30 THE CHIFF-CHAFF 



Sparrow, quietly and cautiously dropping branch by branch to 

 the ground. In a few minutes I observed it again a few yards off, 

 creeping with a movement resembling that of the Nuthatch up 

 another bush Having reached to nearly the summit it became 

 motionless, stretched out its neck, and keeping its mandibles 

 continuously open and slightly elevated, commenced its trill again ; 

 then it shuffled about for some seconds and repeated the strain. 

 It now seemed to descry me, and dropping to the ground as before, 

 reappeared a few yards off. I fancied that while actually singing 

 its feathers were ruffled ; but in the imperfect twilight I could 

 not decide positively. That it kept its mandibles motionless while 

 singing, I had no doubt. Half an hour afterwards, at a quarter 

 to eight, I returned from my walk, and observed it several times 

 go through precisely the same manoeuvres. On no occasion did 

 it make a long flight, but even when I scared it by throwing a stone 

 into the hedge near it, it merely dropped to the ground, and in a 

 minute or two was piping from another bush. I have not found, 

 as some authors say, that it resorts only to the vicinity of watery 

 places. The one which I saw on this occasion had located itself 

 for the summer several miles from a stream ; and others which 

 I have heard night after night had settled down on the skirts of a 

 dry common, watered only by the clouds. Its nest I have sought for 

 in vain. 



THE CHIFF-CHAFF 



PHYLLOSCOPUS RUFUS 



Upper parts olive-green tinged with yellow ; above the eyes a narrow, faint, 

 yellowish, white streak ; under parts yellowish white ; feathers of the leg 

 dirty white ; second primary equal to the seventh ; third, fourth, fifth, 

 and sixth with the outer web sloped off at the extremity ; under wing- 

 coverts primrose-yellow ; feet slender ; legs nearly black. Length four 

 inches and a half ; breadth seven and a quarter. Eggs white, sparingly 

 spotted with dark purple. 



Whatever question there may be whether the name of Willow- 

 warbler be appropriately applied to the last species, there can 

 be no doubt that the Chiff-chaff is well named. Let any one be 

 asked in the month of May to walk into a wood and to hold up his 

 hand when he heard a bird call itself by its own name, ' Chiff-chaff ', 

 he could not possibly fall into an error. The bird is so common 

 that it would be difficult to walk a mile in a woodland district 

 without passing near one or more, and having little to say, it seems 

 never weary of repeating its tale, ' Chiff, chaff, cheff, chiff, chaff ' : 

 the syllables have a harsh sound pronounced by human lips, 

 but when chanted in the silvery notes of a little bird, in the season 

 of primroses and wild hyacinths, and accompanied by the warble 

 of the Hay-bird, the full song of the Thrush, and the whistle of the 

 Blackbird, they contribute not a little to the harmony of the woods. 



