lo Coward, Fannal Stirvey of Rostherne Mere. 



which frequent, and in many cases feed upon the water- 

 side vegetation. 



For a similar reason, 

 Acrocephalus strepe7-2is {W\e\\\ot). it might be argued 



that we ought to 

 include two of the genus Phylloscopus, the Chiffchafif and 

 Willow Warbler, but their visits to the aquatic vegetation 

 are so infrequent that we can look upon them as more or 

 less accidental ; most of their food is obtained amongst 

 the trees and bushes further from and beyond the direct in- 

 fluence of the water. On the other hand, the Reed Warbler 

 is pre-eminently a bird of the reed-beds, nesting and 

 feeding amongst them and seldom wandering far from 

 their shelter. It usually reaches Cheshire towards the end 

 of April or very early in May, but it is not always in a hurry 

 to build its suspended nest, and often both eggs and 

 young birds may be found at the end of June. The bird, 

 as a rule, selects the young reeds for support for its nest ; 

 it weaves the structure round two or three stems. It is 

 an exceptionally deep nest, so that there is small chance 

 of eggs or young being thrown out should wind sway the 

 pliant reeds. In 191 3 the reeds were late in growing, and 

 one bird, at any rate, built its nest on the old reeds and 

 succeeded in bringing off its young in safety. Another 

 nested in raspberry canes and brambles, a few feet from 

 the edge of the reeds, whilst others again were singing in 

 the covert at some distance from the water's edge. 



The Sedge 

 Acrocephalus schoenobaenus{\.mx\diQ\\?,). Warbler is per- 

 haps as plentiful 

 at Rostherne as the Reed Warbler, but it nests in the 

 osier beds, or in the zone of semi-marsh vegetation behind 

 the reeds. It is, however, constantly in the reeds and the 

 food of both species largely consists of insects which, as 



