REBD WARBLER. 141 



the eye stripe is less marked and distinct. 

 There is also perhaps a slight difference in size. 

 Length of the male about five inches. 



THE REED WARBLER SALICARIA ARUN- 

 DINACEA, Selby. Curruca arundinacea, Briss. 

 Swain. Reed Wren and Reed Warbler of 

 British authors. This bird closely resembles 

 the last in habits and disposition, being nearly 

 equally garrulous, imitating the notes of other 

 birds, singing during the whole day, and often 

 during the greater part of light nights. It is, 

 however, much more local, and confined in its 

 distribution, occurring only in the southern and 

 in a few of the midland counties of England, and 

 these again only in favourite localities, brakes of 

 reeds, and willow beds. They often occur in some 

 favourite haunt which scarcely exceeds an acre in 

 extent, where they make limited excursions for a 

 few hundred yards in search of food, returning 

 with the captured prey to their young or mate. 

 The nest of this warbler is almost completely 

 pensile, being fixed or woven to stalks of aquatic 

 plants, often so fragile as to almost touch the 

 surface of the water when acted on by the blast.* 

 " The nest/' writes Mr Yarrell, describing from 

 a specimen before him, " is formed of the seed 

 branches of the reeds, and by long grass wound 

 horizontally round and round, including four 

 upright reeds in the substance, thus forming, 



* Montague's Ornithological Dictionary. 



