Philip Gosse — The Icferine Warbler



49



in a miserably small and filthy cage ; on the low garden wall sat a thin

and dejected cat. I went up to the Parrot, who said something to

me, 1 believe, in Portuguese. I then stroked the poor cat, and the

Parrot immediately said “ Meow ! ”


(To be continued.)



THE ICTERINE WARBLER


By Philip Gosse, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


Of all my experiences in France during the War, some pleasant,

others the reverse, 1 think none gave me more delight than the

occasional hours spent watching and listening to birds. At the present

time bird-watching has become almost a cult; but listening to birds is

equally interesting and rewarding, and the bird 1 have particularly

in my mind appeals more to the ear than to the eye.


Early one morning in the month of May, 1916, while asleep in the

garden of a chateau at a village called Hersin Coupigny, I was awakened

by a bird’s note that was new to me. For awhile I was unable to detect

what bird it was, high up among the thick foliage over my head, that

made such a surprising medley of sounds ; but presently J was able

to make out a small green Warbler, somewhat in size, form, and posture

like a Wood Warbler, but with a greenish belly and a pronounced eye-

streak.


Its song was remarkable, being a kind of pot-pourri of sounds,

some sweet, some the exact imitation of the notes and songs of other

birds, all mixed up with harsh guttural noises.


This active and garrulous little bird proved to be the IcterineWarbler

(Iltjpolais icterina), a bird I was soon to become very familiar with and

very fond of. At first it imitated the song of the Swallow, which it did

so perfectly that for a while I could not believe that a Swallow was not

twittering somewhere close by. Besides the song, this bird mimicked

the cry of the Swallow, and also the alarm-note of the Blackbird ; but

the latter was reproduced in miniature. This particular Ieterine also

gave really remarkable imitations of the Skylark’s song and of some of

the notes of the Nightingale, while it mimicked several times the long

drawn out whistle of the Starling.



