595 



tion, passing through the dense forest of flags &c. with the greatest agility and ease ; and it is 

 only with the greatest difficulty that it can be shot. When followed, it slips away amongst the 

 reeds and flags, not taking wing unless compelled to do so, and then only flitting from covert to 

 covert. On the wing it resembles the Sedge- Warbler, and can only be distinguished from that 

 bird by the difference in colour, and not by any peculiarity in its mode of flight. On the ground 

 it does not hop, but runs like a Pipit, and with tolerable speed. It is, however, most generally 

 seen climbing about amongst the flags and water-grasses ; and it appears almost to glide along 

 the stems of the plants, so actively and gracefully does it climb up them. It feeds on various 

 sorts of aquatic insects, and such as frequent the plants amongst which it lives ; and it is said to 

 search after food closer down to the water and not so high up on the plants as the allied species 

 of Aquatic Warblers do. Its call-note resembles that of the Sedge- Warbler, as does also its 

 song ; but the latter is scarcely so rich or varied, and is shorter than the song of that species. 

 When singing the male remains concealed amongst the sedge, but often climbs up to the top of 

 a stem ; or sometimes it sings on an exposed twig of a willow ; but it never remains long in the 

 same place. It usually sings in the early morning and towards evening; and its song may be 

 heard from the end of April into July. When uttering its song it lets the tail droop, and the 

 feathers on the crown and throat are slightly erected, and the bill held pointing somewhat 

 upwards. 



I have not had an opportunity of observing the nesting-habits of the present species, and 

 have therefore relied on information obtained from others, and especially on the excellent 

 account published by Naumann (Vog. Deutschl. iii. pp. 680-683) for particulars as to its nidifi- 

 cation. Naumann says that it breeds much earlier than its allies, and that he has obtained its 

 eggs one or two weeks earlier than those of the Sedge- Warbler. Old birds have deposited their 

 eggs in the latter part of May, or a week earlier in warm seasons. Should any one approach the 

 nest, the bird slips quietly off; and when there are eggs it is seldom seen ; but should the young 

 be hatched, both parents hover round uttering anxious cries, and will approach tolerably close to 

 the intruder, and the female will often try to lure him away from the nest. This latter is placed 

 in more open localities than that of the Sedge- Warbler, and frequently on the banks of ditches 

 in the marshes or the borders of the ponds. It is generally placed in a bunch of sedge or 

 amongst dwarf willow growth, seldom amongst plants that have grown very high, and never in 

 places where the reeds (Arundo phragmitis) are very plentiful. Usually it is placed about a foot 

 or eighteen inches above the ground, but sometimes quite low down and almost touching the soil, 

 though it is never placed on the ground itself. In general form and appearance it much 

 resembles the nest of the Sedge- Warbler, but is always smaller in size, by which it may usually 

 be distinguished. It is constructed of coarse stems of plants and bents, sometimes a few roots, 

 then of finer bents worked together with spiders' webs, and sometimes intermixed with plant- 

 cotton ; and, according to Naumann, a few feathers are sometimes used ; the interior is neatly 

 lined with horsehair. In general structure the nest is somewhat loose and light, but at the same 

 time it is tolerably well built. The eggs, usually four, but occasionally five, in number, resemble 

 those of the Sedge- Warbler, but are rather smaller in size, and the ground-colour is paler and 

 rather more yellow in tinge. Naumann, who has examined many, says " they differ from those 

 of the Sedge-Warbler in having the ground-colour yellower and markings more olivaceous; 



