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NESTING HABITS OBSERVED ABROAD OF SOME 

 RARE BRITISH BIRDS. 



BY 



F. C. SELOUS. 



Bird's-Nesting was always one of the chief delights of 

 my boyhood, so when, some ten years ago, I settled down 

 in this country — comparatively speaking- — after having 

 spent a quarter of a century of my life in the interior of 

 South Africa, I naturally turned for occupation and 

 recreation to my old hobby. 



Finding, however, that a large proportion of the birds 

 on the British List never bred in any part of the British 

 Isles, or had become very rare through jjersecution or the 

 encroachments of civilization upon their breeding haunts, 

 I determined to make a collection of the eggs of 

 Palsearctic birds, which relieved me from all temptation 

 to harry reall}^ scarce and vanishing species in this 

 country. 



I want to see the nests and take tlie eggs with my own 

 hands of as many species of European birds as possible ; 

 but I value the Kite's eggs I have taken in Spain quite as 

 much as if I had taken them in England or Wales. 



During the last few years I have made several bird's- 

 nesting trips to Asia Minor, Hungary, Spain and Bosnia, 

 and in the course of these excursions have taken the nests 

 of a good many species of birds which, though they are 

 on the British List, never, or very rarely, breed in any part 

 of Great Britain. I trust, therefore, that the following 

 notes on the nesting habits of some of these birds may 

 prove of interest to readers of British Birds. 



Orphean Warbler. 

 Sylvia orphea, Temm. 

 This bird is a very common nesting species on aU the 



