THROUGH THE YEAR 43 



There may be no melody in the wood warbler. 

 Musically, it may be worthless. Yet few bird sounds 

 in England are more arresting than this trill. Later 

 by weeks than the call of the chiff-chaff or the 

 pathetic air of the willow warbler, it is scarcely heard 

 till the beech is in full leaf. I associate it with 

 rather high trees in beautiful wayside places and 

 with shady rides or avenues in quiet woodlands ; 

 and in little grassy glades among the oaks, where 

 the ground is faint blue with common speedwell 

 (not veronica speedwell), I have watched a wood 

 warbler shiver its wings, an accompaniment to its 

 curious, distinctive song. But I am not sure whether 

 this wing shiver during the trill is an additional 

 touch put in to make the whole more impressive 

 and passionate, or whether only a result of the 



energy. 



****** 



I went another time into the wood warbler's belt 

 of trees by St. Leonard's Forest, and watched the 

 bird, and here the shake seemed simply the result 

 of song exertion. The trill of the wood warbler 

 is very strong for so small a bird. It is more power- 

 ful than the bubbling passage in the lesser white- 

 throat's song, and I saw that this wood warbler 

 shook all through as it sang, and ended each out- 

 burst by flinging up its head. The performance is 

 one of the most spirited and intense of any of the 

 kind among English birds ; and it is heightened by 

 the repetition now and then of the loud, grave note, 

 " te-te-te-te 1 " 



