356 Major W. M. Congreve : Ornithological and [Ibis, 



Acrocephalus palustris. Marsh- Warbler. 

 Common iu both districts. The first pair was noted on 

 20 May. In all, nine nests were found at different times. 

 The most common situations in the river-mouth district 

 were in reed-filled ditches and spinneys. Four nests M'ere 

 suspended on an average two feet from the ground in 

 dead reeds up which bindweed was growing, and in one 

 case privet as well. Another nest was in willow-herb. 

 Several pairs nested on the high ground well above the 

 valley, and nowhere near water, in a very well-grown patch 

 of rye bordering the Avriter^s camp. One nest was located 

 in this patch by standing on a box and thus getting the 

 necessary height to look down on the rye, which was quite 

 two feet six inches high. The old birds would periodically 

 pop out, carrying long pieces of dead stalk. They M'ould 

 dodge along near the top of the rye and then dive in near 

 the nest, which by careful marking was eventually found. 

 It was suspended in a mustard plant about one foot from 

 the ground. This nest was most clumsily made of dead 

 rye-grass reduced to the consistency of ordinary straw. 

 The nest was subsequently beaten down to the ground by 

 a tremendous hail-storm, but a parent-bird nevertheless 

 valiantly continued to sit on three eggs (possibly a fourth 

 was destroyed) although the nest was actually on the 

 ground. 



In the Peronne district a colony of perhaps ten pairs was 

 found breeding in dense high nettles growing in a marshy 

 hollow in which willows and alders also grew. The nests 

 found were suspended on three nettle stalks at from 

 eighteen inches to two feet from the ground. 



The dates on which eggs were found were as follows : — 

 RivER-MouTH District : 

 June 9. (5) fresh. 



11. (5) considerably incubated. 



16. (5) incubation slight. 



16. (4) ditto. 



20. (3) ditto. 



21. (4) considerably incubated. 



