WILLOW WARBLER. 93 



" The dying fall in its song is indeed affecting; no other 

 bird song is so touching in this respect, dying away as 

 it does in a gentle murmur." Hudson. 



The bird ceases to sing towards the end of July, 

 but often resumes its song in September, before its 

 departure. The close observer will, however, note a 

 change ; it is more plaintive than before, and the ending, 

 too, is different. To my mind there is something very 

 pathetic in that autumn song ; to me it seems always 

 to close with the words, u But I am going, going." 



Three reasons have been assigned for the name, 

 " Willow Warbler " or " Willow Wren." Yarrell thinks 

 from the prevailing green colour of the bird. Mr. 

 Thompson, in his Birds of Ireland, says : " This name 

 was doubtless bestowed upon the bird originally on 

 account of its partiality to willows, which I have fre- 

 quently remarked, the twigs and branches of the com- 

 mon osier, abounding with aphides, being on such 

 occasions its chief favourite." Mr. Harting, however, 

 suggests that the name may have been bestowed from 

 the circumstance that these little birds make their 

 appearance just as the willow is budding. Gilbert 

 White speaks of three Willow Wrens, the smallest, the 

 middle, and the largest, meaning, doubtless, the Chiff- 

 chaff, the Willow Warbler, and the Wood Warbler. 

 The last of these, as we have seen, is very rare in 

 Ireland ; but the other two are the most widely distri- 

 buted of all the Warblers, the second being decidedly 

 the more plentiful. 



Mr. Harting mentions some instances which show 

 that the Willow Warbler possesses powers of flight we 

 could hardly conceive from merely witnessing the short 

 excursions it makes in this country. 



