SPRING BIRD LIFE 21 



Our resident birds have progressed in the tender 

 labours of incubation ; some of them have raised a 

 brood, before the strangers arrive. 



Scarce second in interest to the first note of 

 the missel-thrush, is the appearance of the first 

 migrant. And, among the migrants, none are so 

 welcome, or so characteristic of the beginning of 

 the pleasant months as the warblers. 



This group owes its popular name to the nature 

 of the song ; which may be loosely defined as 'all- 

 melody, and no tune. In some cases, there is no 

 particular reason, except want of breath, why 

 it should break off at all, so untrammelled, and 

 sweetly wild, arid natural is it. 



The males generally arrive before the females, 

 and during this period of enforced bachelorhood, 

 they express their impatience in their loudest, and 

 sweetest song. The bird-catchers (if I am informed 

 aright) like to secure them in this interesting 

 interval. The noisiness, and assertiveness of the 

 widowed white throats, when I visited their haunts, 

 for the first time, on the third of May, was parti- 

 cularly noticeable. 



The chiff-chaff is the earliest visitor. His " chilp, 

 chilp " is heard in the wood, when yet the branches 

 are bare ; and the daffodils, if there were any, 



