$6 



Drymoipus Inornatus (Sykes.) The common Wren 

 Warbler. 



This bird is scarcely so plentiful in the vicinity of Colombo 

 as the Ceylon species D. Validus, Blyth. It is to be found 

 generally in guinea or water grass fields, but in places where 

 these do not exist, it affects sedgy or marshy spots as well as 

 the borders of paddy fields. Two or three pairs inhabit the 

 grass near my house during the greater part of the year, 

 disappearing in the dry weather, when there is but little 

 growth. It is often to be seen perched on the top of a tree 

 in the vicinity of its haunts, uttering its peculiar metallic 

 sounding note, which may be syllabised kink — kink — kink re- 

 peated sometimes for a minute without cessation. It is a 

 prolific bird, as I have found it nesting from May until 

 November, and from close observation I am nearly sure that 

 the young hatched at the beginning of the season breed at the 

 end of it.* I may mention that a pair that bred near my 

 house in May last, commenced building again before their 

 brood had forsaken them, the whole family roosting in the 

 vicinity of the new nest during the time it was being con- 

 structed. 



In the construction of its nest D. Inornatus displays the 

 same propensity for sewing as the other members of its family. 

 The structure is loosely but very ingeniously made, and 

 is generally built between the top blades of a guinea 

 grass plant, which the bird attaches one to the other by means 

 of small grass fibres, sewn through them, and passed round so 

 as to form a net-work, inside which the body of the nest is 

 placed ; this is constructed entirely of fine grass, and lined with 

 the same material. The blades of grass, between which the 



* The young assume the adult plumage immediately, so that I cannot posi- 

 tively assert this ; but if my observations have been correct, this is a remark- 

 able instance of fecundity. 



