HOW TO OBSERVE THEM 183 



studied both birds closely; and although I have 

 now been bird watching for nearly thirty years, I 

 am looking forward as keenly as ever to making 

 close friendship with my little visitors again. 

 When once birds are studied intelligently one's 

 enthusiasm deepens, for in penetrating into 

 Nature's secrets it cannot escape attention that 

 the more one learns the more there is to learn. 

 And now I will let you into a secret I have dis- 

 covered respecting the Chiff Chaff and the Willow 

 Wren. When you see the birds be sure to look 

 closely at the legs, for by this means identification 

 is certain. The legs of the Willow Wren are bright 

 reddish brown. Those of the Chiff Chaff are black. 

 The breast of the latter bird is light grey or stone 

 colour, but very often the difference in colour 

 generally is very slight, and the method of identi- 

 fication which I have referred to is a good one. 



In the nature of their voices the two birds are 

 quite distinct. Whilst the Chiff Chaff sings " Chiv- 

 chav, chiv-chav," and also calls " Chadic, chadic, 

 chadic," when searching for food, and cannot be 

 called a songster, the Willow Wren is a delightful 

 little singer. He has been called the piccolo soloist 

 in the orchestra of bird music, and the title is well 

 applied and fully deserved. It is a plaintive but 

 beautifully sweet and inspiring warble, and to 

 listen to a number of Willow Wrens singing in 

 chorus in the early Spring is one of the most 



