THE WILLOW- WARBLER. 99 



of alarm, the male bird joining with its mate to procure 

 food for its young. The song of the nightingale, depend- 

 ing thus on the hatching of the young, may in some places 

 be heard later than in others. Shakespeare gives another 

 reason for the song ceasing : 



" As Philomel in summer's front doth sing, 

 And stops her pipe in growth of riper days ; 

 Not that the summer is less pleasant now 

 Than when her mournful hymns did hush the night, 

 But that wild music burdens every bough, 

 And sweets grown common lose their dear delight." 



The nightingale is dark russet-brown from head to tail, 

 but shading to chestnut-brown on the lower portions. The 

 under-parts are buffish-white, shading to grey ; the eye 

 hazel ; the legs brown. The nest is placed close to or on 

 the ground, generally in a depression, loosely constructed 

 of dried oak, hawthorn, and other leaves, lined with fibrous 

 leaves. The eggs, four or five, of a deep olive-brown. 

 Part of the day she remains near the nest, ensconced 

 among the low brambles, &c. The nightingale has been 

 but rarely heard farther north than the city of York, or 

 west than the line of the river Exe, and it has never been 

 heard in Ireland. 



THE WILLOW-WARBLER. 



There are two or three little birds which creep about 

 the bushes close to the water-side seeking their insect food. 

 One of these is the WILLOW- WARBLER or WILLOW- WREN 

 (Phylloscopus trochilus, or the Leaf- Searching Wren); family, 

 Sylviidce. He is a very restless, lively little fellow, work- 

 ing his way amongst the plants and bushes and dwarf 

 willows, now and again uttering a few low but rather 

 sweet notes, not taking any notice of you if you do not 

 appear to notice him ; but stop for a second or two and fix 

 your eye on him and he rapidly disappears. The white 

 throat and under-parts make it easily seen, and the green 

 olive plumage of the back and white stripe over the eye dis- 

 tinguish it from another somewhat similar in plumage, but 



