The GREATER PETTICHAPS, or GARDEN WARBLER (_Curruca_ or _Sylvia
hortensis_), is six inches long, and nine and three-quarters broad; the
wing measures three inches, and the tail two and a half; the female is
somewhat smaller than her mate, but resembles him in colour. The entire
upper portion of the body is olive-grey, the throat and belly are of a
whitish shade, and the rest of the under side light grey. The quills and
tail are dark grey, the eye light greyish brown, the beak and feet dull
grey.
This species inhabits the whole of Southern Europe, extending in a
northerly direction as far as 68° north latitude; in France and Italy it
is especially numerous, but is comparatively rarely met with in Spain,
though it is known to breed in that country. It usually arrives in
England and Scotland about April, and leaves early in September. Unlike
most of its congeners, the Garden Warbler is extremely quiet and peaceful
in its demeanour, and, though cautious and vigilant, by no means timid.
It usually frequents woods, gardens, and orchards, and may constantly be
seen disporting itself among the fruit trees, in utter indifference to
the presence of the owners.
[Illustration: THE ORPHEUS WARBLER (_Curruca Orphea_).]
Macgillivray, quoting from Sweet, says:--"It visits us in the spring,
about the end of April or the beginning of May, and its arrival is soon
made known by its very loud and long song. It generally begins very low,
not unlike the song of the Swallow, but raises it by degrees, until it
resembles the song of the Blackbird, singing nearly all through the day
and the greater part of the time it stays with us, which is but short,
as it leaves us again in August. In confinement it will sing nearly all
through the year, if it be treated well. In a wild state it is generally
found in gardens and plantations, where it feeds chiefly upon fruits,
and will not refuse some kinds of insects; it is very fond of the larva
or caterpillar that is often found upon cabbage plants, the produce of
_Papilio brassicæ_, and I know no other bird of the genus that will feed
on it. Soon after its arrival here the strawberries are ripe, and it is
not long before it finds them out; the cherries it will begin before
they are quite ripe, and I know not any kind of fruit or berry which is
wholesome that it will refuse. It generally tastes the plums, pears,
and early apples, before it leaves us; and, when in confinement it also
feeds freely on elder, privet, or ivy berries; it is also partial to
barberries."
Mr. Neville Wood has seen it "darting into the air to catch insects in
the same manner as the Spotted Fly-catcher (_Muscicapa grisola_), often
taking its stand on a dahlia stake, watching for its prey, darting aloft
with inconceivable rapidity, with its bill upwards, catching the fly with
a loud snap of the bill, and immediately returning to its station to
renew the same process with similar success."
In an extract given by Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, from the MS. of the late
John Templeton, Esq., he says:--"On the 21st of May I had the pleasure
of seeing this bird, to whose haunt in my garden I was attracted by its
pleasing melody. It was not very shy, coming near enough to be distinctly
seen, but was extremely restless, flitting every moment from place to
place, and only stationary on the branch while it gave out its song. The
male continued to sing until the young were reared, when his song ceased
for about a fortnight; then it was again renewed, on the construction, I
suppose, of a new nest."
"As a songster," says Yarrell, "it ranks with the Blackcap; and a good
judge of the comparative value of the songs of our birds has described
that of the Garden Warbler as a continued strain of considerable
modulation, sometimes lasting for half an hour at a time without a pause.
The song is wild, rapid, and irregular in time and tone, but the rich
depth is wonderful for so small a throat, approaching in deep mellowness
even to that of the Blackbird."
The nest is made in bushes and trees, at various distances from the
ground, and is so slightly constructed as to render it a matter of wonder
how it can possibly support the five or six eggs that constitute a brood.
It is formed externally of strong bents, lined with finer bents, fibrous
roots, and horsehair. The situation in which it is placed is carelessly
selected, and it is no uncommon occurrence for the little structure to
fall to the ground, not only during a high wind, but from the mere weight
of the parents as they enter or leave the nest. Strangely enough, though
they thus appear to adopt the most unsuitable situations for building,
few birds are so capricious as to their requirements in this respect,
and it frequently happens that a pair of Garden Warblers will lay the
foundation of several nests, often within a very limited space, before
they satisfy their peculiar fancies. Both parents co-operate in the
business of incubation; the male, however, only sits during the middle
of the day; the nestlings are hatched within a fortnight, and in another
fortnight can leave the nest, and climb nimbly about the surrounding
branches, though unable to fly. If undisturbed, this species breeds but
once in the year.