THE SEDGE WARBLER. 



54-3 



as York and Carlisle ; but none are to be seen in Cornwall, Wales, 

 or the north- western parts of England, although it is found much 

 farther north on the Continent." It is alleged that the migration of 

 the Nightingale does not extend into Scotland. Mr. Duncan, one of 

 Mr. McGillivray's most reliable correspondents, states that a pair 

 of Nightingales arrived in Calder Wood, in West Lothian, in the 

 early part of the summer of 1826. "Before and about midnight, 

 when the full moon shone bright and clear, the warble of the male 

 was first heard ; it soon attracted a number of admiring listeners, 

 who hastened to the spot. The owner of the wood was anxious 

 to preserve them, thinking they might breed ; but, in spite of his 

 care, the male was shot, upon which the female left the wood." 

 In France they arrive singly, and 

 depart alone about the middle 

 of August, in order to pass into 

 Africa or Asia. 



The SEDGE WARBLER (Sati- 

 caria phragmites, Yarrell) is a 

 delicate, lively little bird, haunt- 

 ing the margins of streams and 

 pools overgrown with weeds, 

 sedges, and other aquatic plants, 

 in the midst of which it seeks 

 its food, and nestles so secretly 

 that it very frequently eludes 

 observation. Mr. McGillivray 

 found a nest of this species on 

 the marshy borders of Dud- 

 dingston Loch, near Edinburgh. 

 It was placed in the midst of 

 a large clump of Solanum dulca- 

 mara, supported by the branches, 

 and so hidden that he only found 

 it after cutting off a great number of flowering twigs. This nest 

 was composed of leaves, grasses, and other slender plants, loosely 

 but neatly put together. 



The NIGHT WARBLER (Salicaria arundinacea, Yarrell), Fig. '247, 

 closely resembles the preceding in form and size. Its song is 



Fig. 247. The Night Warbler (Salicaria 

 arundinacea, Yarrell). 



