Practical Bird-Keeping. — II. The British Warblers. 133


came across a pair in a reed-bed near Hickling in East Anglia,

described them to me as being “as big as Mavishes ” (thrushes).

Mr. Galloway tells me that he considers the Chiff-chaff hardier,

easier to “ meat-off” and less susceptible to cold than the Reed

and Sedge Warblers, and this is to some extent confirmed by the

fact that it occasionally winters in our Southern counties: never¬

theless, the only Chiff-chaff I ever owned was an exceedingly

delicate and chilly little bird, and others have had the same

experience.


I think that I have said enough to show that, when one

receives a new Warbler, it is well worth while, with a view to

estimating its habits and requirements, to have a look at its tail—

always supposing that it possesses a tail on arrival, which is by

no means always the case.


As some of the above Warblers are not well known in this

country I have also classified them by their comparative sizes

(length in inches).


Lastly, I have added the names by which these species are

known in Germany. The common species can generally be

procured in this country, and we are so fortunate as to have in

our member Mr. Galloway an expert who can frequently assist

us in this matter; but some of the rarer Warblers are not likely

to be obtained elsewhere than in Germany. In the German bird-

market most of those mentioned in our list can be obtained with¬

out any great difficulty in September and May, despite the recent

Protection Act.


Cages.


Speaking generally the Warblers are better housed in

aviaries than in cages: they require a large amount of exercise

to keep them in health and their tail-feathers are so fragile that

they are easily broken. For these reasons, the Thrushes and

the Nightingale and short-tailed species, such as the Whinchat,

make better cage-birds than the Warblers.


If, however, it is desired to cage them, the cage should be

a large one—let us say 3ft. long. It should have a canvas top to

prevent injury to the head : if birds are alarmed at night it will

be found that they always fly upwards, possibly because the

inherited experience of their race has taught them that their



