igo


about thirty square j^ards of ground, and situated about sixty or

seventy yards from the sea-shore. That the birds were about

was evidenced by the occasional utterance of the grasshopper-

like call. I took up a position about one hundred or a hundred

and fifty yards away, and, lying down in another expanse of

sedge-grass, carefully covered any likely tufts or hillocks with

the field-glass. Owing to the high power of the field-glass, the

field of vision was limited, and as a conseqence it took some

time to go over the likely places. Alter a considerable time had

elapsed, a bird suddenly sprang into the air not twenty yards

from where I was lying, and flew off ; it was joined in a few

moments by two companions, and the three, to my delight, took

a wavering flight to where the cage was. It was impossible to

see the cage from the position I occupied, so it was necessary to^

be contented with keeping the glasses on the birds as they

fluttered about the mass of herbage. Every now and again the^

disappeared from sight, but suddenly two flew upwards and

went away uttering notes of alarm. As the third did not

accompany them, I concluded the trap had been successful, and,

on going over to investigate, I found that to be the case,,

for a fine young Grasshopper Warbler was inside the cage,

fluttering wildly in its attempts to escape. As it was tolerably-

certain no more would be caught, that day at all events, I packed

up and went back to where I was staying. The bird had to be

left in the trap-cage it was caught in, as there was nothing else

to change it into until it got to L,ondon ; once there, however, it

was put into its intended home — a larger cage of box pattern,,

about two feet long and of proportionate height and breadth —

where it was left for the night.


It was fed whilst in my possession on ants'-eggs mixed

with a crumbly paste of hard-boiled yolk of egg and milk, with

a few mealworms now and again. The bird only survived its

captivity three months, and I am not altogether satisfied with

my experience of it. Perhaps I did not feed it properly ;,

probably it pined at the loss of its freedom ; but one day,

although previously it had seemed in the best of health, it was

found on the floor of its cage — dead. I cannot say I am pleased

with myself for my capture, I often wish now that I had left the

bird to enjoy its freedom. The Warblers seem particularly ill-

adapted to a life of captivity, or else my experience has been an

unfortunate one, for, with the exception of a Blackcap (^Sylvia,

atricapilla) which lived for some time (nearly two and a half

years), they have all died in a few weeks.



