The Oo} ovists' Record, June i, 192 i. 



hatched young, and a new nest containing one fresh egg. There 

 was no mistaking the nests, eggs and birds, which were all totally 

 different to those of the Olivaceous Warbler which also bred rather 

 freely in this same small area. Even then I did ncjt realise h(jw 

 common these birds were in quite an extensive and suitable locality 

 and in addition could not spare much time for searching for their 

 nests. 



For breeding purposes they preferred small reed beds and tiny 

 patches of dense cover over running water, and I never found 

 nests in very extensive cover or in large marsh}' areas. All nests 

 were firmly woven to reed or peppermint stems, or else to the straight 

 stem of a tall aquatic plant with a pinkish flower— -in this latter 

 type of cover I have found nests as much as 6 feet above the ground 

 though 4 or 5 feet was the usual height — and more rarely a nest was 

 placed as low as 3 feet. 



Searching for these nests was often full of incident as the thick 

 cover through which we wearily forced a passage abounded with 

 the small open comb-nests of a species of tiny wasp, which did not 

 hesitate to attack the unwelcome intruder, and I have often been 

 badly stung on the face by these infuriated little warriors in the 

 black and yellow jackets — and afterwards suffered from their effects 

 for days ! More eggs were found on the 19th June (fresh), 28th 

 June (fresh), 4th July (full fledged young), several nests on the i8th 

 July, in all stages of incubation from fresh eggs to young about to 

 fly, fresh eggs on the 22nd July ; several nests in all stages of 

 incubation on the 24th July, and eggs in an advanced state of 

 incubatnon on the ist August, ^besides which a great many old nests 

 were found during this period as well as several broods of young 

 ones seen, which were strong on the wing. The normal clutch of 

 eggs was three — only in one case did I come across a clutch of four, 

 and that was on the i8th July, when a nest contained three full- 

 fledged young and one unfertile egg which I took and successfully 

 cleaned, and I am still inclined to believe that it may have been 

 an odd egg, not belonging to the fertile clutch of three. I am 

 quite sure that two broods are hatched out in the ordinary course 

 of events, but these birds have much to contend with, as, at the 

 end of July or in early August, most of their favourite reedv 

 patches are cut down by the local Arabs while a snake or lizard 

 seems to prey on their eggs a good deal. At any rate clutches of 

 eggs that I have watched, hoping for a fourth t^^'g to be produced 



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