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Mr. Hubert D. Astley,



THE REED WARBLER.


Acrocephahts streperus.


By Hubert D. Astley.


Before very long the hosts of summer immigrants will com¬

mence to wend their way northwards, and amongst them towards

the end of April or beginning of May the dainty little Reed Warblers

will return to marshy and swampy localities, to dense thickets of

reed and sedge, climbing amongst the aquatic herbage, and seldom

going on the ground. It is not a particularly shy bird, although it

objects to coming out into open places, but it can be observed in the

early part of the spring before the rushes and sedges, which it loves,

have become thick and tall as the summer goes on.


The nest, as is well shown in Mr. Symonds’ excellent photo¬

graphs, is carefully suspended on the stems of the reeds, three stems

as a rule being woven round to sustain it. It is composed exter¬

nally of dry grass, with small pieces of wool studded about it ; the

interior having a layer of moss, and lined with sheep’s wool, willow

flax and feathers. I once found a Cuckoo’s egg in such a nest (not

an unusual site, I believe \ although I could never quite make up

my mind that it did not belong to a Marsh Warbler, and how the

Cuckoo managed to cling on to the slender stems of the reeds and

place the egg in the nest was a puzzle. At any rate, it could not

have laid it there. The nest I found was very deep, and was built

in the reeds (not over water) which grew in a large copse of

willows.


The Reed Warbler is an incessant songster, especially during

the hours of twilight. On calm summer evenings the music of

these birds has a charm all its own.


Mr. Stevenson wrote :—“ Its lavish notes are associated in my

mind with many a calm summer’s night in the open broads, the

stars shining brightly overhead, and the soft breeze sighing through

the rustling reeds. All is still, save those murmuring sounds that

seem to lull to sleep. Presently, as if by magic, the reed-birds on

all sides are teeming with melody ; now here, now there, first one

then another and another of the reed-birds pour forth their rich

mocking notes, taken up again and again by others.”



