92 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



This merry little warbler arrives about the latter end 

 of April or early in May ; the average date in the south of 

 the county is the 24th of April ; at Lofthouse, near Wakefield, 

 the 2nd of May, and near Halifax a week later ; in mid- 

 Yorkshire and in the Spurn district it may be looked for 

 in the first week of May, while in Cleveland I have taken the 

 mean date as the 29th of April ; in 1883 it was reported 

 on the 1 8th of April at Barnsley, which is earlier than usual, 

 and in 1869 on the igth of the same month at Tadcaster. 

 The majority take their departure in September, a few 

 stragglers lingering until early in the following month. 



It is, as a rule, commonly distributed in localities suitable 

 to its requirements, viz. : gardens, copses, hedgerows, willow- 

 beds, and the margins of streams, and is also frequently met 

 with in places far removed from the vicinity of water ; it 

 is fairly abundant in most parts of the county except on 

 the moorlands and waste tracts, though it has been found 

 near the edge of the moors, and it is frequent on the East 

 Riding Wolds. In the neighbourhood of some of the large 

 manufacturing towns, and within the City boundaries of 

 Sheffield and Leeds, the nest has been recorded. Strange 

 to say it is a scarce species near Wilsden, and is not common 

 in the Forest of Bowland, although the surroundings are 

 eminently suited to its habits. 



It has been noticed at the light-stations on the coast on 

 several occasions whilst on passage, as is recorded in the 

 Migration Reports, and individuals have been killed by 

 striking against the lanterns at Spurn and Withernsea. 



The Sedge Warbler has been heard to imitate the mewing 

 of a cat (Birds of Ackworth, p. 50) ; it is also well known 

 as a mimic of other birds, and as it often sings late at night 

 it is mistaken for the queen of songsters, the Nightingale ; 

 doubtless many of the reported occurrences of the latter 

 bird which appear in provincial papers may be referable 

 to the species under notice. The Rev. E. Peake, late of 

 Settle, relates an amusing anecdote of the local folk in Craven 

 being deceived by this bird's late singing : crowds of people 

 went nightly to hear the sweet strains, and imagined they 



