Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 4 of 9.djvu/25

 during this period I think I can make my meaning somewhat clearer. The male I refer to arrived on April 30th—the lateness of the date being due to inclement weather—and the female the following day. May 1st.

May 1st.—Female Whitethroat arrived. Male very excited, warbling incessantly and often flying round the female and precipitating himself on to her after his manner. Female spreads her tail and flaps her wings on his approach. Male never leaves her for long, and often, when following her, picks up and carries a piece of dead grass, but he also does this when alone, and has now been carrying some to a honeysuckle bush in which he has finally dropped it.

May 2nd.—Male very excitable, flying at the female and singing as usual. The precipitous flight is of frequent occurrence, and the female once flapped and quivered her wings on his approach. When alone the male carries dead grass to the same place as yesterday. Upon examining this place I found a nest quite formed. Female joined the male while he was building.

May 3rd.—Male not so excited. Female keeps close to him, the one calling to the other as they wander along. There is a frequent quivering of the wings and flirting of the tail on the part of the female. Male was sometimes close to the nest.

May 4th.—Male and female together. The female sometimes follows the male; male sometimes the female. The precipitous flight occasionally takes place. The male is rather more excitable than yesterday.

May 5th.—I could not see the female for some time, but she at last approached the male. Male has been warbling excitedly some distance away from the female. The excitement is not so intense as formerly. I saw no precipitous flight.

May 6th.—Male and female following one another. No very great excitement. The precipitous flight once occurred. Both of them have been collecting dead grass, and the male