92 BIRD LIFE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 



first Cuckoo. The white-rumped House Martin, always 

 later to arrive than the swallow, twitters once more 

 about its nest under the eaves. The Wood Wren is 

 whispering in the tops of the beeches, and a half- 

 smothered babbling from the tangle of briers and 

 brambles tells where the Whitethroat is soliloquizing 

 sotto voce over his home-coming. Meanwhile, from 

 the thicket by the stream-side the Sedge Warbler 

 chatters and scolds, and the persistent note of the 

 Grasshopper Warbler rings on the ear, one of our 

 strangest bird voices, like the stridulation of cricket 

 or cicada in its monotony, or resembling rather the 

 noise made by the angler's reel as it spins round when 

 he makes a cast. Unless we live in western or 

 northern England, in some land of hill and dale, we 

 shall scarcely be likely to see the Pied Flycatcher, 

 and this is unfortunate, for, with its pleasing habits 

 and song and boldly-contrasted livery of black and 

 white, there is no more charming bird upon our 

 list. 



April will be almost giving place to May when some 

 still night we hear from the hay-meadow the Corn- 

 crake's strident discord, welcome at first, later to 

 become exasperating in its rasping monotony, more 

 especially if the performer has located himself under 

 our window. There are other migrants yet to follow, 

 but for these we must await the warmer sun and 

 leafier woods of May. 



