HEDGE SPARROW. 51 
the Goyt and Etherow, and we have seen an example 
which was shot in that locality. 
The curious reeling song of the Grasshopper Warbler 
is heard to the best advantage in the early hours of the 
day, and from dusk until after dark. Oldham once 
watched a bird, at half-past four on a June morning, 
singing in a conspicuous position on the top of a withy 
in an osier-bed at Gatley Carrs. During the snatches 
of song, which lasted from a few seconds to two 
minutes, as timed by his watch, the bird never closed 
its mandibles. 
SUB-FAMILY ACCENTORINZ. 
HEDGE SPARROW. 
ACCENTOR MODULARIS (Linneus). 
Dunnock, Blwe Dunnock. 
Except on the wind-swept moorlands of Longdendale 
and the hills east of Macclesfield, the Hedge Sparrow is 
one of our commonest residents. It nests everywhere 
in hedgerows and gardens in the lowlands, and its blue 
eggs may even be found in gorse-bushes at a consider- 
able altitude on the hills. 
During summer the Hedge Sparrow may be easily 
overlooked on account of its retiring habits and the 
sober tints of its plumage. In winter it is one of our 
most familiar birds, singing when the majority of 
songsters are silent, and frequenting the immediate 
neighbourhood of houses and farmyards, where it may 
often be seen feeding in company with House Sparrows, 
Robins, and Finches. 
