PROVENCE FURZELING. 385 



with us by Montagu, \s'ho gives the following account of his 

 observations. 



" My opinion that this species of Warbler bred with us, was 

 greatly strengthened by a letter which I had the pleasure of 

 receiving from a scientific friend in Cornwall, well known in 

 the literary world, Mr Stackhouse of Pendarvis, who assured 

 me, that his brother had observed these birds for several years 

 to inhabit furze, near Truro ; and that he had not only seen 

 them every month in the year, but had observed young ones 

 soon after they had left the nest, though his search for the nest 

 and ewgs had been in vain. 



" This information redoubled, if possible, my ardour, and 

 I visited a large furze common in my neighbourhood, where I 

 had seen several the preceding autumn ; and upon close search 

 on the 16th of July, three pairs of old birds were observed, two 

 of which had young evidently by their extreme clamour, and 

 by frequently appearing with food in their bills. On the l7th 

 my researches were renewed, and after three hours watching 

 the motions of another pair, I discovered the nest with three 

 young. It was placed amongst the dead branches of the thick- 

 est furze, about two feet from the ground, slightly fastened 

 between the main stems, not in a fork. On the same day, a 

 pair were observed to be busied in carrying materials for build- 

 ing ; and by concealing myself in the bushes, I soon discovered 

 the place of nidification, and upon examination, found the nest 

 was just begun. As early as the 19th the nest appeared to be 

 finished ; but it possessed only one egg on the 21st, and on the 

 26th it contained four, when the nest and eggs were secured, 



" The nest is composed of dry vegetable stalks, particularly 

 goose-grass, mixed with the tender dead branches of furze, not 

 sufficiently hardened to become prickly; these are put together 

 in a very loose manner, and intermixed very sparingly with 

 wool. In one of the nests was a single partridge's feather. The 

 lining is equally sj^aring, for it consists only of a few dry stalks 

 of carex, without a single leaf of the plant, and only two or 

 three of the panicles. This thin flimsy structure, which the 

 eye pervades in all parts, much resembles the nest of the White- 

 throat. The eggs are also somewhat similar to those of Syl- 



VOL. II. V. (J 



