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354 BRITISH BIRDS. 
April, its appearance usually being noted a little earlier in the southern 
than in the northern counties. In Ireland it appears to arrive even later 
still. Thompson states that it appears in the neighbourhood of Belfast 
during the first ten days of May, but he has known it to arrive as early 
as the 16th of April. It would also appear to depart in the autumn earlier 
from Ireland, the same careful writer giving the 5th of September as the 
latest date he has known it to be met with; but in England it remains 
until the end of September, and has even been met with in Norfolk on the 
20th of October. 
The Sedge-Warbler is by no means, as its name would possibly suggest, 
confined to the sedges and the reeds. Its haunts are as much in the 
tangled brake and dense vegetation of marshy plantations as amongst the 
ever-murmuring reeds. It is especially fond of frequenting the stunted 
willow-bushes by the water-side. The Sedge-Warbler is much more often 
heard than seen. Like all the Reed-Warblers it is a shy and retiring 
little bird, although now and then its curiosity seems to get the better 
of its habitual shyness, and prompts it to mount to the top of some 
Waving spray to take a more extensive view of the world than can be 
obtained from the seclusion of its shady haunt. Sometimes a hurried 
glimpse of it may be got as it hops rapidly from one twig to another ; 
but it soon disappears again, and its harsh notes are the only sign of its 
presence. Although such a skulking little fellow, the Sedge-Warbler may 
always be detected by its song. If it is not actually to be seen, a stone 
thrown into its favourite retreat will rouse it from its reverie, and cause 
it to start its song at once—a song of seeming defiance and mockery, 
as though the cunning little musician knew full well that it was able to 
elude detection at will. When thus aroused it will often mount to the 
top of the bushes and, for a few moments, warble forth its lay in full 
view, shifting restlessly about in the meantime as if fearful of its own 
boldness. 
The song of the Sedge-Warbler is most pertinaciously kept up. It 
somewhat resembles that of the Whitethroat, but has a much larger 
range of notes. It is quite as vehemently uttered. Some of its notes 
are round, full, and rich; but many parts of the song are almost as 
harsh as the notes of the House-Sparrow. The Sedge-Warbler will also 
appear to imitate the songs of other birds, and varies its own performance 
80 as often to make the hearer imagine that it is introducing the notes of 
its neighbours. It not unfrequently sings as it flies; and it is also one 
of the few feathered musicians that regularly warble at night. In Ireland 
this habit has gained for the bird the title of “Irish Nightingale ;” but 
va music 7 a sweet chorister is beyond all comparison finer than the , 
Sedge-bird’s” garrulous song. In the pairing-season especially, it sings 
so loudly as to often appear but a few fect from the observer when in 
