MISADVENTURES OF BIRD-WATCHING 55 



the gap made in my struggles among the 

 thorns. 



But the warbler would not venture near her 

 nest. She gradually moved away to the left, 

 came back to the rose-bush immediately in front, 

 crossed the gap, flew into the holly on the right, 

 and, in full view, endeavoured to persuade me 

 that her nest was in the shadow between the 

 hazel and a guelder-rose. Then she flew across 

 the path to the copse on the margin of the river, 

 stayed there for about ten minutes, returned, and 

 over and over again repeated her little decep- 

 tions. 



For an hour I watched her every movement, 

 except when the intervening foliage screened 

 her from sight ; and when she was hidden 

 learned her whereabouts by the plaintive notes 

 she continually uttered. Her mate came to 

 sight only once, when he took up his position on 

 a flowering hawthorn at the crest of the slope. 

 He, however, remained silent, and presently flew 

 back to the thicket on the left. 



This shyness of the male bird is not unusual, 

 but, according to my own experience, he 

 generally assumes the role of a decoy, and his 

 heu-wee, heu-wee is heard oftener than that of 

 the hen, while she, if his artfulness in drawing 

 away the watcher is successful, steals to the 

 nest, and remains there with her treasures. 



