BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 89 



it and the ear-coverts, and becoming narrower, runs 

 down the side of the neck for some distance. 

 Cheeks and sides of neck reddish-brown, inter- 

 spersed with fine lines of white pointing down- 

 wards. Chin black ; throat and breast dark brown, 

 marked with short, semicircular lines of light brown. 

 Belly white : sides and flanks crossed with wavy 

 black lines, which terminate towards the vent in 

 two wide bands. Vent and under tail-coverts 

 mottled with dusky-black. Legs, toes, and webs 

 greyish-brown. 



The female differs considerably from the male. 

 She is smaller in size ; her head is brown, marked 

 with lines and spots of a darker tinge ; back and 

 wing feathers closest thereto dark brown, bordered 

 with rusty brown, and tipped with white ; wing- 

 coverts greyish-brown, and green patch on wing 

 duller. The white band over the eye is duller, and 

 tinged with yellow. Chin white; breast greyish- 

 white, marked with two shades of brown. Sides 

 and flanks light brown, marked with a darker tinge 

 of the same colour. 



Situation and Locality. On the ground in a 

 tuft of rushes or sedge ; amongst reed beds and 

 coarse rank herbage on the rough banks of broads, 

 rivers, and marshy pools in Norfolk and Suffolk, 

 where alone the bird is now said to breed, and, 

 pleasant to state, to be on the increase. 



Materials. Bushes, leaves, dry grass, and small 

 brown tufts of down with long white tips from 

 the bird's own body. 



Eggs. Eight to thirteen or fourteen. Creamy 

 white, of varying shades, very similar indeed to 

 those of the Teal, but perhaps a trifle more creamy 

 in tint. Size about 1/8 by T35 in. 



Time. April and May. 



