BIRD-LIFE BY RIVER AND STREAM. 83 



Devonshire borders (Taunton), to illustrate the force 

 of these remarks. There are hundreds of streams 

 in Devonshire the banks of which the ornitho- 

 logist never treads, and many birds must of neces- 

 sity escape the notice of a competent observer. 

 Personally, we have little or no doubt that the 

 Marsh Warbler breeds in Devon. It is true that 

 the Reed Warbler is known as a casual wanderer 

 only, though this is not due to any want of suitable 

 cover, as some naturalists have suggested, but to 

 laws of distribution and migration which it is not 

 necessary to speak of here, beyond remarking that 

 it is in the north of the county, say above Exeter, 

 that the search for rare Warblers is most likely to 

 lead to success. Then there is the case of the 

 Melodious Warbler, which is not only a visitor to 

 the county, but there can be little doubt occasion- 

 ally breeds within its limits. Of this species we 

 have already had something to say in our chapter 

 upon bird-life in the gardens and orchards. The 

 Sedge Warbler is by far the commonest species 

 that haunts the dense vegetation by the stream or 

 river side. This bird is in undisputed possession, 

 and consequently thrives accordingly. We cannot 

 bring to mind another locality in England where 



