MIMICRY OF WARBLERS 167 



than to any other bird ; from which I conceived 

 that the scholar would imitate the master which 

 was at the least distance from him. I find it to 

 be very uncertain what notes the nestling will most 

 attend to, and often its song is a mixture. ... I 

 educated a nestling robin under a woodlark-linnet, 

 and afterwards put him near a skylark-linnet, and 

 the robin imitated the latter entirely " {Domestic 

 Habits of Bij^ds, pp. 275, 276). The redstart also 

 mimics. Yarrell compared it to the blackbird as 

 an imitator, and he recorded that in a cage it may 

 be taught to whistle a tune {op, cit. ist ed. vol. i. 

 p. 238). The blackcap " is said to be an imitator of 

 the notes of others " {ibid. 4th ed. vol. i. p. 420). I 

 have frequently observed its mimicry. Gilbert White 

 noticed that the sedge-warbler imitated other birds ; 

 and Yarrell observed that it did this in a somewhat 

 confused and hurried manner {op. cit. vol. i. p. 377). 

 Of the mimicry of this bird I have much to relate. 

 The marsh-warbler {Sylvia paliistris') " imitates with 

 exactitude the notes of the goldfinch, chaffinch, 

 blackbird, and many others " (Bree, op. cit. p. 74). 

 Mr. Herbert C. Playne heard remarkable mimicry 

 displayed by one of these birds near Oxford. Mr. 

 Playne also informs me that the reed-warbler is an 

 excellent mimic, he having heard many of them near 



