252 



individual at Hicklin^^, he beint( an expert at the 

 business). 



Flocks of these birds may l)e seen durins^" the winter 

 months on Heigham Sounds, Horsey Mere, Hicklinj^ 

 and Barton Broads. Wlien takin<^ flight from one reed 

 bed to another, they are easily distinguished b}' their 

 silvery note " chiji^^-chiiig" uttered preparatory to their 

 pitching into the nearest reed bed. Delicate as these 

 creatures appear, they have been found during the 

 sharpest frosts still busy among the reed stems, as 

 lively and musical as ever. 



Some few summers ago I took a friend (then a 

 member of the N. B. B. & M. C.) to Heigham Sounds, 

 the home of the Tit, and, much to his delight, we were 

 not there long before the well known note of '' ching"'' 

 was heard, and in a few minutes one was seen to fly 

 across an opening in the reeds, followed by others. At 

 that time of the year (August) the reeds were so thick 

 that none could be seen unless they were on the wing. 

 Then, for a change, we took the old Meadow Dyke, 

 which led us to Horsey Mere, a row of one and a half 

 miles. Reed and Sedge Warblers were the chief birds 

 by the shore. On returning to Whittlesea, we landed 

 by the side of a cottage at the entrance of Hickling. 

 to collect some rushes. Here a fine young cock bird 

 arose within a few feet of my friend, much to his 

 delight. 



I secured a nest of young in 1895, and was successful 

 in rearing them, but I found them to be very mischievous 

 to one another when they were able to feed themselves — 

 pulling each others tails out. I prevented this by 

 putting a pane of glass in the partition of a large cage, 

 and fixing the perches so as to meet at the bottom of the 

 glass. At roosting time the two young Reedlings would 

 huddle close togetlier, on each side of the glass, and in 

 that way they settled down to captivity. I disposed of 

 the hens previously and only retained the two cocks. 



One of them I exhibited at St. Ives Show, and he 

 was awarded ist Prize, but he came to grief about a week 



