The Reed-Warbler. 109 



I should reach their nests which I knew must be built at the time, although 

 none were visible from the bank. 



Mr. Bennett now came to the rescue with a long ladder, which he dropped 

 across the reed-bed, the foot remaining upon the bank, and the top floating upon 

 the water, and partly supported by the broken-down plants. Upon this, grasping 

 bundles of reeds on either side, I was able to walk out for some distance, looking 

 right and left for nests as I went; and, at the first essay I caught sight of a nest 

 about six feet aM'ay to the left. 



Walking out on the ruugs of a ladder, and depending for one's balance upon 

 flexible stems, whilst with every step the water rises an inch or two higher over 

 one's boots, is not the most enviable pastime ; although the slight discomfort is 

 more than atoned for, by the sight of the first nest of a species not hitherto met 

 with: the difliculty of this mode of progression is, however, by no means so great 

 as one would imagine ; but, when the nest is discovered, and it is necessary to 

 turn round and retrace one's steps, the task is by no means so easy. 



Having noted the exact spot where my nest was situated, a second throw of 

 the ladder soon brought me within reach of it; to my delight the clutch included 

 a Cuckoo's egg, but unhappil}^ so much incubated that I made but a poor job of 

 preparing that nest for my collection ; however, I still have it. I obtained several 

 other nests with fresh eggs in the course of the morning ; but I have never since 

 adopted the same method for securing nests of the Reed- Warbler. 



In Kent the birds are extremely common in the dykes, but the nests most 

 difficult to find ; indeed it is no uncommon thing to work carefully along half a 

 mile of dyke, hearing the weak and monotonoiis song the whole time and turning 

 aside the reeds with a long stick continuously, yet not finding a single nest ; 

 shortly afterwards, on reaching a reedy duck pond, with an old wooden box for 

 a boat, and a pole to scull it withal, one finds the nests easily enough. In the 

 reeds bordering the Norfolk broads there is no difficulty in obtaining nests, if one 

 rows close along the outer edge of the reed-belt ; also in the narrow dykes 

 running into some of the broads they may be found. 



The nest is a strongly constructed, deep cup, formed of dry grasses and bents, 

 or the flowering tops of the reeds, with sometimes a little moss and plenty of 

 cobweb ; the cup being lined internally with fine grassy fibre or horsehair. 



The nests obtained by Mr. Salter were uniisually large and compact, formed 

 of carefully selected stout grasses interwoven with some woolly substance (appar- 

 ently vegetable), and externally swathed tightl}^ with stronger grasses : the first 

 sent to me contained four eggs, somewhat larger and more boldly marked than 

 most eggs of this species. I wrote to Mr. Salter asking him to try and discover 



