1 66 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



is one of the commonest of all our warblers. Its 

 general colour is very similar to that of the chiff- 

 chaff, but it is of a brighter olive-green. The 

 streak, which, like that of the chiffchaff, is 

 above the eyes, is yellower, and perhaps more 

 clearly defined ; its legs are light brown. This 

 bird is also called the hay-bird, from its being so 

 frequently observed in the vicinity of hay-fields, 

 and from its habit of utilizing the bents in the 

 construction of its nest ; this name would appear 

 to be the most suitable. 



Despite the similarity in plumage which exists 

 between the chiffchaff and the willow warbler, 

 there is no comparison between the songs of the 

 two birds, that of the former being conspicuous 

 by its absence, that of the latter being varied and 

 peculiar, commencing with a full high-pitched 

 note, then gradually falling and fading in regular 

 intervals, as if the whole performance had to be 

 completed in one single exhalation ; and this 

 peculiarity serves to distinguish it very clearly 

 from the chiffchaff. 



Of the two birds belonging to the Acrocephalinae, 

 the reed and sedge warblers, the former is the 

 larger. The measurements given by Colonel 

 Irby are as follows : The reed warbler five 

 inches and a half in length, the sedge warbler 

 from four inches and three-quarters to five inches. 

 In order to observe these birds, it is necessary 

 to go to the riverside, where they make their 

 nests amongst the reeds, which they prefer for 



