220 
ALLEN’S NATURALIST’S LIBRARY. 
h li Y° nhtm ra "S e in R™* is coin 
who sa's tv it R h/ ‘ f reg,0n ’ accordi »g to Dr. Pleske, 
Mr Seeh hm l “ b f en "° ted from the Caucasus, and 
VL . bet boh m has received a specimen from Lenkoran Tt 
passes through Asia Minor, Greece, and North-east Africa in 
migration, making its way to South Africa and Damara Land 
where it passes the winter. H. p,ly g loita preserves its western 
10 S™e e im s bk! peaes eve “ in " ,e “ “ d migrate. 
Habits,— -These are well described by Mr. Seebohm who 
however does not think much of the bird’s song, nor will he 
allow that it deserves the name often given to it of the “ MeJn 
Willow-Warbler.” In Germ any ft is called Spottvofd 
or Mocking Bird from its supposed adaptation of the notes 
of other birds. Mr. Seebohm says : “ Perhaps, on the whole, 
f , son A d ,\ e . Common I’ree-Warbler comes nearest to that 
of the Marsh Warbler ; but it often reminds you strongly of the 
ong of the Sedge-Warbler. At other times you may trace a 
fancied resemblance to the chirping of the Sparrow, the scold- 
ing of the \\ hitethroat, or the scream of the Swift; but all rattled 
t°hf , r SUCh ( a ^ tC ’ ° ne ^ fter the other > and re Peated so often 
. hat it arrests the attention at once. I have heard it in widely 
different localities, and very often ; but in spite of its wonderful 
variety, I think the song is original, and can see no reason for 
supposing the bird to be more of a ‘ mocking’ bird than a Somr- 
1 hrush or a Nightingale. Some writers have compared the sonlr 
to that of the Nightingale; but in quality of voice, in the rich° 
ness of its tones and the melody of its notes, it is immeasurably' 
inferior to that bird, and the best one can say of its voice is 
that it is a very high soprano. If it were a common bird one 
might say that it screamed, or even shrieked: the son* does 
not fill the ear like that of the Nightingale.” ° 
The Common Tree- Warbler is essentially a lover of isolated 
trees. He does not seem to care very much for the thick 
forest, but delights to smg his song and build his nest in the 
trees in the gardens and the hedgerows. Like the Robin he 
seems to like to be close to the houses ; and, like that bird’ he 
has the reputation of being very quarrelsome and very iealous 
of the approach of any other of his species on his special do- 
