an eyebrow of sulphur yellow, and a sulphur-yellow breast 

 and throat. Since he is rarely to be found, save in woods 

 of beech and oak, he will, on this account, the more easily 

 be distinguished from his cousin, the chiff-chaff and the 

 willow- warbler. This fact, again, can be taken into account 

 when the identity of one or other of these two is in question. 



The warblers are essentially birds of the countryside — 

 they cannot abide the busy haimts of men, who seem unable 

 to settle anywhere without setting up hideous tramways 

 and ugly buildings. Kindly Nature is crowded out. The 

 garden, hedgerow, and shady woods are the chosen haunts 

 of the warblers, though some prefer the reed-grown stream, 

 or the thickets round quiet pools. The reed and the sedge- 

 warbler will be found here, but by no means easily so, for 

 after the manner of their tribe they love seclusion. To find 

 the reed-warbler you must go to reed-beds, or to osier-beds, 

 and there watch for a little bird, chestnut-brown above, and 

 white below. But for this constantly babbling chatter — 

 " churra, churra, churra " — you wotild never, probably, find 

 him. Guided, however, by his song, you may succeed in 

 finding him nimbly cUmbing up and down the reed stems. 

 Very like him is the rarer marsh-warbler : but, for your 

 guidance, note that the marsh-warbler has a really melodious 

 song, and is even more likely to be found in swampy thickets 

 of meadow-sweet than the reed-beds. The sedge- warbler. 



82 



