SEDGE WARBLER. 
89 
osier islands before mentioned, and on the flat, extended 
grass plains beside the Thames, the range at Shepperton 
in particular, which places are dry and firm, and never 
flooded during the summer half of the year. 
The eggs of the Sedge Warbler are pale stone-colour, 
freckled over minutely with spots of a rather darker shade; 
sometimes we have found them nearly plain stone-colour, at 
other times marbled with pale ash-green, approaching in 
appearance to those of the reed warbler. We have more 
than once found as many as seven eggs in the nest of this 
species. In some nests the eggs are rather long, as figured 
in the plate ; in others nearly round, and these are usually 
the plainest in colour. In all specimens dark hair-like 
streaks may be observed towards the larger end. 
The Sedge Warbler is found on the reedy banks of rivers 
and lakes in most parts of England and Scotland, Wales, 
and Ireland. On the continent of Europe it is also of 
very wide distribution, occurring, in similar situations, from 
the most southern parts, as far north as the arctic circle. 
The Sedge Warbler measures less than five inches in 
entire length. The wing, from the carpus to the tip, is 
two inches and a half; the tail extends three quarters of an 
inch beyond the closed wings, and the outer tail-feathers 
are three and a half lines shorter than the middle ones. 
The beak measures five lines in length. 
The male and female are so much alike in appearance 
that one description will suffice for both. From the base 
of the upper mandible a pale yellow streak passes over the 
eye, beneath which is a dark line, passing through the eye 
to the ear ; the cheeks are brown, intermixed with yellowish 
white. The throat is white, tinged with rufous yellow on 
the sides; the breast and belly are dirty white ; the upper 
part of the breast and flanks tinged with rufous yellow : the 
rest of the under parts pale brownish yellow. The feathers 
