THE REED WARBLER 25 
THE DARTFORD WARBLER 
SYLVIA UNDATA 
Upper parts blackish brown; under, purplish red; middle of the abdomen 
white ; tail long, dark brown, the outer feather tipped with white ; 
wings very short; quills ash-grey on the inner web, dark brown on the 
outer; feet yellowish ; bill yellowish white, with a black tip. Length 
five inches and a half. Eggs greenish white, speckled all over, and 
especially at the larger end, with brown and ash-grey. 
THIs species received its name from having been first shot on Bexley 
Heath, near Dartford in 1773. It has since been observed on 
furzy commons in several of the southern and western counties, 
but is local and nowhere abundant. In its habits it resembles 
the Stone and Furze Chats, perching on the upper sprays of the 
furze and whitehorn, but never still for a minute, throwing itself into 
various attitudes, erecting its crest and tail at intervals, frequently 
rising into the air with most fantastic movements, catching 
insects on the wing, and either returning to the same twig, or making 
a short flight to some other convenient bush. The _ syllables 
“cha cha cha’ are several times repeated when the bird is irritated. 
Its note is commonly Pitchou, hence its French name. It keeps 
quite aloof from human habitations, and is so timid that on the 
approach of an observer, it creeps into a bush, and remains con- 
cealed until the danger is past. The nest of goose grass and soft 
bits of furze, wool and moss is placed in the fork of a furze-bush 
selected for its thickness and difficulty of access. It is somewhat 
wandering, but may be called a resident in the South, gradually 
extending northwards. Many specimens have been observed in 
mid-winter, and Rennie states that he has seen one as early as the 
end of February hovering over furze and singing like a Whitethroat. 
THE REED WARBLER 
ACROCEPHALUS STREPERUS 
Upper parts of a uniform reddish brown, without spots ; wing-feathers brown, 
edged with olive ; a white streak between (not over) the eye and bill; 
throat white; under plumage yellowish white, the sides tinged with 
reddish ; tail long, rounded. Length five and a half inches; breadth 
seven and a half. Eggs dull greenish white, speckled with olive and 
light brown, especially towards the larger end. 
Bot the Sedge and the Reed warblers are jaseuses, or chatterers, with 
rounded tails; but the Sedge Warbler has its upper plumage 
spotted with dark brown, and a white line above its eye, while 
the upper plumage of the Reed Warbler is of a uniform pale brown, 
and the light mark is absent from above the eye. The haunts and 
habits of the two birds are precisely similar, but the Reed Warbler 
is by far the less common of the two ; for while the Sedge Warbler 
is sure to be found wherever the Reed Warbler has been observed, 
