3734 The Zoologist — October, 1873. 



from its commencement, and eventually the old birds brought off a brood of 

 four. — G. B. Corbin; Ringwood, 1873. 



Dartford Warbler.— I have somewhat recently had tbe pleasure of making 

 the acquaintance of this interesting little species, and although perhaps my 

 observations are shallow, yet I trust they are not wholly devoid of interest. 

 I first detected the species, upon a wide heath with here and there patches 

 of furze, on the 1st of January of the present year, when I saw a single 

 male, whose presence at that time of year adds another proof of the species, 

 some at least, wintering with us in the South of England. I also saw a 

 pair of the birds, at the beginning of February, not far from the place 

 where I had previously seen the male, so I searched most closely on subse- 

 quent occasions in the hope of finding their nest, but without success. On 

 some of my visits I did not see or hear tbe birds at all, and seldom had a 

 good view of them even when they were detected, as they are exceedingly 

 restless, especially when closely watched. However, on the 4th of August 

 I had the pleasure of watching two pairs for an hour or more. It was a 

 somewhat difficult matter to get a good sight of them, unless great caution 

 was exercised, and furze bushes are not the most agreeable neighbours at 

 any time, and especially when you have to be continually changing your 

 position amongst them. I noticed that these little birds almost invariably 

 flew in pairs, and seemed greatly attached to each other. Their flight was 

 a jerking sort of motion, somewhat similar to the longtailed tit, and the 

 long tail of this warbler helped to increase the similarity. They were 

 continually fluttering from one bush to another, and if one of the birds flew 

 a greater distance than usual its mate was sure to foUow it very soon. 

 They generally, I may say invariably, entered the bush at or near the 

 bottom, and on fii-st alighting always jerked their tail up and down a few 

 times, then proceeded to inspect the branches of the furze very minutely, 

 seeming to capture any tiny insect that was lodging in the crevices of the 

 bark, and at this time the bird appeared entirely absorbed in its work, as 

 on one occasion it came so near that I could almost have touched it with my 

 hand if I had chosen. In its activity and vigilance it reminds one of the 

 blue tit upon a budding anple tree, or a sedge warbler amongst the pea- 

 sticks in the garden, as its attitudes are often grotesque and at all times 

 veiy pleasant to a lover of the feathered tribes, who ever loves to watch the 

 quick eye and lithe movements of his tiny pets. The notes of the Dartford 

 warbler are somewhat varied ; it has a single note, like " cheep," which it 

 utters once or twice at intervals, and especially when one bird is calling the 

 other, but when they are together searching amongst the furze branches they 

 keep up a continued and pleasant sort of chatter, which is very difficult to 

 describe by words ; there is, however, a passage in this ditty which is pretty 

 nearly expressed in the syllables " chit-to-we," laying particular stress upon 

 the first. Its vocal powers are not very strong, as, from its small size, we 



