[Illustration]
Sylvia cinerea, BECHSTEIN; Le Fauvette grise ou Grisette,
BUFFON; Die gemeine Grasmücke, BECHSTEIN.
This bird is five inches and a half in length, of which the tail
measures two and three-quarters. The beak, five lines long, is dusky
above and greyish beneath, with the corners and interior of the throat
yellow; the iris is greyish brown; the shanks are brownish
flesh-coloured, and ten lines high; the head is ash-grey: the cheeks,
neck, back, rump, tail-coverts and lesser wing-coverts, are also
ash-grey, but tinged with brown, deeper on the back than elsewhere; the
throat and belly are fine white.
The female, rather smaller and lighter, rust-coloured on the wings, has
not a fine white throat like the male.
HABITATION.--When wild the white-throat is spread through Europe. They
leave us the beginning of October, and are then observed to retire
from bush to bush, and from hedge to hedge. They reappear towards the
middle of April, fluttering about the bushes in the fields, the
brambles, thickets, underwood of the low mountains, and the orchards,
running about very swiftly.
In the house they must be treated in the same manner as the fauvette;
but they are much more delicate. An amateur had better rear young
birds, and treat them like nightingales. It is the only way to keep
them many years.
FOOD.--When wild these birds are constantly seeking among the bushes
for all kinds of insects, grubs, and especially small caterpillars.
When, from the air becoming cooler, the supply of this sort of food
lessens, they immediately substitute for it currants, cherries, and
elderberries.
In the house they must be fed, as we said before, on nightingales'
food. They may, however, be given, occasionally, barley meal and
white bread soaked in boiled milk; but this food alone will not agree
with them, for they will upon it gradually lose their feathers, till
at length they become quite bare. It is a good thing in summer to
give them elderberries, though they may be red, and in winter dried
ones, after soaking them in water.
BREEDING.--The nest is formed of small grass stems and moss, and lined
with horse-hair. It is placed in a thick bush, near the ground, or
among roots at the water side, sometimes even in tufts of grass. The
eggs, from four to six in number, are greenish white, spotted with
olive green, and speckled at the large end with dark ash-grey. The
young leave the nest so soon that it is difficult to take them from
it. Their first plumage resembles full-grown ones, and the females
may be known by the fainter tint of fawn brown with which the
wing-feathers are edged. I have reared them easily on ants' eggs.
They soon learn to peck alone, and are tolerably satisfied with bread
soaked in boiled milk; but to keep them long in health they must be
fed in the same manner as the nightingale. They are pretty, engaging
birds, thus reared, becoming so tame that they will perch and sing on
the finger.
DISEASES.--These are the same as those of the blackcap, which may be
referred to.
MODE OF TAKING.--The easiest way is to place limed twigs on the nest,
but this is repugnant to persons not cruel. Towards the end of
summer, spring-traps may be set, with elderberries and gooseberries
hung near them. It is difficult to take these birds at the
water-trap.
ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--This bird, gay, lively, and constantly in
motion, is a pleasing object in the country. Its song, prolonged far
into the night, consists of several strains, which rapidly succeed
each other, but must be near for all its beauties to be
distinguished, since the soft low tones are only occasionally
interrupted by louder notes, which are shrill and follow quickly one
after the other. The bird rises in the air as it sings, as if to be
better heard, circles round as it ceases, and sinks again into its
bush. Its call is a loud _tze_. When the white-throat is alone in a
room, its song appears very melodious.