THE SEDGE WARBLER 6^ 



the river-side. It, may, however, often be observed 

 in dense hedges far from water, and weed- and briar- 

 choked ditches. We cannot call the Sedge Warbler 

 a particularly shy or retiring species. If alarmed it 

 is skulking enough, but if not disturbed it will fear- 

 lessly go its way in full view of the observer, and 

 may very frequently be seen clinging to the topmost 

 point of a reed or bush, or flying from one side of a 

 stream to the other with no attempt at concealment. 

 Sedge Warblers are very quarrelsome birds, especi- 

 ally just after their arrival, and before each pair has 

 comfortably settled down into a chosen spot for the 

 summer. Even then the birds resent intrusion, and 

 no matter how abundant they may be, each pair are 

 attached to a certain beat from which they are ever 

 ready to drive off trespassers. Before the vegetation 

 is full grown the birds may be watched hurrying 

 about more like mice than birds, and the celerity of 

 their movements is very noteworthy. 



The Sedge Warbler is the Song Thrush of the 

 swamps ; and his song is even more varied than that 

 of that bird, much more persistently uttered, and far 

 longer in duration. One might fancy that the little 

 brown singer, hidden away amongst the iris and 

 osiers, had borrowed a few notes from every other 

 songster of the grove, and was trying them over in 

 a deliciously sweet and rambling manner. For as 

 many as ten minutes without a pause, he will con- 

 tinue to utter his varied strains, now harsh, now 



