SEDGE WARBLER. 75 
It migrates to us the latter part of April, or sometimes 
later with the season, seldom arriving in Scotland before 
the beginning of May. ‘The males are believed to arrive 
before the females. ‘They come in small parties of from two 
to five or six each. They are late in leaving, some being 
seen till the middle of October, even in the north of England: 
one has been observed near High Wycombe, in Buckingham- 
shire, in winter. 
This is another species of hidling, though not exactly of 
shy habits, and is most frequently seen if disturbed, for 
otherwise it keeps to its haunt in the middle of the thick 
hedge, tall sedge, reeds, or other aquatic plants among which 
it harbours. ‘This very day on which I am writing, I watched 
one for some time playing at hide and seek with 1 me, in some 
large hawthorn bushes which covered the steep bank of a 
stream, overhanging it almost down to the water’s edge; 
beyond all doubt the nest was there. Now it would fly a few 
yards off; now, if thinking itself unobserved, slyly return to 
its place; now sing lustily from some hidden covert, and on 
a sudden emerge and shew itself; then again descend to the 
recesses of the thick brake, and so quickly reappear at a 
little distance, that it would almost seem as if it had flown 
straight without hindrance through the tangled underwood; 
once more it would set up its ringing note, a watchman 
sprmging his rattle to alarm his household, for such in its 
small way it closely resembles, and finally disappear from 
view and from hearing together, unless again disturbed. The 
hen bird sits close on her nest, and you may often pass 
close by without her leaving it. If alarmed for her young 
she evinces great anxiety, moving in and out of the neighbouring 
cover. hese birds are able to be kept in confinement. 
They feed on insects of various kinds, some of which are 
captured on the wing, and others snatched from the surface 
of the water; also on worms and smail slugs. 
The note, which is heard from the midst of ‘the bush,’ or 
when perched on the top of a small branch or spray, as also 
while flying for some short distance to the next cover, is very 
powerful for so small a throat, and they sing sometimes in 
a most violent chiding sort of manner, as if in defiance of 
approach. ‘The common note is a small shrill cheep, but 
their song, though somewhat of a chatter, is very lively, and 
not without a mellow modulation. It is heard at night even 
as late as twelve o’clock on the fine still summer evenings, 
