Part 38

The ASHY GARDEN WARBLER (_Hypolais cinerescens_) is entirely greyish green on the upper portion, and whitish green on the under side of the body. The eye is dark brown; the upper mandible horn colour, and the lower one yellowish grey; the legs horn grey. The length of the bird is five inches and seven lines, and the breadth about seven inches and ten lines; the wing measures two inches and seven lines, and the tail two inches and three lines; the female is about one line shorter, and from two to four lines narrower than her mate. This species inhabits Southern Europe, and is especially numerous in the highly cultivated districts of Spain; there, as elsewhere, it frequents vineyards, olive plantations, and fruit gardens, and ventures freely into the immediate vicinity of the towns and villages; it appears entirely to avoid mountain ranges and rocky localities. Unlike the Willow Wren, the Ashy Garden Warbler is socially disposed towards those of its own race, and it is not uncommon to see the pairs not only living close to each other in the utmost harmony, but building upon the same tree. Such as we have observed seemed entirely without fear of men, for we have frequently known them to make their nests close to crowded thoroughfares, in small gardens, and, in one instance, in close vicinity to a public summer-house in Valencia, that was usually illuminated with lanterns until after midnight. The movements of these birds are similar to those of the species last described, but their song, although monotonous and without any particular beauty, somewhat resembles that of the Sedge Warblers. The breeding season commences about the first week in June, and continues until the end of July. The nest, which is built on a high tree and fastened firmly between two upright and parallel twigs, has a thick outer wall of grass, wool, stalks, and similar materials woven together very compactly; the interior is usually about two inches deep, and one inch and a half broad. The eggs, from three to five in number, are of an oval shape, and have a pale grey or reddish shell, marked with dark brown or black. Both parents feed and tend their nestlings with great care and affection. This species is sometimes seen in North-western Africa.

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The MARSH WARBLERS (_Calamodytæ_) are recognisable by their slender body, narrow, flat-browed head, short rounded wing, in which the second or third quill, or both, exceed the rest in length; moderate-sized tail, which is either rounded, graduated, or conical; and powerful foot, armed with strong toes and large hooked claws. The beak varies somewhat in different species. The plumage of all is compact, harsh in texture, and usually of a greyish-yellow or olive green tint. In all the different species a light stripe passes over the region of the eye.

The Marsh Warblers inhabit all parts of our globe, but are particularly numerous in the Eastern Hemisphere. As their name indicates, they principally frequent marshy districts overgrown with reeds, rushes, or long grass, and only occasionally seek their food upon bushes; they entirely avoid mountain ranges, as the water that flows in the vicinity of the latter is too frequently agitated to suit their requirements. All lead a somewhat retired life within the limits of their favourite haunts, but are readily discovered by their very peculiar yet by no means unpleasing song, which is to be heard almost throughout the entire day. They fly but little, and with an unsteady fluttering movement, keeping the tail outspread, and always appear very unwilling to mount into the air. They hurry over the ground with wonderful rapidity, and slip in and out of tiny crevices with a celerity that fully equals that of a mouse. They also hop nimbly from point to point, and climb the perpendicular stems of reeds or long grass with the utmost facility. Insects of all kinds afford them their principal means of subsistence, and they also occasionally eat berries; worms they utterly reject. Such as inhabit northern climates migrate at the approach of winter. The purse-like nest built by these birds is hung from a reed or twig close to the water's edge, and most artistically constructed; its bottom being heavy, the sides long, and the top turned inwards, so as to prevent the young from falling out, should the unsteady little structure be exposed to a violent wind. It is a remarkable fact that the Marsh Warblers appear to be fully aware that they may occasionally expect an unusual rise of water in the lake or stream near which they live, and always anticipate the danger that from this cause might accrue to the little family, by suspending the nest at a proportionate height from the ground. The eggs are hatched by both parents, and the young tended and fed long after they are fully fledged.

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The REED WARBLERS (_Acrocephalus_) constitute a group possessing most of the characteristics that distinguish this family. In these birds the beak is almost straight, or very slightly curved at its extremity; the wings are of moderate size, the third and fourth quills exceeding the rest in length; the exterior tail-feathers are somewhat shortened, and the foot unusually powerful. The compact and unspotted plumage is usually olive green on the upper portion of the body, and reddish or yellowish white beneath.

THE TRUE REED WARBLER.

The TRUE REED WARBLER (_Acrocephalus turdoides_) is about eight inches long and eleven broad; the wing measures three inches and a half, and the tail four inches and a quarter. This species is yellowish grey on the mantle, and reddish white on the under side, shaded with grey upon the throat. The female is somewhat smaller and paler than her mate. The Reed Warblers inhabit Europe, from South Scandinavia to Greece and Spain; in the extreme south and in Northern Africa they are replaced by nearly allied species. Everywhere they frequent such marshy localities as are overgrown with reeds, and are never seen in mountainous regions or woodland districts, or even upon the trees that grow near their favourite haunts. The migratory season commences in September; but during their wanderings, which often extend as far as Central Africa, they pass direct from one piece of water to another, and never turn aside in their course to linger in any but marshy or well-watered places. Shortly after the return of these birds, at the end of April or beginning of May, their loud resonant voices are to be heard not only from sunrise to sunset, but frequently throughout the night. The song is a strange combination of a great variety of harsh quavering notes, more nearly resembling the croaking of the frogs whose domain they share than the notes of any of the feathered creation. While singing the males usually perch upon a reed or twig, with drooping wing, outspread tail, inflated throat, and open beak, and go through their noisy performance with an energetic desire to rival every bird around them; such is the evident satisfaction they exhibit at the result of their efforts, as to make the listener overlook the want of vocal talent, in his amusement at the conceit of the self-complacent songsters. The nests are commenced about June, and are built near together, suspended firmly from the reeds that overhang the surface of the pond or stream, some four or five being drawn firmly together to make a safe support.

Like other Marsh Warblers, they display wonderful instinct in the situation they select, and invariably build at such a height as is secure from any unusual rising of the water; indeed, it has been repeatedly observed that in certain years the nests of the Reed Warblers were constructed at an unusual distance from the ground, and this precaution has always been explained later in the season by the fall of extraordinary heavy rain, that would inevitably have swept away the little structures had they been placed in the situation ordinarily selected. The nest itself is very long in shape, with the top turned inwards, to render the nestlings secure in a high wind. The walls are thick, formed of grass, stalks, fibres, and wool, lined with cobwebs, horsehair, and similar materials. The eggs, four or five in number, are of a bluish or greenish-white tint, spotted and veined with dark brown and grey; the young are hatched in about a fortnight, should the parent be undisturbed, and are tended with great affection, even long after they are fully fledged. The Reed Warblers, as we learn from Dr. Bennett, are commonly met with in Australia. "One species" (_Acrocephalus Australis_), he tells us, "is very numerous about the sedgy localities of the Nepean river; and although it has been denied that any of the Australian birds are endowed with a musical voice, this bird has a very loud, pleasing song, enlivening the places it frequents. It is a migratory species, arriving in the spring season--_i.e._, about September--and taking its departure as winter commences. It builds its nest, suspended among the reeds, in a similar manner to its congeners in Europe; it is composed of the thin epidermis of reeds interwoven with dried rushes. The sexes are alike. I did not see the eggs in the nests, but they are stated to be four in number, of a greyish-white colour, thickly marked all over with irregular blotches and markings of yellowish brown, umber brown, and bluish grey."

The large Reed Warbler of India (_Acrocephalus brunnescens_) is, according to Jerdon, very similar to the European species, but differs in being something smaller in the relative size of the primaries, the greater length of the wing, and the greater intensity of its colour.

The larger Reed Warbler is found in most parts of India in the cold weather, for it is only a winter visitant. It extends into Assam, Aracan, and China, in some parts of which latter country it probably breeds. It frequents high reeds and grasses, high grain fields and gardens, where it hunts among the rows of peas, beans, and other vegetables. It clings strongly to the stalks of grain, and makes its way adroitly through thick grass or bushes, concealing itself when observed, and being with difficulty driven out. It feeds on small grasshoppers, ants, and other insects. "I have," continues our author, "heard it occasionally utter a harsh, clucking kind of note."

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The SEDGE WARBLERS (_Calamodus_) are distinguished from the birds above described by their inferior size, and by the comparative shortness of their wings, in which the third quill is the longest; the tail, moreover, is very decidedly rounded, and their plumage spotted.

THE SEDGE WARBLER.

The SEDGE WARBLER (_Calamodus phragmitis_) is about five inches and a half long, and eight and a quarter broad; the wing measures two and a quarter, and the tail two inches. The plumage on the upper portion of the body is yellowish brown, spotted with dark brown, the under side a reddish white; a yellow streak passes over the eyes, and the posterior quills have light edges. The eye is brown, the beak brownish black, except at its margins, and the base of the under mandible, which are of a light yellowish red; the foot is dirty yellow. In the young, the mantle is reddish grey and the under side reddish yellow, spotted on the region of the crop with dark grey or brown. This species inhabits all the European countries that extend from 68° north latitude as far as Greece and Spain, usually arriving in April and leaving again in October, when it wanders as far as Northern Africa. In the latter continent it is often seen upon the plains covered with _halfa_ grass, but in Europe it always frequents such marshy districts as are overgrown with rushes, sedge, grass, and small-leafed water plants. Its flight is very unsteady, but in other respects its movements are unusually nimble and agile; the song is pleasing, flute-like, and very varied. Except during the period of incubation, which commences in June, these birds usually lead a very retired life amid the beds of grass or rushes, but at the latter season they emerge, and take up their quarters on the surrounding trees and bushes, where they engage in a series of vocal concerts, each inspired with the hope of outdoing its numerous rivals in the favour of some attractive female. Should any one of the feathered competitors venture to intrude upon the same branch as the energetic singer he is at once driven with much violence from the spot, to prevent a repetition of the offence. During the whole time that the female broods the male bird exhibits the same anxious desire to please her, and is often heard gaily carolling from dawn of day till far into the night. "The song," says Mudie, "is hurried but varied, not so much in the single stave as in its having several of them, which would lead one to imagine that there were several birds. It sings in the throat, and gives a sort of guttural twist to all it utters." At times, in his excitement, he rises rapidly into the air, and, after hovering for a few moments with wings raised high above the body, slowly descends or drops, like a stone, to the spot whence he ascended. At this period of the year, not only the manner of flight, but the whole nature of the male bird seems changed, and he exhibits a fearlessness that contrasts strangely with his usual cautious and timid demeanour. Like other members of this family, the Sedge Warbler subsists principally upon insects, and occasionally devours various kinds of berries. The nest, which is placed amongst clumps of sedge, grass, or rushes, on marshy ground, at not more than a foot and a half from its surface, is firmly suspended to the surrounding stalks, and formed of hay, stubble, roots, and green moss, woven thickly and firmly together, and lined with horsehair, feathers, and delicate blades of grass. The eggs, from four to six in number, are of a dirty white, more or less shaded with green, and spotted and streaked or marbled with brownish grey. Both parents assist in the labour of incubation, and hatch the young in about thirteen days, if undisturbed; but, if molested, they frequently desert the nest, and at once commence preparations for another brood. At first, the female alone appears to feel solicitude or care for her eggs, her mate usually amusing himself until they are hatched, by singing and fluttering about throughout the entire day, and exhibiting no distress, even should both mother and brood be removed or destroyed. No sooner, however, have the nestlings left the shell than his interest is awakened, and he tends and protects them with anxious care. The young quit the nest as soon as they are fledged, and run like mice about the surrounding stalks, until they are strong enough to fly.

"The Sedge Warbler," says Mr. Yarrell, "is a summer visitor to this country, arriving in April and leaving again in September, but on one occasion a single specimen was observed near High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, in winter. Immediately on its arrival it takes to thick cover by the water-side, and is much more frequently heard than seen; though it may occasionally be observed flitting on the uppermost twigs of the willows it inhabits, giving rapid utterance to a succession of notes as it flies from one branch to another. White, of Selborne, appears to have first made Pennant acquainted with this species, and, with his usual acuteness, detailed the habits of the bird, particularly remarking its power of imitating the notes of other birds and its singing at night. The observations of others in various localities have confirmed the accuracy of his remarks, and the Sedge Warbler, in the situations it frequents, may be heard throughout the day, and frequently during a summer night, imitating the notes of various birds in a somewhat confused and hurried manner; and should he desist for a few minutes' rest, it is only necessary to throw a stone or clod of dirt among the bushes--he will immediately commence a series of repetitions, but seldom quits his covered retreat." "The marshy banks of the Thames, on either side of the river, where beds of reeds or willows abound," continues the same accurate writer, "are well stocked with this bird; although, from the wet and muddy nature of the ground, they are not very easy to get at. In the southern and western counties it occurs in Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, Cornwall, and in Wales; and is a summer visitor to the north of Ireland. It occurs also in the marshes of Essex, in Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Lancashire, and was traced by Mr. Selby, in Sutherlandshire, to the northern extremity of the island; it was found pretty generally distributed along the margins of the lochs, particularly where low birchen coppice and reedy grass abounded. The well-known babbling notes of this wakeful little songster proclaimed its presence in many unexpected situations."

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The GRASSHOPPER WARBLERS (_Locustella_) constitute a group presenting the following characteristics:--Their slender body is much deeper than it is broad; the awl-shaped beak, wide at its base; the foot of moderate height, and toes long; the wings, in which the second and third quills exceed the rest in length, are short and rounded; the tail is broad, of medium size, graduated at its extremity, and the feathers are of unusual length. The rest of the plumage is soft and delicate, usually of a brownish green above, with dark spots on the back and upper part of the breast. The voice of these birds is very remarkable, the sounds they produce being very similar to the chirping notes of the cricket or grasshopper. All frequent localities overgrown with grass or plants, and differ as to their habits in many essential particulars from other members of the family.

THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.

The GRASSHOPPER WARBLER (_Locustella certhiola_ or _L. Rayii_) is from four inches and three-quarters to five inches and a half long, and from seven and a half to eight broad; the wing measures two inches and a half, and the tail from one inch and five-sixths to two inches. Upon the upper part of the body the plumage is olive grey or yellowish brown, decorated with oval brownish-black spots; the throat is white, the upper breast reddish yellow spotted with dark grey, the belly whitish or yellowish white, somewhat deeper in hue at its sides; the lower tail-covers white, with light brown spots upon the shafts; the quills are blackish brown, with narrow yellowish-grey edges, which increase in breadth towards the roots; the tail-feathers are of a deep greenish brown, striped with a darker shade and surrounded by a light border; the eye is greyish brown, the beak horn grey, and the foot light red. After the moulting season the under side is yellower than before. In the young the breast is unspotted.

The Grasshopper Warbler is found throughout Central Europe and Central Asia. In England it arrives about April and departs in September, and during the course of its migrations wanders as far as China. Unlike most of its congeners, this bird does not confine itself to any particular situation, but occupies fields and woodland districts as frequently as marshy tracts or brushwood. Everywhere, however, it seeks the shelter of the densest foliage of the bushes, or creeps about close to the ground beneath the overspreading leaves of plants growing by the water-side. In both these situations it displays the utmost activity in evading pursuit; if alarmed, the tail is brandished aloft, and the drooping wings agitated from time to time; upon the ground it runs with ease, keeping the neck outstretched forward, and the hinder portion of the body constantly in motion. Its flight is rapid, light, and very irregular.

"Nothing can be more amusing," says Gilbert White, "than the whisper of this little bird, which seems close by, though at a hundred yards' distance; and when close to your ear is scarce louder than when a great way off. Had I not been acquainted with insects, and known that the grasshopper kind is not yet hatched, I should have hardly believed but that it had been a _Locusta_ whispering in the bushes. The country people laugh at you when you tell them that it is the note of a bird. It is a most artful creature, skulking in the thickest part of a bush, and will sing at a yard's distance, provided it be concealed. I was obliged to get a person to go on the other side of a hedge where it haunted, and then it would run creeping like a mouse before us for a hundred yards together, through the bottom of the thorns, yet it would not come into fair sight; but in a morning early, and when undisturbed, it sings on the top of a twig, gaping and shivering with its wings."

The food of this species varies somewhat with the situation it occupies, but is always of the same description as that employed by the other members of the family. The nest, which is most carefully concealed in a great diversity of situations, is neatly formed of green moss, or similar materials, lined with fibres and horsehair. The eggs, from three to six in number, are of a dull white or pale rose red, marked with reddish or brownish spots, strewn most thickly over the broad end, and forming occasionally a slight wreath. It is probable that both parents assist in the process of incubation. In some seasons the Grasshopper Warbler produces two broods, the first at the beginning of May and the second at the end of June.

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The BUSH WARBLERS (_Drymoicæ_) constitute a very extensive group, closely allied to those above described. They are of small size, with short, rounded wings, comparatively slender and more or less graduated tail, and moderately large and powerful feet. The beak is of medium length, compressed at its sides, slightly curved along the culmen; the plumage is usually of sombre appearance. Various members of this group inhabit all parts of the world, and alike frequent low brushwood, shrubs, reeds, long grass, or beds of rushes. In all these situations they display extraordinary agility, but their powers of flight are, without exception, feeble and clumsy. In disposition they are sprightly, and very noisy, although almost invariably without vocal talent. Beetles, worms, snails, and grubs constitute their principal means of support. Their nests are always remarkable for their great beauty, some species exhibiting great artistic skill in their manner of _weaving_ their materials together, while the most famous members of the group, the wonderful "Tailor Birds," literally sew leaves to each other, and employ them to enclose the actual nest, or bed for the young.

THE PINC-PINC.