May, I897-] 1 17 



THE ICTKRINK WARBLER. 

 HypoIvAis ictkrina. Garten Laubvogei.. Spott Vogei.. 



BY THE REV. CHARI^KS W. BENSON, I,I,.D. 



On 26th July, 1882, I had the pleasure of hearing this 

 remarkable songster in the Bosch, as the Park at the Hague 

 is called. Strolling in with my boy in the hope of finding 

 some birds new to us, we were gratified in a few moments by 

 hearing from a tree near a marshy piece of ground a song we 

 had never heard before. 



The singer began somewhat like a Thrush, and I thought 

 that perhaps he might be a Redwing ; then there were a few 

 jarring notes, and then he broke out into one of the most 

 delightful and varied songs imaginable. We listened with 

 all our ears, until we were obliged to leave for the train to 

 Rotterdam. 



On my return to Dublin, still unacquainted with the 

 performer's name, I found in the Library of Trinity College, 

 in Dresser's great work, the following description of the 

 Icterine Warbler's song quoted from Professor Collett's 

 " Bird-life " : — ** Its song not a little resembles that of the 

 Nightingale, but one may find again the ditty of the Song 

 Thrush ; it is the very best of our songsters." On reading 

 these words I felt certain that our unknown friend was the 

 Icterine Warbler. 



I did not hear this remarkable bird again until July, 1891, 

 when English chaplain at Kissingen in Bavaria. Then we 

 found him near the little river Saale in a tree close to the 

 Iron Bridge, from which day after day he uttered wonderfully 

 loud and melodious notes, interspersed with harsh cries and 

 discords, some of these were so loud and strange, that I was 

 surprised that Germans passing over to take their " moorbad " 

 did not pause in wonder. One note was especially like that 

 of a Parrot. 



Shortly after, my wife found the nest in the fork of a low 

 tree just behind the Kurhans, and we frequently visited it, 

 whilst the female never stirred or seemed alarmed as we looked 



A 



