10 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



very compact, and less neat than that of the last-named species. 

 The Marsh Warbler is not a particularly shy bird. It often takes 

 up a position on an exposed twig, &c, in the attitude of an 

 ordinary perching bird, and does not confine itself to clinging to 

 a reed or other stem, though the males will sing in the latter 

 position. It shows itself more, and does not skulk nearly so 

 much as the Eeed Warbler. The birds seem to be even playful 

 sometimes, and we saw two toying together in the air and about 

 the tops of the reeds. The song is quite different to the Reed 

 Warbler's, and is not delivered in the leisurely fashion of that 

 bird. But it is the finest reed-bird song I have heard, very rich 

 and varied. The bird's natural notes seem to consist of some 

 chattering ones like those of the Sedge Warbler, mingled with 

 others resembling the high pipe of the Nightingale, but lower, 

 and the liquid, jugging notes, but less full, of the same bird. 

 This is the only thing I can compare the notes with, but they 

 are delivered in a different way. The birds at Stansstad also 

 imitated parts of the song of the Swallow, Tree Pipit, and 

 Goldfinch, and especially the call-note of the last named. In 

 appearance the Marsh Warbler is decidedly paler than the Reed 

 Warbler, the head, neck, and rump cold in tint, and in the case 

 of the first tw r o, with almost a grey shade on the browm. A 

 remarkable character is the warm, pale rufous of the wings, 

 which makes them contrast conspicuously with the other parts. 

 I noticed it particularly in all the birds I saw at close quarters. 

 The explanation of it is probably to be found partly in Mr. Howard 

 Saunders' remark that when the plumage is not much abraded 

 the wing-feathers are tipped and margined with pale bull'. A 

 specimen in Bern Museum, labelled " Mooseldorf-see," is a very 

 pale bird, with quite a grey tinge on the head. 



Accentor modularis, Hedgesparrow. — First seen as it sang on 

 the top of a pine below me in the higher pine woods near the 

 Magis-alp (about 4500 ft.); one observed, in song, on edge of 

 Engstlen-alp (0000 ft.) ; and another just below the hotel on the 

 Trubsee (about 5800 ft.), Quite a mountain bird in Switzerland. 

 As showing its tendency to this character, even with us, I may 

 mention that I have seen it on bare rocky ground on a Welsh 

 mountain, at between 1200 and 1500 ft. elevation. 



A. collar ls, Alpine Accentor. — One seen and heard singing as 

 it flitted about the cliff edge or perched its dumpy form on a 



