MARSH WARBLER I>T OXFORDSHIRE. 307 



of croak, suggestive of a Jackdaw, and the call of the Partridge. 

 We failed again to get a good steady look at the bird. Oddly 

 enough, we found a Eeed Warbler chatting away merrily at the 

 other end of the osiers, — the first of this species that I have as 

 yet found in the neighbourhood. Abundant as they are on the 

 Isis, they seem little disposed to adventure themselves far up 

 Cherwell or Evenlode. It is the Evenlode which flows, past our 

 osier-bed, dividing here the counties of Oxon and Gloucester. 



We returned to Oxford well satisfied with our morning's work, 

 but I was still anxious to bring Mr. Aplin's experience and acute- 

 ness to bear upon the bird, and as our Oxford term ended on 

 Saturday, the 18th, I asked him to come and spend the following 

 Sunday with me at Kingham. The weather was cold, but an occa- 

 sional glimpse of the sun promised us a fair chance of success ; 

 and it was a good omen that it happened to be precisely the 

 anniversary of our discovery of the nest at Interlaken last year. 



On the Saturday afternoon we entered the osiers at about 

 5.30, and made our way along a tolerably open ditch for some 

 distance without hearing the song. My old terrier was in front 

 of us, and presently disturbed a pair of birds, which began 

 croaking angrily. Mr. Aplin got his glass on one of these and 

 declared himself satisfied ; and shortly afterwards we heard 

 something of the old familiar song. But a careful search for the 

 nest in the nettles and meadow-sweet all around was quite 

 fruitless. 



Next morning we spent two hours in the osiers, with excellent 

 results. Each of us got a good steady look at the bird through 

 our glasses as he sang from the top of a willow- stem, with bill 

 wide open, showing the reddish-yellow gape as we had seen it in 

 Switzerland ; the crest slightly raised, the head erect, and the 

 white feathers of the breast fluffed out. The under parts are not 

 rufous buff as in the Eeed Warbler, but yellowish on the flanks, 

 and nearly white in the centre. The upper parts are distinctly 

 paler than in the allied species, and are in no respect rufous. 

 This morning the song was delicious, constantly varied, and 

 with many imitations, among which we noticed the song of the 

 Lark and his strident call ; the calls of the Chaffinch, Thrush, 

 Yellow Wagtail, Eedstart, and Goldfinch ; the Greenfinch's 

 twitter, followed by an attempt to produce his call ; and 

 once I heard a sweet warble closely resembling that of the 



