REED BUNTING. 57 



sit in a very upright position, swinging upon their thin stems or 

 the still more slender reeds, their light weight causing them to 

 bend, under them ; and they continually expand and close the 

 feathers of their tails by a very quick lateral motion. Their 

 flight is even and. rapid, and. performed in a straight line, 

 opening and shutting their wings from time to time. When 

 excited, this little bird erects the feathers of its head so that 

 the black part appears only to reach the centre of the crown, 

 the whole hinder part of the head being white. Their note, 

 when under anxiety for their nestlings, is sherrip ! pro- 

 nounced quickly. 



It is to be presumed that much of their own food in sum- 

 mer, as well as that of their young, consists of aquatic in- 

 sects ; and it is also probable, that insects constitute the 

 chief part of their subsistence even during winter, as they 

 may be observed at that season to resort, in company with 

 the wagtails, to the river side, where, running along the shore 

 at the immediate edge of the rippling stream, they from time 

 to time peck among the weeds and flags that are carried 

 down by the tide, as if in pursuit of such insects or small 

 Crustacea as the waters afford. As early as February, pairs of 

 these little birds may be seen together thus busily employed ; 

 and in the middle of April their nests may be found contain- 

 ing the full number of eggs. 



The nest of the Reed Bunting we have mostly found 

 placed upon the ground under the shelter of long grass, 

 nettles, or weeds of similar description ; sometimes upon an 

 osier stump ; sometimes supported by rushes that have been 

 broken down, but not suspended between them. In all cases 

 it is tolerably well concealed, and might often remain so, but 

 for the anxiety and impatience of the owners on the approach 

 of an observer. The nest is neatly constructed of dry grasses, 

 and generally lined very abundantly with horsehair ; we have 

 two specimens, however, in which not a single hair is used, 



