ii6 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



this bird, taken near Taunton, which I had the pleasure 

 of examining some years ago, was built round stems of 

 the greater willow herb and nettles, about twelve inches 

 from the ground ; the other was about three feet from 

 the ground, and supported by stems of figvvort and 

 nettles. The nests of the Marsh Warbler, although 

 suspended, as is the case with that of the Reed Warbler, 

 are never placed over water, and sometimes at a con- 

 siderable distance from open water of any kind. The 

 two nests in question were made almost completely of 

 round, dry grass-stalks, with a few dry grass-leaves and 

 bits of downy fibre and moss intermixed, one sparingly, 

 the other profusely lined with black horsehair, coming 

 right up to the rim. They are rather deep, the cup 

 being beautifully rounded and finished. If the first nest 

 is taken, another will soon be made, and this has been 

 repeated three times in succession. During the nesting 

 season the parent birds are remarkably wary and shy, 

 the sitting bird slipping quietly off the eggs when 

 disturbed, and hiding in the surrounding vegetation. 

 Although not social during the breeding season several 

 nests may be found within a comparatively small area 

 of suitable ground. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Marsh Warbler are from four to seven 

 in number, and may be divided into several well-marked 

 types. One type has a greenish-blue ground colour, 

 sparingly spotted and blotched with olive-brown, and 

 with numerous underlying markings of violet-gray ; on 

 this type most of the blotches have a darker brown 

 central spot upon them. Another is paler (greenish- 

 white) in ground colour, heavily mottled, clouded, 

 blotched, and spotted with olive-brown, intermingled 

 with a few dark specks, and with the underlying mark- 

 ings few and small. On both types most of the mark- 



