HOW TO KNOW THE BIRDS 



By the REV. MAURICE C. H. BIRD, MA., M.B.O.U. 



"With Photographs by 



RICHARD AND CHERRY KEARTON 



THE WARBLERS 



NEXT to the Thrushes we come to 

 the Warblers, a large group of 

 small and delicately shaped birds, 

 most of which are mi- 

 gratory, although their 

 flight is apparently 

 feeble. As their name 

 would lead us to ex- 

 pect, amongst them are 

 to be found our most 

 delicious songsters. 

 Their life's work seems 

 to be that of keeping in 

 subjection the countless 

 forms of small insect- 

 life, which, if unre- 

 strained, would destroy 

 the vegetation of our 

 fields and groves. 



With the two excep- 

 tions of the ubiquitous 

 Robin Redbreast and 

 familiar Hedge Sparrow, 

 all are shy and unob- 

 trusive. The nickname 

 of " Shuffle-wings" lends 

 a ready aid to the 

 identification of the lat- 

 ter, for it cannot be 

 watched for many mo- 

 ments together without 

 betraying its identity 

 by restlessly attempting 

 to open its wings, only 

 as rapidly to close them 

 again. _ It is no near 

 relative to the House or 

 Tree Sparrow — which 

 belong to the hard, cone- 

 shaped beaked birds — 

 whereas all the Warblers 

 have slender bills. 



The word " sparrow ' 

 and so our homelv 

 " Shuffle-wings " gain 



" means " chirper," 

 • drab-clad little 

 ed its names of 



HEDGE SFAKKOW ON HER NEST. 

 75 



