130 OUR RARER BRITISH BREEDING BIRDti. 



garden of that little Midland paradise of birds, 

 Bainsworth Lodge, where our friend Mr. J. 

 Whitaker cares, winter and summer alike, for all 

 and sundry feathered visitors. 



The Garden Warbler's nest is generally placed 

 not far from the ground, in gooseberry, black 

 or red currant bushes, briars, brambles, nettles, 

 thorn -bushes, and even amongst peas and their 

 supporting sticks, in gardens, woods, shrubberies, 

 orchards, and hedgerows growing by streams. It 

 is a rather flimsy structure, made of dead grass 

 stems and blades, fibrous roots, and sometimes a 

 little moss or wool, and lined with rootlets and a 

 little horse-hair. 



The eggs number from four to six, of varying 

 ground colour, from white to greenish -white or 

 yellowish stone-grey, spotted, blotched and clouded 

 with varying shades of brown, deep olive, and ash- 

 grey under-markings. The spots and blotches some- 

 times predominate at the larger end. Occasionally 

 specimens are marbled with brown. They are so 

 much like those of the Blackcap, that I have been 

 quite unable to pick them out when mixed up. 

 However, the chestnut cap of the female of the 

 latter species will always help to identify a nest 

 with certainty. 



WARBLER, GRASSHOPPER. 



AN essential to the well-being of the Grasshopper 

 Warbler is plenty of cover in which to hide and 

 skulk, mouse-like, from observation. It does not 

 seem to matter in the least whether it be the 

 growth of wet or dry land, so long as sufficient 

 density prevails. However, I must admit that I 



