98 



RIVER WARBLER. 



Length, of a male sent me by M. E. Verreaux, sis inclies; car- 

 pus to tip tliree inches; tail two inches and one -fifth; tarsn.s nine- 

 tenths of an inch; beak seven- tenths of an inch. 



The River Warbler, whicli is one of tlie finest species 

 in tlie family, is found principally in Europe on the 

 shores of the Danube. It has also been found, but iso- 

 lated and rarely, in Saxony, Siberia, Lithuania, and 

 France. It also occurs in Hungary, and in Egypt. 

 Its home is in moist and swampy places, where reeds, 

 high grasses, and water-plants afford it concealment. It 

 is migratory, appearing in its breeding places on the 

 banks of the Danube in May, and disappears the end 

 of August. Of its habits. Count Miihle says, — 



"By day it keeps in the deepest concealment, and 

 flies away when distui'bed with the greatest stillness and 

 velocity, or it hastens from one bough to another, close 

 over the ground. In early morning, however, in the 

 still gloomy twilight, it will remain quite unconcerned, 

 singing on an open branch or twig, and even by day 

 it may sometimes be heard during thunder-storms. 

 While singing it likes to sit upon a slanting branch, 

 swells out its throat, lets its wings droop somewhat, and 

 with a measured movement sings its remarkable song in 

 quick railroad time, repeated quite twenty times in a 

 breath. This song resembles the chirping of grasshop- 

 pers. Upon the very obscure history of its propagation 

 some light has been thrown by Thienemann and 

 Heckel. Its breeding-places are the closely-wooded parts 

 of the banks of the Danube. The nest is always in 

 thick bushes, which have growing amongst them high 

 grasses and reeds. It is formed of withered leaves, 

 mostly of grass, and dry straws, thickly woven over with 

 • the young shoots of grasses, so as to conceal it completely 



