l-JO THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



after dusk and also in the glare of the sun at noon ; in fact 

 from the time of arrival until late in July it sings constantly in 

 its favourite haunts. Miss Turner gives the alarm note as 

 twhit^ tivhit ; others describe it less exactly as a ticking note ; 

 but except when the young are hatched the birds make little 

 fuss, flitting just above the herbage when put off the nest and 

 dropping in a few yards to cover. Very silently it creeps back, 

 threading its way with skill and rapidity through the stems, 

 creeping mouse-like though without murine jerks and pauses. 

 So far as is known the bird is insectivorous, using the word in 

 a general sense, for spiders, wood lice and other small animals 

 are eaten ; green caterpillars are largely given to the young. In 

 nuptial display the male spreads wide his wings and tail and 

 gently fans them, though he has no striking marks or colours to 

 exhibit. 



The nest (Plate 73) is in a tussock of grass, in marshes, osier 

 beds, or the thick vegetation near water, but it is also built in 

 dry situations, in tangled hedgerows, gorse bushes or amongst 

 heather on the moors. It varies in size and construction, and is 

 made of grass or sedge, mingled with a little moss, and often 

 lined with finer bents ; it is seldom more than a few inches 

 above the ground, and is artfully concealed. The four to six 

 eggs (Plate 65) are laid late in May, sometimes even in July ; 

 perhaps there are second broods, or the first have been 

 destroyed. They are closely speckled with small red spots, 

 more rarely blotched and zoned. Immigration takes place 

 from August onwards ; birds have been noted in October. 



The general colour of the upper parts is greenish brown or 

 russet, with streaks formed by dark centres of the feathers ; the 

 tail is faintly barred. The chin and belly are whitish, and the 

 rest of the under parts pale brown, with a few spots on the throat. 

 The under tail-coverts are streaked. The bill is brown, the legs 

 pale yellowish brown, and the irides hazel. The young are 

 buffer on the under parts. Some authorities say that the 



