SEDGE-WARBLER 



some at this period, after they have reared their young, begin 

 to wander, and can be heard singing even in the middle of the 

 cornfields. 



Towards the middle of July, while watching them in osier- 

 beds, where they happened to be very plentiful, I have noticed 

 curio as commotions, the origin of which I have not been 

 able to satisfactorily explain. As many as eight or nine 

 collect together, some adult, some immature, the adults 

 apparently very angry, scolding vigorously, their feathers 

 ruffled and their tails spread out ; the onlookers also join in 

 the scolding, the commotion being quite unusual for bird- 

 life. So absorbed have they sometimes been that I have crept 

 into the middle of them before they have noticed me, when 

 they have reluctantly dispersed. I once found an empty nest 

 from which the young may have been taken, but there were 

 no dead bodies round it to show that a tragedy had occurred ; 

 and it is generally the case, when a rat or a weasel has 

 attacked and destroyed the young, that the bodies lie round 

 or perhaps even remain in the nest, with no sign of ill-usage 

 on them except two small punctures at the junction of the 

 head and neck, indicating the marks of the teeth, the blood 

 having evidently been sucked. Hitherto, I have seen these 

 scolding parties in July only, but it is quite likely that they 

 may be of frequent occurrence at other times. 



On his arrival in this country the male sings at all hours 

 of the day, especially in the morning, frequently at night, and 

 continues until pairing is over and incubation commenced, 

 when to a great extent he ceases, but recommences after the 

 young have flown. His song is loud, cheerful and babbling, 

 sometimes harsh, and perhaps might be described as lacking 

 'education. He has also considerable powers of mimicry, 

 the call-notes and parts of the song of different species 

 being often introduced. This mimicry will be heard more 

 frequently when any commotion is going on amongst the 

 bird-life around, owing, no doubt, to the alarm-notes of the 

 different species engaged in it being then more pronounced. 



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