312 ENGLISH BIRD LIFE 



Robin, Hedge-sparrow and the A\"ren, this bird 

 may be literally hunted down, and at length, driven 

 from shelter to shelter, may be finally caught 

 uninjured. Many years ago ^Ir. Ellman stated in 

 the Zoologist that on three different occasions he 

 had run the Dartford Warbler down. This state- 

 ment may appear strange when one remembers how 

 easily most birds elude pursuit by simply springing 

 into the air and maintaining for a very few 

 moments, a sustained flight. But in the cases of the 

 other three species named, the birds may be chased 

 along thick treeless hedgerows, until at last, over- 

 come by weariness and fear, they creep into some 

 recess or hole in the bank, and so may be captured. 

 Wren-hunting in this fashion was once a recog- 

 nized custom in some localities in England on 

 Christmas Day. When no danger threatens, the 

 Dartford Warbler may be seen flitting restlessly 

 from twig to twig on the uppermost sprays of the 

 furze-covert, and in the pairing-time it indulges in 

 singular contortions, singing incessantly the while. 

 The song, which is hurried and harsh, is also 

 uttered, at times, when the bird is on the wing. 



