WARBLER. 35 



This species is common in England, frequenting watery places, 

 where reeds and sedges grow. It makes a nest of moss and dried 

 fibres, lined with the same, but finer materials, and lastly with hair. 

 This is smaller than that of the Reed Wren, less deep, and is sup- 

 ported in an elegant manner, generally between three or four rushes, 

 or reeds, near the side of a river, not tied like that of the last named, 

 but the whole of the sides of the nest enveloping the reeds which 

 support it; at other times it is made on the ground, on a tuft of rushes, 

 or in a low bush, but always close to the water ; the eggs are five or 

 six in number, brownish white, marbled with brown, each weighing 

 from 24 to 28 grains. It arrives about the middle of April, and 

 departs in September; the song is much esteemed, having great 

 variety, imitating that of the Skylark and Swallow, also at times 

 the twittering of the House Sparrow; and this has, till of late, been 

 attributed to the Reed Bunting, which is now known to possess little 

 more than a scream ; but as they frequent the same places, this cir- 

 cumstance might easily be mistaken ; it has also been confounded 

 with the Reed Wren, which is not to be wondered at, since they both 

 have the same haunts, though the latter is not always found with the 

 Sedge Warbler, which is so common, that few watery places are 

 without it. 



27— DARTFORD WARBLER. 



Sylvia Dartfordiensis, Ind. Orn. ii. 517. 



— — — Provincialis, Tern. Man. Ed. ii. 211. 



Motacilla Provincialis, <Gm. Lin. i. 958. 



Curruca sepiaria, Gerin. iv. t. 391. 2 ? 



Pitchou de Provence, Buf. v. 158. PL enl. 655. 1. 



Dartford Warbler, Gen. Syn. iv. p. 435. H.'Siip. 181. Id. Sup. ii. 241. Br.Zool.i. 



389. pi. 56. Id. Ed. 1812. i. p. 530. pi. 63. Bewick, pi. p. 203. Shaw's Zool. x. 



717. pi. 56. Lexoin, iii. pi. 106. Donov. pi. 10. JVa/cot, Syn. ii. pi. 237. Lin. 



Trans, vii. 280. Id. v. 9. 191. Orn. Diet. 



THIS is not much bigger in the body than a Wren, but the tail 

 being half the length of the bird, it measures about five inches, and 



F 2 



