Ef/(/-collecting in Asia Minor. 417 



been laid by Egrets or Herons, which were everywhere very 

 much in evidence. Numbers of Great Reed-Warblers 

 {Acrocej)halus turdoides) were uttering their harsh grating 

 notes, just wdthin the edge of the cane-brake, but we could 

 find none of their nests, and I fancy that they too had not 

 yet commenced to buikl. 



I now felt pretty certain that the Herons were nesting 

 somewhere in the middle of the great cane-brake, as there 

 were said to be no trees of any kind growing in any part of the 

 marsh, and on watching the birds I presently saw a Night- 

 Heron with a reed in its bill. I watched it flying over the high 

 flowering reeds until it disappeared in the distance. In a 

 few minutes I saw another Night Heron flying in the same 

 direction, also with a reed in its bill, so we determined to ride 

 round the edge of the marsh to a point of high ground from 

 which we thought we would be able to see exactly where these 

 birds, which were evidently building their nests, were settling. 

 It was about 1 o'clock and most intensely hot when we 

 reached the point we were making for, a piece of rising- 

 ground close to the ruins of the old Greek city of Pergamos, 

 lying in an angle between the marsh and a bend of the 

 Meander. Here we saw a specimen of that very handsome 

 bird the Smyrnau Kingfisher [Halcyon smyrnensis) , and here, 

 too, we found an encampment of gipsies, who, being fishermen, 

 possessed a small flat-bottomed boat. These people said 

 they knew where the Herons and Egrets were breeding, 

 but protested that it was impossible to get there with their 

 boat, as the reeds were so thick. They also said that a pair 

 of Swans nested in the reed-bed, and had already got young 

 ones ; these Swans which nest in Asia Minor are wild 

 Mute Swans (Cygnus olor). With a great deal of persuasion 

 we at last induced two strong young gipsies to make the 



attempt to take Mr. B. H and myself into the reed-bed. 



At first they punted the boat rapidly along through light 

 reeds, which, however, gradually became denser, until, when 

 we presently got into the big cane-brake, our progress 

 became very slow, and we were often able to advance at 

 all only by getting into the water, which was about four 



