210 



THE SEDGE WARBLER. 



but in a morning early, and when undisturbed, it sings on the top of a twig, gaping and shiv- 

 ering with its wings." 



I can corroborate this account by personal experience of the bird, and generally found 

 that the country people entirely denied, that the strange hissing whistle was that of a bird, and 

 attributed it to the field-mouse. The ventriloquial power (if it may so be termed) is as 

 remarkable as in the case of the common grasshopper, for it is almost impossible to ascertain 

 from the sound the distance or even the direction of the creature which utters it. 



The nest of the Grasshopper Warbler is cup-shaped, and made of various kinds of grasses, 

 the coarser being woven round the circumference, and the finer placed in the centre. It is 

 so admirably hidden that it is discovered less frequently than that of any other warbler. In 

 all my bird-hunting days, I was never fortunate enough to secure an egg of the Grasshopper 

 Warbler, although the bird was far from uncommon. A large patch of furze is a favorite 

 locality for the nest, and the bird hides it so ingeniously among the thick roots of the prickly 

 shelter, that even when the bird is watched to its home, its discovery is a matter of very great 

 difficulty. The eggs are from five to seven in number, and their color is reddish-white, speckled 

 with dark red spots. 



The general color of the Grasshopper Warbler is greenish-brown, each feather being 

 brown in the centre and green at the edges, so that its whole aspect presents rather a spotty or 

 mottled appearance. The under surface is pale brown, diversified with some dark spots oa 

 the neck and breast. The total length of the bird is about five inches and a half. 



THE generic title of Calamodyta, which has been given to the grasshopper Warbler and 



the SEDGE WAKBLEE, signifies a diver into reeds, and has been 

 attributed to these birds in consequence of their habit of diving 

 (f abruptly among the herbage whenever they are alarmed. 



The Sedge Warbler arrives in this country about the same 

 time as the last-mentioned species, and immediately 

 repairs to the low-lying spots where it can find that 

 peculiar herbage that grows near water. Sedges, 

 reeds, rushes and willows are its favorite resorts, 

 and upon the branches of the last-mentioned tree 

 this Warbler may be observed, on the rare occasions 

 when it deigns to present itself in full view. In such 

 localities it conceals itself most effectually, and 

 although it pours forth its pleasant song with great 

 fluency, prefers to remain secluded in the thick 

 foliage of its home. On one or two occasions, while 

 sitting in a boat drawn among the thick reeds that 

 are found in rivers, I have both seen and heard this 

 interesting little creature, and noticed that it sel- 

 dom shows itself within six or seven inches of the 

 reed tops. By remaining perfectly quiet, a careful 

 observer may note the peculiar fitful movements of 

 the Sedge Warbler, as it dives among the reeds, and 

 ever and anon shows itself in small open space, only 

 to disappear the next moment. 



The song of the Sedge Warbler is not powerful, 

 but is very constantly uttered. It may be heard 

 to the best advantage in the early morning and the dusk of the evening, and, like that 

 of the nightingale, is often prolonged far into the hours of darkness. The strain is quick, and 

 has a peculiar guttural sound that is quite indescribable in words. 



The structure of the nest and its position are extremely variable, according to the locality 

 in which the bird dwells. Generally the nest is composed of moss and various fibres, the 

 finest being always worked into the centre so as to form a warm bed for the nest and young. 



SEDGE WARBLER. Acrocepftalvs phragmitti. 



