212 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



to its existence as good cover in the shape of 

 rank grass furze bushes and old tangled hedgerows. 



When a grasshopper warbler leaves her nest, 

 she travels through the grass by such peculiarly 

 quick little mammalian-like movements that, taken 

 with her size and colour, she is absolutely certain 

 to make the novice exclaim : " Ah, there goes a 

 mouse ! " and often she deceives the experienced 

 field naturalist. In returning to her nest the 

 bird also progresses in short rushes, stopping 

 ever and anon to listen in a way very suggestive 

 of the tactics of a mouse. 



I had a nest belonging to this species under 

 the closest observation for several days last May, 

 and exposed three or four dozen plates upon the 

 female owner, who became so convinced of the 

 harmlessness of my intentions that she would sit 

 quite still in spite of being uncovered, as shown 

 in our illustration, whilst I knelt in full view of 

 her, and less than a couple of feet away. Over 

 and over again, when I left my hiding shelter of 

 sticks and reeds to arrest the undesirable move- 

 ments of some recalcitrant blade of grass within 

 my field of focus, she would run and hide in the 

 structure a yard away, and remain there until 

 I had finished my outside work, when we simply 

 exchanged places for the taking of the next 

 photograph. 



I hold the opinion, and I think that my 



