The Oo/ogisis' Record, /line i, 1921. 27 



have quite a purplish tinge caused by the colour of the yolk showing 

 through the shell. I have never seen the spots and markings as 

 a ring formation. 



Now as to numbers — I never found a clutch of five eggs — 

 but found eight nests of four eggs, though three was the normal 

 clutch, while late in the season sets of two were quite common. 



The majority of nests found in the week, i8th to 25th May, 

 contained eggs in an advanced state of incubation. From the above 

 data I think it is fairly clear that in Palestine this Warbler is 

 quite common as a breeding bird, that is, if one knows where to look 

 for it. 



The whole of my observations were made in a few large eucalyptus 

 groves, some small almond and orange groves and a rather confined 

 marshy area. All my nests were found in the low-hdng coastal 

 plain not many miles from Jaffa, and during the season 1920. 

 In 1918, I found no nests in the Judean Hills during the month of 

 June, although a few pairs of these Warblers were evidently breeding 

 in the gardens in the valleys 10-12 miles north-west of Jerusalem — 

 and later on in July I found some old nests, some empty, and some 

 containing stale eggs, in the orange groves and marshy cover not 

 far from Jaffa. As I have only imperfect data with regard to the 

 arrival and departure of this species, which is of course a summer 

 visitor, I cannot with accuracy fix any dates, but these have been 

 noted in the " Ibis " of January, 1920, by Col. Meinertzhagen, 

 From my observations I have concluded that usually this bird only 

 brings up one brood in the year. I did not measure any of my eggs 

 or nests during the 1920 season — but a couple of eggs taken, in 

 July, 1918, near Jaffa were : — 



72" X -53' 



i:-} 



73 X -53 J '^"-^ "" '^^ 



The nest measurements were 2\" X 2" x i|" (all taken intern- 

 ally). 



Cisticola cisiicola cisticola. 



The first point I would like to note about this species is the 

 very inadequate description of its nests given in the majority of 

 text books and which in many cases is quite misleading. Take, 

 for example, " Its typical purse-shaped nest " as one writer sets 

 down — that is not going to carry one very far — or else, " A neat, 

 deep, purse-shaped structure with the opening at the top," 



