SKDGE-WARBLER. 379 



summer-visitant, but in North Germany, though generally 

 distributed, Dr. Borggreve says it is not very common. 



Worms, slugs, and various aquatic insects form the chief 

 food of the Sedge-bird, but Naumann states that in autumn 

 it will eat elder-berries. From what has been above said of 

 its haunts, the reader may gather that in many places it is one 

 of the angler's most constant companions ; and, when sport is 

 slack, its loud and merry song, with all its varied breaks and 

 interludes, seems to mock man as well as its fellow-birds. 

 Many of its notes, however, are very harsh, and the frequent 

 repetition of one of these has gained for the species in some 

 parts of England, particularly in the valley of the Thames, 

 the name of " Chat," by which it is there mainly known. 



The bill is dark brown, with the base of the lower mandi- 

 ble yellow : irides brown : lores and ear-coverts brown ; from 

 the nostrils a broad streak of yellowish-white passes back- 

 ward on either side over the eyes and ear-coverts ; the top 

 of the head streaked longitudinally with dark and light brown, 

 and thus mixed is darker than the nape, forming a cap ; back 

 and wing-coverts pale reddish-brown clouded with darker 

 brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts tawny ; tail brown, with 

 indistinct bars ; wing-quills dark brown with light edges ; 

 wing-coverts and tertials broadly edged with pale brown; 

 chin and throat white ; breast, belly and lower tail-coverts 

 pale buff ; flanks bright buff ; tail beneath dusky brown : 

 legs, toes and claws, pale brown. 



The whole length is four inches and three-quarters ; but 

 the tail in this and the species next to be described is com- 

 paratively short. From the carpal joint to the tip of the 

 third and longest primary, two inches and a half : the second 

 quill nearly as long as the third. 



The female has the tail-coverts less rufous ; and the 

 whole of the lower surface, being mixed with dusky brown, 

 is darker than in the male. 



This species was generically separated from the other 

 aquatic Warblers by Dr. Kaup, in 1829, under the name of 

 Calamodus, and his example has been to some extent 

 followed by ornithologists. 



