82 The Dartford Warbler. 



other gardens behind the hedge in question in which people were occupied at the 

 time, I was unable to shoot the bird." 



The adult male above is dark smoky brown, deeper and more slate-coloured 

 on the head, wings dark brown, the coverts, inner secondaries, and primaries with 

 pale brown outer margins ; tail dark grey, the two outside feathers with white 

 outer margins and tips; under surface chestnut reddish, shading into white at the 

 centre of lower breast and abdomen ; under tail-coverts gre3-ish ; bill deep horn 

 brown, base of lower mandible yellowish ; feet pale brown, iris and eyelid saffron 

 yellow. The female is smaller than the male and the underparts are paler. After 

 the autumn moult the chin, throat, breast and flanks are spotted and streaked 

 with white ; birds of the year are paler above and whiter below than the female. 



The Dartford Warbler is an extremely restless, but at the same time a 

 skulking bird; Seebohm's description of its habits can, I think, hardlj' be improved 

 on ; he saj'S : — " In summer the Dartford Warbler lives almost entirely in the 

 furze-bushes ; hence its local name of Furze- Wren. In winter, thoiigh it luay 

 often be seen in its summer haunts, the necessity of procuring food prompts it 

 to visit the turnip-fields, or to range along the coast. Its long tail and short 

 rounded wings do not seem adapted to extensive flights ; but it has nevertheless 

 been twice seen on Heligoland. It is seldom seen on the wing. At Biarritz I 

 found them frequenting the reeds on the banks of a small lake. The first sight 

 I had of one was that of a little dark bird with a fan-like tail suddenly appearing 

 amongst the reeds on the opposite side. Occasionally, as we walked on the bank 

 of the lake, we heard a loud, clear, melodious pitch'' -oo repeated once or twice 

 amongst the reeds. The note was so musical that for a moment one might 

 imagine that a Nightingale was beginning to strike up a tune. Now and then 

 we saw the bird appear for a moment above the reeds, as if thrown up bj^ a 

 battledore ; but it dropped down again and disappeared as suddenly. I have very 

 rarel}' seen so skulking a bird ; once only it flew up from the reeds, and perched 

 in a willow near a large patch of furze-bushes. Like most other Warblers this 

 bird is very active, scarcely resting for a moment, excepting when warbling its 

 hurried little song from the top of a furze-branch. In many of its habits it 

 reminds one of Cetti's Warbler. It flits up a furze-bush, dodging in and out 

 amongst the side branches in search of insects, perches for a moment on the top- 

 most spray ; but before you have had time to get j'our binocular on to it, it has 

 caught sight of your movement and drops down into the furze-bush as if shot." 



The nest in Great Britain has always been found concealed amongst dense 

 furze, but on the Continent and more especially in the south it is said to be 

 placed in broom or heather ; the dead lower branches of the furze are selected as 



