id ASN yn Z LARA SNe Ss £ Pe By

LUSCINIOPstg LUSCINIOIDES.

my
Savi’s Warbler
Sylvia luscinioides, Savi, Orn. Tose., tom. j p. 270
Salicaria luscinioides, Keys. & Blas. Wirbelt. Eur
Calamodyta lusciniodes, G. R. Gy
Pseudo-luscinia Savii, Bonap. G

» p. 53.
ay, Gen. of Birds, vol. i,

P. 172, Calamodyta, sp, 18
Cog. and Comp. List of Bi Ne

rds of Eur. and N. AMID. JO, 12,

ee

Bur a few years ago the great fens of Can

rbridge and Huntino 1
ey g itingdon shires formed a
rare British bird doubtles 1 :

s took up 1ts summer quarters as re
do over wider areas in our island

asylum in which this
gularly as the Sedge- and Reed-Warblers now
; ; but the drainage of those districts has rendere
habits of the bird that the time is probably not far distant when it will no longer resort to them. It is for
the like reason that the Ruff, formerly so abundant in those parts of the ectis and in Li al 3] a ‘
longer breeds there, and that the sight of a Bittern therein has become a rarity, fields fale anaes
as uncongenial to them as they are to the beautiful Copper Butterfly (nee dee) formerly gs

numerous in those counties. With these prefatory remarks, I shall here transcribe the account oiven ee
species in Mr. Stevenson’s ‘ Birds of Norfolk,’ as it is by far the most perfect th é .

d them so unsuited to the
1g corn being

at has yet been published.

* At least six well-authenticated specimens of this rare British Warbler are now

ascertained to have been procur
. or o . . : d ed
in Norfolk, of which the first, though long overlooked, was for m

| | any years the only one known to science. It was
obtained by the late Rev. James Brown, at Limpenhoe, in the early part of the present century
?

of May; and the following interesting account of it was kindly sent me by Mr. Brown, in 1856
I had received one from Surlingham Broad. He says, ‘Its singular note had been observe

during the month
, on his hearing that

d at Limpenhoe by Si;
Wm. Hooker, myself, and another ornithological friend, whilst investigating the natural history a that a
but for a considerable time not a sight of the bird could be obtained. We called it the reel bird, on account of the
resemblance of its monotonous note to the continuous w hirr of the reel, at that time used by the hand spinners of
wool. At length it was discovered uttering its singular song (if so it may be called) from the top of an alder bush
that grew in the midst of a large patch of sedge, into which it fell like a stone as soon as it was approached. After,
however, much patience and caution, it again reascended the alder and was shot. It js a very shy bird, and in its
habits seems to resemble the Grasshopper Warbler, creeping among the sedge in search probably of insects and
mollusks. It was submitted to the inspection of the celebrated ornithologist, Temminck, whilst he was in London
at the sale of Mr. Bullock’s museum. He was puzzled, and requested permission to take it with him to the conti-
nent, to compare it with specimens in his own splendid collection. We returned it with his Opinion that it was a
variety of the Reed-Wren; and as such it is noticed in their ‘ Catalogue’ by Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear.
Another specimen, procured for me at Strumpshaw by a marshman of the name of Waters, I presented to my
friend, Edward Lombe, Esq., in whose splendid collection of British birds it probably may be found, under
Temminck’s nomenclature, as the Reed-Wren, or as Sylvia luscinioides.’

“In the summer of 1843, two examples of this bird were shot at South Walsham, one of which was presented
by Mr. J. H. Gurney to the Norwich museum, the other to the late Mr. T. C. Heysham om Carlisle, ne was
anxious to possess a British specimen of this rare warbler ; but on the sale el ao ae s See in 1859,
this bird was also procured for the museum by Mr. Gurney, and, together with its co from South Walsham
and the Limpenhoe specimen, forms a highly interesting group. ‘That the oe med specimens ae Byme means
all that have been heard or even killed in that district, I have very recently eee from a communication kindly
made to me by the Rev. H. T. Frere, of Burston, who possesses an example from that locality, and says, ‘ Others
have been heard there since. Specimens were sent from thence by the late Mr. W. K. Jary, years ago, before the
species was recognized by Savi; and no particular notice was ae ‘ ‘all ee ine eee
by the British Museum authorities. It is known as tine Red ere oo i ‘i is ie e a cant
that Mr. Frere’s bird was procured about the same time as the ae pair, - Be a e his species,

5 see - thirteen years, is the specimen now in my collection from Surlingham, which Was shot on the
weber 3, - : 5 t of the actions of this Warbler agrees very nearly with the remarks
7th of June, 1856. ‘The anes ave ‘ ae s ee so little known is worthy of record, I give it as taken down
of Mr. Brown; but as oe eae - Ss} fe en all night, he first heard the bird ‘ noising ’ about nine
at the time in my note-book. Being engagec ve eyed " eorel his boat running up and down the dead reed-stems,
o’clock in the evening, on the ae of fee a ee in the morning, Fle {Hen fennel ore tran mt
pone Lops orice ame Ln thouch more restless and calling incessantly. Soon after this the
Peo oume ea oye : 7 ed ee and remained silent among the thick sedges. Up to this
wind began to stir ee ang i a eee aise the note seemed unusually loud and clear; and
time he had imagined it to be a Ore aOD ‘d Hae eine On the following evening, at eight o’clock,
like them it kept moving its head Hen ae i . Ef i one ee a of the Grasshopper Warblers were singing at
the bird was still in the sane place calling oe cea vofee, Aw soon as head chou Chem an) amines
he distinguished at once a e oe -ying that it remained so long in one spot, made every search
para ecren tf any De Pee een a ae ago, he assures me, there were several SO of pas
for a nest, but could find no trace of one. ee ene from his descripion, might be either
on the broad with similar notes, and he then found a ne: $&

the same time,

“alter. Imp