116 SYLVIAD^. 



when they have finished their song, are easily pro- 

 voked to begin again, the Sedge Warbler, if he does 

 occasionally retire to a bed of reeds and there holds his 

 peace, may be excited to repeat his whole story over 

 again, with variations and additions, by flinging a 

 stone into his breathing-place. And not content with 

 babbling all day, he extends his loquacity far into the 

 night ; hence he has been called the Sedge Nightingale, 

 but with doubtful propriety, for, with all the will perhaps 

 to vie with that prince of songsters, the zinzinare of the 

 Nightingale is far beyond his powers. Yet in spite of his 

 obtrusiveness, he is an amusing and a pleasant companion 

 to the wanderer by the river's side : his rivalry is devoid 

 of malice, and his mimicry gives no one pain. While at 

 rest — if he is ever to be detected in this state — he may 

 be distinguished from all other birds frequenting similar 

 haunts by his rounded tail, and a light narrow mark over 

 each eye. His food consists of worms, insects, and fresh- 

 water mollusks, for which he hunts among the stems of 

 aquatic plants. As an architect, he displays great skill, 

 constructing his nest among low bushes, never at any great 

 distance from the water, about a foot from the ground. It 

 is composed of stems and leaves of dead grass, moss and 

 line roots, and lined with hair, wool^ feathers, and the 

 down of various marsh plants. The structure is large, 

 compact, and deep, suspended from, rather than built on, 

 its supports. The eggs are usually five or six in number, 

 though as many as seven have been sometimes found. 



