with
ffrey; bill and legs dark olive-grey; irides very dark brown.
The figures represent the birds as nearly the size of life as may be. The plant is the Bird-Cherry
{Prunus avium, Linn.).