A Grasshopper Warbler. 157 



bird, can produce a noise like the winding-up of 

 a watch, but none of these winds it up with such 

 rapidity, or keeps it going so long as the Grass- 

 hopper Warbler, nor does any cricket or grass- 

 hopper perform the feat in exactly the same way. 

 Our bird's noise we cannot call it a voice is 

 like that of a very well-oiled fisherman's reel, 1 

 made to run at a very rapid rate, and its local 

 name of the ' reel-bird ' is a perfectly just and 

 good one. 



I was on the outside of a little hedge, and the 

 noise proceeded from the saplings on its further 

 side. In order to see the bird I must get over 

 the hedge, which could not be done without a 

 scrunching and crackling of branches sufficient to 

 frighten away a much less wary bird than this. 

 There seemed, however, to be no other chance of 

 getting a sight of the bird, so through the hedge 

 I went ; and tumbled down on the other side with 

 such a disturbance of the branches that I gave up 

 all hope of attaining my object. 



1 Or like a delicate electric bell, heard at some distance^ 

 while the door of your room is slowly opened and again 

 closed. 



