SEDGE-WARBLER 



followed closely by the male, who never makes the slightest 

 effort to help her, but, whether she be on the willow tugging 

 at the seeds or actually building, sits close beside her, and in 

 the same manner flies within a few feet of her on her journeys 

 backwards and forwards. 



The young are hatched as a rule about the middle of June, 

 but the date varies considerably ; I have found them as early 

 as the first week of that month, and first broods as late as the 

 first week in July. When the young are hatched the parent 

 birds will allow you, if well concealed, to watch their domestic 

 arrangements very closely. Peering through the sedges 

 within a few feet of the nest, I have frequently watched them 

 feeding their young, and cleaning their nest. The female at 

 this time is less suspicious than the male. She it is who 

 seems to be aware of the necessity of a constant supply of food 

 to the nestlings ; the male in this respect not working nearly 

 so hard, and when suspicious only occasionally, and that very 

 hurriedly, bringing a small billful of insects : the greater part 

 of his time appears to be spent in keeping guard. The female, 

 on the other hand, feeds her brood continually, every few 

 minutes coming to the nest with a large billful of insects, 

 which she distributes amongst some of the young. When 

 startled she will sing a few notes of the song of the male, but 

 will on no account drop the food she may be holding at the 

 time. I have startled her in many ways, even going so far as 

 to touch her with a stick, in order to make her drop the insects 

 that I might be able to see to what species they belonged, but 

 in no case have I been successful. The faeces, enclosed in a 

 membranous sac, is carried away by the female each time 

 after bringing food, and is dropped twenty or thirty yards from 

 the nest ; occasionally, but not as frequently as amongst other 

 species, it is swallowed by her. The young leave the nest 

 when about ten days old, and until able to fly keep well hidden 

 amongst the undergrowth, occasionally uttering their very 

 small call-note, which is answered by the parent birds, and 

 enables them to keep in touch with their scattered offspring. 



