REED-WREN 



507 



of England, but is less common in the south-west than elsewhere, 

 and gradual!}' decreases in number in the northern districts. To 

 Scotland it is, at most, only a rare straggler, and, although common 

 enough in many parts of Wales, is not definitely known to have 

 occurred in Ireland, at all events u{) to the close of the nineteenth 

 century. A specimen was taken in Shetland in 1900. 



Although taking its specific name from its song, the reed-wren has 

 less loud and grating notes than 

 the sedge-bird ; but, like the 

 latter, often sings throughout the 

 night. The habits of the two 

 species are very similar, although 

 after its young are feathered the 

 reed-wren forsakes the covert of 

 the reed-brakes and resorts to 

 hedges or bushes. Although 

 sometimes building in willows or 

 alders, the reed-wren more gener- 

 ally suspends its nest between 

 the stems of bulrushes or other 

 tall reeds ; a number of these 

 birds not unfrequentl\' nesting in 

 the same reed-patch. The nest 

 itself is made of grass and rootlets 



sparsely lined with thistledown or wool ; and, when in a reed-brake, is 

 cleverly fixed to its supports by the weaving of some of the leaves 

 of the reeds into its structure. Greenish or greyish white in ground- 

 colour, the four to six eggs are heavily blotched and spotted with 

 greenish brown, often in the form of a ring round the larger end ; and 

 they have also underlying violet markings, although these are difficult 

 to detect. 



ARD STUDIOS 



REED-WKEX. 



Marsh-Wapblep O^^'i^g to the increased attention which has of late 



(Aerocephalus years been paid to the occurrence of rare birds in 



palustris) ^^^^ British Islands, there can be little doubt that 



the marsh -warbler is a commoner summer- visitor 



than was formerly supposed ; and many instances of its nesting in 



the south of England are now known. From the reed - wren the 



marsh-warbler may be distinguished by the absence of the chestnut 



colour of the loins and the base of the tail, as well as by the 



sulphur-buff, in place of reddish - buff, tinge of the under-parts, 



