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In the laboratory, 21 whitethroats Sylvia communis Lath, were given DDT- injected mealworms for 12 days. Ten birds were killed 10 days after DDT- treatment was discontinued and the remaining birds were killed after a further 10 days. Degradation of p,p'-DDT was approximately 15% higher in the latter group while Σ DDT was nearly the same. Whitethroats caught at the Capri Bird Station, Italy, during spring migration had very low concentrations of organochlorine residues in their breast muscles compared to whitethroats caught at the Ottenby Bird Station, Sweden, in the spring. This discrepancy suggests that Swedish whitethroats accumulate chlorinated hydrocarbons during their passage through Europe rather than in their African winter quarters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]