Ey eid 
these birds during close season,* or possessing or selling one of them after 15th March, is 
liable to a penalty of £1 for each bird. In all other places, anyone other than the owner or 
occupier of land, or his agent, taking, killing, etc., during close season, or possessing or 
selling a Warbler after 15th of March, is liable to a penalty not exceeding 5s. for each bird. 
Wild Birds Protection Act, 1894.—The eggs are protected (1897) as follows :— 
Chiffchaff, Willow-Warbler, and Wood-Warbler in Enananv: In the specified breeding 
areas of eleven counties, and in Yorkshire (W. Riding) ; London (including 
Middlesex and Metropolitan Police District). Wanes: Brecon and Pembroke. 
Chiffchaff also in Enetanp: Leicester and Warwick. 
Willow-Warbler also in Enenanp: Lancaster (south of the Ribble); Leicester ; 
Warwick ; Worcester. Scorntanp: Fife (Tentsmuir). 
Wood-Warbler also in Enexanp: Lancaster (south of the Ribble); Gloucester ; 
Devon. Scornanv: Fife (Tentsmuir). 
Any owner, occupier, or other person, taking or destroying the eggs of these birds in 
the above places is lable to a penalty of £1 for each egg. 
Wild Birds Protection Act, 1896.—In addition to any penalty under the Act of 1880, 
the Court may now order any trap, net, snare, etc., used by the offender to be forfeited. 
The Chiffchaff, Willow- and Wood-Warbler, are protected all the year round in the 
Counties of Stafford ; Isle of Wight (except the Willow-Warbler) ; London ; Middlesex and 
Essex (Metropolitan Police District and Epping, Theydon Bois, etc.) ; and in the County 
Boroughs of Cardiff and Kingston-upon- Hull. 
VII. Remarks. 
The Leaf-Warblers are essentially woodland birds, frequenting groves, well-wooded 
gardens, orchards, etc., where they may be seen flitting about amongst the foliage, continually 
in motion, searching for their insect food. They often visit bushes, should their insect 
food be there, but prefer the foliage of trees, both conifers and deciduous, and are seldom 
seen seeking food on the ground. They either pick the insects or larve off the leaves and 
branches of the trees they frequent, or capture gnats and flies on the wing, which they 
do with great dexterity. The Chiffchaff may be recognized by its note chiff-chaff or chiffy- 
chaffy, which is weak but shrill, and is uttered whilst the bird is hopping about amongst the 
branches. The song of the Willow-Wren is simple and sweet, but not very varied, and its 
call note is a soft, low whistle, not unlike the syllables weed, weed, but when alarmed or 
suddenly disturbed it utters a rapid reiterated plaintive note. The alarm note of the Wood- 
Wren differs little from that of the Willow-Wren, but its song differs and is clear and 
sweet, consisting of the syllable chw or chit uttered several times in succession, followed by a 
shivering note which is audible at a considerable distance. The Wood-Wren is a much 
shyer bird than either the Chiffchaff or the Willow-Wren, and affects groves where 
the trees are high, especially beech woods, and where the undergrowth is thick and 
the ground is damp though not wet. All three species build domed or semi-domed 
nests, which are almost invariably placed on the ground, on a_ bank, behind an 
old tree stump or amongst dense grass. According to Yarrell, Doubleday found the nest of 
a Chiffchaff in dead fern, at least two feet above the ground, and Hewitson mentions 
an instance of the nest of the same species being built in some ivy against a garden 
wall; but all the nests I have ever found were placed on the ground, usually in a somewhat 
* Generally from Ist March to Ist August; but in some counties from 1s February to 1st September 
in each year. A further period is obtained through the Act of 1896. 
