1903 Our Common Wild Birds 227 



Two tiny little warblers, each only about the size of a 

 wren, come to our island in spring-time, and spend most of 

 their long days in singing or hunting for insect food 

 amongst the taller trees of woods or hedgerows. Both 

 these birds are light olive-green above, and of a dull 

 whitish colour below, and they cannot be readily distin- 

 guished from each cither out of the hand. However, their 

 notes are quite different. One bird is the 



Chiffchaff {Phylloscopus rufus), whose song is merely a 

 monotonous repetition of its own name, varied sometimes 

 by what sounds like " tell-tale-tit." The other is the 



Willow-Wren {P. trochilus), which sings a soft, sweet 

 song of varied notes, forming a set cadence which to our 

 ear sounds like " chictry-zcw-chur, chictry-zm?-chur, chictry- 

 w^-wee-chur-chur-chur," quicker towards the end. It is 

 one of the very softest and sweetest of little bird songs. 



The Wood-Wren {P. sibilatrix) is found only in thick 

 woods of deciduous trees, and like the last two species 

 liaunts their tipper branches. It is a somewhat larger and 

 more yellotv bird, and is best known by its song — " chick- 

 chick-chick-chick-chir-r-r-r-r-r e-eeec," the first notes rather 

 measured, the latter running off into a sort of shivering 

 trill. It also has a very plaintive call-note, " wee, wee, 

 wee," long drawn out. 



The Golden-Crested Wren (Regulus cristatns) is the 

 smallest European bird, and fairly common wherever there 

 are spruce fir trees, that is those known to our little ones as 

 Christmas trees. It is often in company with the various 

 titmice to be next referred to, and like them ever busily 

 seeking its insect food. In the trees, by its habits and its 

 size it reminds one of a mouse more than a bird as it moves 

 along a branch, showing no colour distinction until it turns 

 head downwards and displays the golden crest. Again we 

 know the bird by its voice. The call-note, like the faint 

 squeak of a little mouse, and the very quiet but very quick 

 song, which we try to represent in words, " chick-a-aw-chick- 

 a-wee, cbick-SL-wee-chur." Bird songs are almost impossible 

 to represent in words, but there is always a rhythm and a 

 measure of time by which the song of each species may be 

 distinguished. 



