THE BIRDS OF RAINHAM. 27 



WILLOW- WARBLER. 

 Phylloscopus trochilus (Linn.). 



The Willow- Warbler ere the setting in of our wet 

 summers, was very numerous, as a species no bird 

 excepting the Grasshopper- Warbler seems to have 

 suffered more from that cause ; still we have a few 

 left, which can be heard in our woods. Surely it must 

 take several years of warm weather to recruit the 

 ranks of our summer Warblers. 



CHIFFCHAFF. 



Phylloscopus collybita (VieilL). 



The Chiffchaff comes into our ' woods early, some- 

 times before the buds have burst into leaf, where its 

 wellknown chiffchaff note wakes us up, being the first 

 messenger of spring's glad tidings for the future, 

 should the summer prove acceptable to vegetation 

 and to bird life. 



GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 

 Regulus cristatus, Koch. 



I have not seen the Golden -Crested Wren for 

 several years, what has become of them I do not 

 know, unless they have been affected by the cold 

 and wet summers. On one occasion a pair built 

 their nest in an Irish Yew tree in my garden. 



