The Dart/ord Warbler. 89 
Natural History," by Rusticus, of Godalming, near which place this 
bird used to be plentiful, the writer says : If you have ever watched a 
common Wren you must have observed that she cocked her tail bolt 
upright, strained her little back at right angles, and her throat in the 
same fashion to make the most of her fixgig of a song, and kept 
jumping and jerking and frisking about, for all the world as though 
she was worked by steam ; well that's the precise character of the 
Dartfoid Warbler, or, as we call it, the Furze Wren. When the leaves 
are off the trees, and the chill winter winds have driven the summer 
birds to the olive-gardens of Spain, or across the Straits, the Furze 
Wren is in the height of his enjoyment. I have seen them by dozens 
skipping about the furze, lighting for a moment upon the very point 
of the sprigs, and instantly diving out of sight again, singing out their 
angry impatient ditty for ever the same. Perched on the outside of a 
good, tall nag, and riding quietly along the outside, while the fox 
hounds have been drawing tlie furze fields, I have seen the tops of the 
furze quite alive with these birds. They are. however, very hard to 
shoot, darting down flirectly tliey see the flsish or hear the cap ci'ack- 
I do not know which. I have seen excellent shots miss them, while 
labbit shooting with beagles. They prefer those places where the 
furze is very thick, high, and difficult to get in." 
I have been given the credit of being the first writer to record 
the fact that the Dartford Warbler builds its nest in heather in Eng- 
land. All authorities that I have consulted state that the nest is built 
in the middle of a furze bush. Howard Saunders says : " The nest in 
this country is placed among the branches of the thickest furze; but 
on the Continent, especially in the south, broom and heather are 
selected." The nests I have seen were on the heather, about a foot 
from the ground, and about ten paces from the nearest furze, which 
seems to be used as a play-ground. The nest is composed of the long 
stalks of goosegrass, entwining them with the young and tender 
branches of the furze, the outside is ornamental with what looks like, 
at first sight, little balls of wool, but on examination I discovered they 
were the silvery coloured silken bags that spiders make for the recep- 
tion of their eggs. The eggs are greenish-white, with olive or reddish- 
brown markings, and are very similar to those of the Whitethroat. 
(To be continued). 
