THE SEDGE-WARBLER. 119 



As a rule the nest is deep and compact, constructed of dry grass, with a stalk 

 or leaf of reed intertwined, also rootlets and very rarely a little moss ; lined with 

 black horsehair, soft feathers, and sometimes a little wool. 



Although, as a rule, the ground-colour of the eggs of this species does not 

 vary much more than in those of the common Partridge, some eggs are very heavily 

 mottled with olive-brown ; their number is from four to six, five being the 

 almost invariable number for a complete clutch : the ground tint is either greyish, 

 buffish, or brownish stone-colour, and when mottled or zoned at the larger end, it 

 is with a much deeper shade of nearly the same hue, amongst which, in the 

 heavily mottled variety, are spots of a more slaty colour: but, whatever character 

 the eggs assume, they almost always show one or more fine scribbled black lines 

 at the larger end, in character somewhat similiar to those which characterize 

 Bunting's eggs. 



The Sedge- Warbler, like its allies, feeds largely upon insects, their larvae, 

 small worms and slugs ; in the autumn it is said also to eat elderberries. 



The song of this species, as a rule, is somewhat similar to that of the White- 

 throat ; it occasionally far excels the performance of that bird, as I shall presently 

 show : it is most industriously persevered in, and although the Sedge- Warbler is 

 somewhat shy and skulking in its habits, I have often seen it, when startled, rise 

 singing above the sedges, and even alight and sing for a minute or so in full 

 view ; but generally it follows the rule that little birds must be heard and not 

 seen : the alarm-note is probably a modification of the cry of the young for food, 

 churr, chuch-uch-uch-uch-churr ; a very common call among the smaller birds: the 

 actual call-note I have not heard or have forgotten it ; probably it is a soft 

 pleasing whistle. 



In July, 1887, I went down to see a brother Naturalist, Mr. Edward A. Fitch, 

 of Maldon, in Essex, and we discovered upon an island on his property a nest of 

 the Sedge- Warbler, containing four young birds, in a blackthorn bush. The 

 mother bird slipped off the nest into the neighbouring bushes at our approach, but 

 the cock bird which was singing in one of the bushes continued his performance, 

 the finest I ever heard from this species : Mr. Fitch was certain that no Sedge- 

 Warbler could produce such a song, and expressed his firm conviction that the 

 nest was that of the Blackcap, but I knew the nests of both species far too 

 intimately to be deceived. 



Seeing that the nestlings were ready to take, I determined to try my luck 

 at rearing them ; but, before I could put my hand over the nest, all the young 

 scuttled out into the bushes, and both parents made their appearance in great 

 wrath and scolded lustily ; ultimately we secured two of the young. At first these 



