BIRDS BROWN ABOVE AND WHITE BELOW. 61 



towards the north and south-west. It inhabits Wales 

 also. The nest, always slnng — not laid upon a 

 support — is generally placed in reed -beds, but is 

 sometimes hung on osier-wands. In form, markings, 

 habits, and song the Reed- Warbler closely resembles 

 the Sedge- Warbler, but it is more slenderly built, and 

 is plain (not streaked) on the upper parts. It uses 

 a similarly heterogeneous mixture of low, chiding, 

 and higher musical notes, delivered with equal hurry, 

 persistence, and volubility, but with less vehemence, 

 the notes being rattled off as the bird flits about 

 among the reeds, occasionally popping up to glance 

 along their tops ere diving again into concealment. 

 Besides the absence of the streaked back, the faint 

 eye-stripe in the Reed-Warbler serves to distinguish 

 it from the Sedge-Warbler, which possesses a heavy 

 white eye-stripe. 



COMMON WHITETHROAT— 5i inches. This bird, like 

 the Sedge-Warbler, may be confounded with the Reed- 

 Warbler on account of its sustained, hurried, prattling 

 song. The Common Whitethroat, however, has an asii- 

 gray head, pure-white throat, and does not afiect the 

 water-side. 



REED-BUNTING— 6 inches ; also nests in reed-beds ; but 

 the male has glossy-black head and white collar, and 

 both male and female when flying expose conspicuously 

 white outer tail-feathers. Both upper and under parts 

 are streaked. Note, ' Trit ! ' monotonously repeated. 



SEDGE-WARBLER.— Plate 28. Length, 5 inches. 

 Upper parts ruddy-brown, darkly streaked on the 

 crown, faintly mottled on the back, but clearer to- 

 wards the tail ; wing and tail feathers dark brown, 

 with lighter edgings ; bold yellowish-white eye-stripe ; 



