CHAPTER III. - - Birds of the 



Hedgerow 



IT would be difficult to assign to the Hedgerow 

 many species of birds that are not frequently 

 met with elsewhere, yet he who neglects 

 it on that account will miss quite an appreci- 

 able element in bird life. And if by the term 

 Hedgerow we mean not only the hedges that 

 divide one field from another, but also those that 

 border the roads and grassy lanes, we shall at once 

 touch upon one of the best of bird haunts. 



I have before my mind's eye a wide, grassy lane, 

 only ten or eleven miles from London, bordered 

 by thick hedges, shaded by many an oak, and en- 

 croached upon by large bramble patches and dense, 

 wild -rose bushes. It is a little paradise for 

 birds, especially beloved by Nightingales and the 

 Warblers, whose food must exist there in plenty. 



So thick is the cover that practically the only 

 way to find nests is to beat the bushes gently with 

 a stick as one slowly walks along, and to listen 

 for the flutter of wings as the birds leave their 

 eggs. In this way many a Hedge Sparrow's, many 

 a Whitethroat's nest comes to light, while here and 

 there we find the still more fragile structure of 

 the Lesser Whitethroat, easily distinguishable by 

 its smaller size and the five or six small, pale creamy 

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