their comparative Numbers and Distribution. 629 



damp situations. Its range extends to the extreme north of 

 the island. 



The Fen Reedling is also plentiful, but less generally dif- 

 fused than the preceding. Both of them arrive about the 

 third week in April, and depart in September. The fen reed- 

 ling not only nidificates among the reeds, but very commonly 

 in tall shrubs growing near the water ; and this, too, where 

 reeds are plentiful in the close vicinity. It, indeed, more fre- 

 quently builds in shrubs, and sometimes even in hedges, where 

 it has the choice, generally 9 ft. or 10 ft. from the ground ; 

 and the nest is somewhat differently constructed from what it 

 is when affixed to the reed stems. This species comes a good 

 deal into gardens, where these are situate in damp locali- 

 ties. It continues habitually in song rather longer than 

 the sedge reedling ; but the latter chants a little, at intervals, 

 till the moulting period, which is not the case with the other. 

 Both warble at all hours of the day and night, and the lo- 

 custella is equally liberal of its sibilous rattle. 



The Grove Petti/chaps, or Wood Wren, is not uncommon. 

 It is every where confined to the vicinity of high trees, occa- 

 sionally descending to the lower branches, but very rarely 

 alighting on a bush. In autumn, it assumes a good deal the 

 habits of a flycatcher. This bird will often be heard reite- 

 rating for a long while the monosyllable tsit ; on which 

 occasion it is always flying rather slowly along; and the 

 moment it settles, the same note is immediately repeated, 

 quicker and quicker, till it dies away in a kind of thrill, 

 during the utterance of which the wings shiver. When 

 it commences this strange song upon a perch, the first part is 

 never thus prolonged. It has, besides, a peculiarly melan- 

 choly cry, which it emits at intervals, and which is common 

 to both sexes. I do not allude to its plaintive note of distress 

 when it fears to have its nest disturbed. This species arrives 

 early in May, and departs in the beginning of September. 



The Song Pettychaps arrives in the first week in April, and 

 remains later than the preceding bird. It is, perhaps, the 

 most abundant of our summer minstrels, and the most gene- 

 rally diffused over all parts of the British Islands. It in- 

 habits every sort of locality, but is less frequent upon the 

 hills. It was met with plentifully in Sutherlandshire, and 

 extends to the western counties of Ireland ; it is also com- 

 mon in Norfolk, where, at least in some districts, its two 

 congeners appear to be of rare occurrence. A few are said 

 to remain in Cornwall through the winter. 



The Dark-legged Pettychaps, or Chiffchaff, is nowhere so 

 abundant as the last species, and seems rather to affect 



