82 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



especially in Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight), Surrey and Sussex ; spar- 

 ingly in the valley of the Thames ; perhaps in some of the Midland Counties ; 

 and, on the sole authority of Mr. C. Dixon, in the Rivelin valley, in the extreme 

 south of Yorkshire. It has been observed in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk ; while 

 in Suffolk a few probably breed." 



Respecting its occurrence in Heligoland, Gatke says that only two 

 instances are recorded, "it having on one occasion been obtained by Reyners, and 

 on the other observed by myself, on May 3ist, 1851, hopping about in the thorn- 

 hedge of a neighbouring garden at only a few paces distance. Unfortunately there 

 being other gardens behind the hedge in question in which people were occupied 

 at the time, I was unable to shoot the bird." 



The adult male above is dark smoky brown, deeper and more slate-coloured 

 on the head, wings dark brown, the coverts, inner secondaries, and primaries with 

 pale brown outer margins ; tail dark grey, the two outside feathers with white 

 outer margins and tips ; under surface chestnut reddish, shading into white at the 

 centre of lower breast and abdomen ; under tail-coverts greyish ; bill deep horn 

 brown, base of lower mandible yellowish ; feet pale brown, iris and eyelid saffron 

 yellow. The female is smaller than the male and the underparts are paler. After 

 the autumn moult the chin, throat, breast and flanks are spotted and streaked 

 with white : birds of the year are paler above and whiter below than the female. 

 The Dartford Warbler is an extremely restless, but at the same time a 

 skulking bird ; Seebohm's description of its habits can, I think, hardly be improved 

 on ; he says : " In summer the Dartford Warbler lives almost entirely in the furze 

 bushes ; hence its local name of Furze- Wren. In winter, though it may often be 

 seen in its summer haunts, the necessity of procuring food prompts it to visit 

 the turnip-fields, or to range along the coast. Its long tail and short rounded 

 wings do not seem adapted to extensive flights ; but it has nevertheless been twice 

 seen on Heligoland. It is seldom seen on the wing. At Biarritz I found them 

 frequenting the reeds on the banks of a small lake. The first sight I had of one 

 was that of a little dark bird with a fan-like tail suddenly appearing amongst the 

 reeds on the opposite side. Occasionally, as we walked on the bank of the lake, 

 we heard a loud, clear, melodious pitch'-oo repeated once or twice amongst the 

 reeds. The note was so musical that for a moment one might imagine that a 

 Nightingale was beginning to strike up a tune. Now and then we saw the bird 

 appear for a moment above the reeds, as if thrown up by a battledore ; but it 

 dropped down again and disappeared as suddenly. I have verv rarely seen so 

 skulking a bird ; once only it flew up from the reeds, and perched in a willow 

 near a large patch of furze-bushes. Like most other Warblers this bird is very 



