  Those whose good fortune does not allow them to live within earshot of the Nightingale, point to the Blackcap as having a song little, if at all, inferior to that of the prince of songsters. Comparisons are at all times odious and in this case misleading, for to our mind no comparison can possibly be made between the two; the song is not only different, but lacks also the passion and tone so characteristic of the Nightingale. Although a few Blackcaps sometimes winter in Devon, they are really migrants, and we gladly welcome this little bird when he makes his appearance in the spring. He will not often be seen, for, like all his tribe, he delights in woods and coppices, keeping low down in their leafy shade, and hopping along quietly from branch to branch as we approach. His nest is very slight, made of dry grass lightly woven together and lined with a little horsehair. The eggs are very variable, being usually of a dirty creamish colour, blotched and spotted with darker brown, or sometimes of a reddish tint with dark red spots. Their food consists almost entirely of insects, and it is on this diet that the young are reared, but as the berries and fruit ripen in the hedges or our gardens a large toll is taken, especially of currants and raspberries, of which they are extremely fond. Like the Nightingale their song ceases with the hatching of The adult male has the head black and the rest of the upper parts ash brown. Chin greyish white; throat, breast, and flanks ash grey; belly white. Bill horn colour. Legs lead colour. The female has the top of the head reddish brown and the young at first resemble her. The males, however, assume their black head in their first autumn, but occasionally the cap shows a decided tinge of rufous. Length 5·75 in.; wing 2·75 in. This species is fairly common in England and Wales but rarer and more local in Scotland and Ireland. |
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