REED WaRBIER. 79 
Migratory in its habits, it arrives here generally the end 
of April or the beginning of the month of May, and leaves 
us again about the commencement of September. 
I have been favoured by J. G. Bonney, Esq., of Rugeley, 
Staffordshire, with a full account of the habits of this bird. 
Wherever it does occur it is found in that part of England 
in great abundance. It is rather shy, and loves to ensconce 
itself among reeds, where, eschewing the advice so often 
inculeated in early life on another species, it is for the most 
part heard but not seen. It is almost continually on the 
move, running rapidly up and down the tall stems, and 
hopping about from one to another with great agtlity. It 
frequents places where such trees and plants as willows, reeds, 
and rushes abound. 
It may be kept in confinement, and in that state has 
been heard by Mr. Sweet to sing occasionally all the winter. 
Mr. Meyer has known it build close to the town of: Chertsey. 
Its food consists of various water insects and their larve, 
worms, slugs, and the smaller dragon-flies: the winged kinds 
are sometimes hovered for and taken on the surface of the 
water, or carefully searched after among the stems and 
branches of the willows and aquatic plants in its resorts. 
Its ordinary note is rapidly hurried, harsh, loud, garrulous, 
and unmusical, uttered almost incessantly when its nest is 
supposed to be in any danger—a mere ‘kurrrrrrr.’ It has 
been likened by Mr. Bonney to the words ‘chree, que, treet,’ 
repeated without any order. The song of the one just now 
mentioned is described as very variable, consisting of a great 
number of notes, and sung with many changes of voice, so 
diversified as to resemble the song of several different birds. 
It appears to be heard at night, and is chiefly uttered from 
the midst of the dense foliage—the ‘locus in quo’ the bird 
secretes itself. 
The nest is a very artistical piece of work, and is generally 
placed between three, four, or five stems of the common 
reed that grow near to one another, at a height commonly 
of about three feet above the water, but one has been known 
as much as nine feet from the ground. To these the self- 
taught architect fastens the cordage that supports her tent, 
twining and interlacing it, that is, part of the materials of 
which it is composed, round and round them at intervals, 
until the whole is firmly fixed, not so firmly however but 
that the reeds may be easily slipped out without injuring 
