70 Bird Hiuitinrj on the White Nile. 



elegant little bush warblers§ appeared on the outside of 

 the bush. Most refined little birds they were with 

 charming actions. They moved quickly and gi'ace- 

 fully from twig to twig, and often fluttered to the 

 ground in their search for insects, and except when 

 actually flying they were incessantly flirting their long 

 tails from side to side with a quick, jerky but dainty 

 motion. We after^vards found these little birds in the 

 acacia trees bordering the desert, and heard their 

 warbling song, which was so soft that a near hearing 

 and perfect silence were necessary for it to be fully 

 appreciated. 



In some cases, however, neither our glasses nor our 

 ears were of any service in determining the species of 

 a bird. Two birds which we obtained I thought at the 

 time were reed warblers, || but on a comparison at home 

 one of them proved to be a marsh warbler.^ Both these 

 species come to England in the summer, and here in their 

 breeding haunts their difi'erent nests and songs and 

 habits make them perfectly distinct. But the birds we ob- 

 tained were migrating from their winter abodes, perhaps 

 much further south. Their habits appeared to be exactly 



§ Spiloptila damans (Tenim.). 

 II Acrocephalus streperv.s (Vieill.). 

 % Acrocephalus palustria (Bechst.)- 



