SYLVIAD/E.
coverts, dull brownish white, darkest on the neck and chest,
and lightest, almost white, on the belly; the under wing-
coverts of a delicate buff colour; the legs, toes, and claws,
purple brown.
The whole length of the bird rather less than six inches.
From the carpal joint to the end of the longest feather in the
wing, three inches: the first feather very short; the second
longer than the fourth, but not quite so long as the third,
which is the longest in the wins'
The female is lighter in colour than the male on the upper
surface of the body, and more uniformly greyish brown underneath.
According to Mr. Selby, “ the young of the year have the
region of the eyes greyish white ; head, upper part of the
neck, back, rump, and wing-coverts, yellowish brown, passing
into oil-green; quills greenish grey, edged with oil-green ;
cheeks and sides of neck yellowish grey; throat, breast, sides,
and under tail-coverts, wine-yellow; middle of the belly
white ; legs, toes, and claws, pearl-grey.
COMMON WHITETHROAT. 289
/ NSESSOT1ES.
DENTIROSTRES.
S V LV IA D je .
TH E COMMON W H IT E TH R O A T .
Sylvia cinerea, Whitethroat Warbler, P enn. Brit. Zool. vol. i. p. 528.
Motacilla sylvia, ,, Mont. Omith. Diet.
,, ,, ,, B ewick, Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 260.
Curruca ,, ,, F lem. Brit. An. p. 71.
,, cinerea, ,, Selby, Brit. Ornith. vol. i. p. 213.
Sylvia ,, ,, J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 109.
Curruca ,, Common Whitethroat, Gould, Birds of Europe, pt. v.
Sylvia ,, Bec-jin Grisette, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. vol. i. p. 207.
T h e C om m o n W h it e t h r o a t is probably more numerous
as a species, and more generally diffused here, than
any other of those summer warblers which annually visit this
country. It makes its appearance about the third week in
April, and frequents the sides of great woods, thickets,
hedge-rows with broad banks, and grassy lanes partially over