46 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX. 



and river-banks ; in short, wherever reeds were to 

 be found ; but the last few vears I have become more 

 intimate with it in quite another aspect, namelj^ so 

 near London as Hampstead, where I have a garden 

 far away from water in an}^ shape, and bordered on 

 two sides by a high road ; yet here, for some years, 

 it has not failed to appear about the middle of May, 

 much later than the arrival of our common War- 

 blers, and for the last three years a pair have bred 

 in the garden, — the first year in a Corcorus, — the 

 nest, as in reeds, being firmly attached to three 

 stems ; the last two seasons in a lilac, in the same 

 manner. The lilac is close to my hall-door, and 

 neither tlie noise of children or dogs disturbed 

 them in their labours, and the male sang cheerily 

 through the day, invariably accompanying the female 

 in her search for materials for the nest ; but never, 

 that we could see, assisting her in actually carrying 

 such matters, or in constructing the nest itself. 

 They were so far from exhibiting any shyness in 

 their habits, that they rambled over the standard 

 roses, and were constant visitors to the balcony of a 

 Venetian window which was full of plants, and near 

 which some of us were usually sitting. These nests 

 were fastened and held together by any little bits of 

 twine, and thread, or hair, that they could pick up 

 in the vicinity of the house. Mr. Bond suggested, 

 the other day, tliat we might have two species of 

 bird at present under this name, but the eggs were 



