Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 1 of 9.djvu/27

 some at this period, after they have reared their young, begin to wander, and can be heard singing even in the middle of the cornfields.

Towards the middle of July, while watching them in osier-beds, where they happened to be very plentiful. I have noticed curious commotions, the origin of which I have not been able to satisfactorily explain. As many as eight or nine collect together, some adult, some immature, the adults apparently very angry, scolding vigorously, their feathers ruffled and their tails spread out; the onlookers also join in the scolding, the commotion being quite unusual for bird-life. So absorbed have they sometimes been that I have crept into the middle of them before they have noticed me, when they have reluctantly dispersed. I once found an empty nest from which the young may have been taken, but there were no dead bodies round it to show that a tragedy had occurred; and it is generally the case, when a rat or a weasel has attacked and destroyed the young, that the bodies lie round or perhaps even remain in the nest, with no sign of ill-usage on them except two small punctures at the junction of the head and neck, indicating the marks of the teeth, the blood having evidently been sucked. Hitherto, I have seen these scolding parties in July only, but it is quite likely that they may be of frequent occurrence at other times.

On his arrival in this country the male sings at all hours of the day, especially in the morning, frequently at night, and continues until pairing is over and incubation commenced, when to a great extent he ceases, but recommences after the young have flown. His song is loud, cheerful and babbling, sometimes harsh, and perhaps might be described as lacking education. He has also considerable powers of mimicry, the call-notes and parts of the song of different species being often introduced. This mimicry will be heard more frequently when any commotion is going on amongst the bird-life around, owing, no doubt, to the alarm-notes of the different species engaged in it being then more pronounced.