BIRD LIFE IN EASTERN ALGERIA. 125 



parts of the bushes, often in those parts which overhang the 

 water. Its song is very inferior, and much more acrocephaline 

 in character than those of its relations before mentioned. It is 

 loud and harsh : " tyuck tyuck tuck tuck char a wichy char wichy 

 char," a few lower-toned, jerky notes are occasionally inter- 

 spersed. Sometimes " Tac tac tah tarh tarh tac tarh" expresses 

 the song. 



I have described the songs of these three species of Hyjyolais 

 rather fully, partly because I am unable to understand the 

 extravagant praise bestowed by some authors (quoted in the 4th 

 edition of ' Yarrell ') upon the song of H. icterina. Rennie is 

 said to be loud in praise of the rich intonation and multitudinous 

 variety of its notes. More extraordinary still is Hewitson's 

 opinion, that its carol was the sweetest he had ever heard, 

 equalling, if not surpassing, that of the Nightingale. Baron de 

 Selys-Longchamps (I still quote from 'Yarrell') credits it with the 

 power and habit of imitating various other birds. Seebohm, 

 who knew the bird well, gives rather a different account of its 

 singing powers. He writes (Hist. Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 382), 

 " Its song is by no means specially melodious. It has great 

 power, wonderful variety, and considerable compass, but is 

 singularly deficient in melody." To my mind, the best bit of 

 description he gives relates to the bird when he first made its 

 acquaintance at Valkenswaard, when it " screamed and warbled 

 and chuckled and sang voluminously." I quote a few more 

 of his remarks : '■' The song is somewhat harsh, but very varied, 

 although he repeats every combination of notes two or three 

 times over in rapid succession, like a Song Thrush." . . . 

 " Perhaps, on the whole, the song of the common Tree Warbler 

 comes nearest to that of the Marsh Warbler, but often it reminds 

 you strongly of the song of the Sedge Warbler. At other times 

 you may trace a fancied resemblance to the chirping of the 

 Sparrow, the scolding of the Whitethroat, or the scream of a 

 Swift ; but all rattled off at such a rate one after the other, and 

 repeated so often, that it arrests the attention at once." ... "in 

 spite of its wonderful variety I think the song is original, and 

 can see no reason for supposing the bird to be more of a 

 mocking-bird than the Song Thrush or Nightingale." Perhaps 

 the examples of H. icterina I found spending the breeding 

 season in Africa were less imbued with spirit and energy than 



