FANTAIL WARBLER. 25 



meadows and corn-fields. It does not appear to frequent the cistus 

 tree, and therefore the name given to it by the Germans, Cis tens anger, 

 is misapplied." 



In its habits we perceive a strong similarity to the rest of its 

 family. "If it hide among the grass, in a few minutes it will be 

 perceived coming up to higher branches of the shrubs, fluttering and 

 hopping after smaller insects on the leaves of the sedges and reeds, 

 and, rising suddenly in the air, stop a short time and then come 

 down to the same spot, from whence it will again conceal itself 

 among the bushes." 



Its flight is not rectilineal, but takes the form of a curve, which 

 corresponds to the repeated flapping of its wings, during which it 

 frequently utters its sharp shrill call-note. This resembles much that 

 of Anthus pratensis, and is its entire song. It is heard loudest when 

 it thinks its nest is in danger, upon which occasions it wheels round 

 the intruder's head in circles, uttering loud cries. 



"It breeds three times in the year: the first time in April, when 

 the nest is built negligently, for want of materials, and it generally 

 chooses a sedge or rush clump for its home. It is always one foot 

 distant from the ground. The perfect nest is a very beautiful and 

 wonderful construction; the stalks of the plants which form the out- 

 side are entwined together with a perfect needle-work, not merely 

 strung one to another. In the sides of every leaf the little bird 

 reaches with its beak, it makes a small opening, and passes through 

 plant fibre threads, formed from the Asclepiadce, Epilobice, and the 

 pappous of Syngenesia. Those threads are not very long, and reach 

 only twice or thrice from one leaf to another, and it is astonishing 

 how these, little birds so elegantly and solidly accomplish the trouble- 

 some work. The inside of the nest is merely spread over with the 

 down of plants. The eggs, in number from four to six, are more or 

 less a lively greenish grey; and, according to Savi, some are flesh- 

 coloured." 



Brehm, in Badeker's European eggs, calls this bird the "European 

 Tailor Bird," from the manner in which it sews up the materials of 

 its nest: he declares also that a knot was found by Baron von Kcenig 

 at the beginninsr of the thread! The narrow entrance is either on 

 the side or in the top, so that the nest has the form of a bag. In 

 the inside he says it is lined with long grass leaves, and the eggs 

 are five or six, in size between our Common Wren and Goldcrest; 

 they have a very soft shining shell, and are either blue green, like 

 the Redstart's, or paler, like those of the Tied Flycatcher; or they 

 are sometimes of a shining white only. 



VOL. III. e 



