90 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



ardent egg-collector, made many excursions into Kent 

 for eggs of rare Warblers, and happened to be sitting on 

 the outskirts of a wood between Greenhithe and Dart- 

 ford, when he caught sight of a Grasshopper AVarbler 

 come out from the lower part of a large stack of faggots, 

 and then saw the bird go back. He immediately set to 

 work to remove part of the faggots, but he found that it 

 was necessary to commence at the top of the stack. At 

 last, after much labour, he succeeded in getting the nest 

 and four eggs, to his great delight ; but at the same time 

 expecting every moment to be seized by the owner of the 

 stack, he did not stop there to put the faggots back. 

 The subjoined are interesting notes on this bird, by 

 Captain H. AV. Hadfield, which appeared in the Zoologist, 

 1857 :— 



" May 6, 1857. In passing through a wood on my 

 return from the village of Pembury, I heard the peculiar 

 but well-known note of this singular little bird, which I 

 was not long in discovering, as it was perched on one of 

 the topmost twigs of a bush, at the distance of 30 yards. 

 The Grasshopper Warbler, we are told, is generally dis- 

 persed, and so it may be ; nevertheless, it is my belief 

 that not one person in fifty has ever set eyes on it, 

 though possibly they may have heard the notes, which, 

 doubtless, would be taken for those of the Grasshopper 

 or Cricket. But even if occasionally seen (which, from 

 its skulking habits, is not likely), it would probably, 

 unless in the very act of singing, be taken for a White- 

 throat, to which it bears a striking resemblance, particu- 

 larly when creeping among the bushes. Having shot 

 the bird, and wishing to compare it, I turned over 

 Temminck's beautiful coloured prints, and might have 

 continued to do so from that time to this without recog- 



