SEDGE-WARBLER
followed closely by the male, who never makes the slightest effort to help her, but, whether she be on the willow tugging at the seeds or actually building, sits close beside her, and in the same manner flies within a few feet of her on her journeys backwards and forwards.
The young are hatched as a rule about the middle of June, but the date varies considerably; I have found them as early as the first week of that month, and first broods as late as the first week in July. When the young are hatched the parent birds will allow you, if well concealed, to watch their domestic arrangements very closely. Peering through the sedges within a few feet of the nest, I have frequently watched them feeding their young, and cleaning their nest. The female at this time is less suspicious than the male. She it is who seems to be aware of the necessity of a constant supply of food to the nestlings; the male in this respect not working nearly so hard, and when suspicious only occasionally, and that very hurriedly, bringing a small billful of insects: the greater part of his time appears to be spent in keeping guard. The female, on the other hand, feeds her brood continually, every few minutes coming to the nest with a large billful of insects, which she distributes amongst some of the young. When startled she will sing a few notes of the song of the male, but will on no account drop the food she may be holding at the time. I have startled her in many ways, even going so far as to touch her with a stick, in order to make her drop the insects that I might be able to see to what species they belonged, but in no case have I been successful. The fæces, enclosed in a membranous sac, is carried away by the female each time after bringing food, and is dropped twenty or thirty yards from the nest; occasionally, but not as frequently as amongst other species, it is swallowed by her. The young leave the nest when about ten days old, and until able to fly keep well hidden amongst the undergrowth, occasionally uttering their very small call-note, which is answered by the parent birds, and enables them to keep in touch with their scattered offspring.
9
