Days'' Nesting in Andalucia. 71 



CjSTICOLA CURSITANS. 



Found commonly in all suitable localities. On April 14th 

 we took four beautiful little nests and found another with 

 the eggs just hatching. These were all in spear-rushes 

 about 2 feet from the ground, and were formed of several 

 stems fastened together with spiders' webs and interwoven 

 with fine grass ; they were 3 or 4 inches deep, drawn together 

 slightly at the top and rounded off. They were lined with 

 dandelion- and other flower-down, and were exceedingly 

 difficult to find. Two broods may possibly be reared in the 

 season, as nests are often found when cutting barley at 

 the end of May, and I saw one on May 5th with nearly fresh 

 eggs. These are subject to the most extraordinary variation 

 in colour : — 



1. Pour fresh eggs, light blue, fine red lines 



and dots all over them. 



2. Six fresh eggs ; red spots on white ground. 



3. Six fresh eggs ; all white. ^ 



4. Six much incubated eggs : all blue. ( . -,,,,, 



1 • /. 1 . 1 • > April 14th. 



5. lour eggs on the point or hatchmg ; i 



lighter blue. ' 



6. Four fresh eggs ; white, fine red lines. April 16th. 



7. Five slightly incubated eggs ; very pale blue. May 5th. 



Parus major. 



Common; nests found with fresh eggs, April 17th to 

 29 th. 



MOTACILLA FI.AVA. 



Common, especially on the marismas. Fresh eggs were 

 found on May 5th and young birds on May 7th, so laying 

 is rather irregular. All the nests that I saw contained five 

 or six eggs ; they were built in scrub, near, but not quite 

 on, the ground. 



Lanius meridioxalis. 



Very local; an early breeder. On April 15th I found a 

 nest with young just ready to fiy, and was told of another 

 from which full-fledged young had been taken three weeks 

 before. On the same day we saw some with three fresh 



