Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 1 of 9.djvu/73

 it continues at frequent intervals to attract your attention it will make you wonder whether it may not after all be something more than an insect, and your suspicion is well founded. It was, indeed, some time before it dawned upon me that the owner of the voice might be a young Grasshopper- Warbler, for no tinier sound could come from the throat of any bird out of the nest. And now how to find him? Often have I searched in vain; in gorse it is well-nigh hopeless and best avoided, in osier-beds and waste swampy ground patience only is required to crown one's efforts with success.

Crawling amongst the long tangled undergrowth into the middle of hazel bushes, where the foliage is so dense that light can scarcely penetrate. I attempt to follow the sound. Each time on hearing the squeak I crawl a little closer until quite certain that the little bird is within a few inches of my face, but quite uncertain whether to the right or left or straight in front of me; still, by waiting, and with head inclined first one way then another, noting the direction the sound appears to come from. I make up my mind as to the exact spot, divide the undergrowth with the greatest care, and am amazed to hear the squeak come from exactly behind me. If this is not ventriloquism I know not what else to call it; it is an even more effective deception than the adult birds are capable of. At this age the young have very few feathers, and their naturally long legs give them a rather clumsy appearance, but in reality they are capable of running quite fast, and to this fact, until an opportunity occurred of studying them more closely. I was inclined to partly attribute their ventriloquism; for when unconscious of being watched, they stand huddled up on the ground, their heads drawn close into their bodies, wings drooping, feathers loose and eyes half closed, and off and on they raise their heads for a moment, open their beaks and utter their little squeak, turning their head in expectation of food first one way then another, apparently unconscious of the ventriloquistic effect produced. The parent birds sometimes show very little solicitude for