BEED-WARBLEK. 117 



Kerrison, I have frequently seen the nests of this 

 warbler built into the laurel bushes by the water's edge, 

 in the same manner as I have just described ; and in the 

 summer of 1861 I was shown four or five which had 

 been found in various shrubs in a kitchen garden at 

 Lakenham, situated by the riverside, with a reed bed 

 and osier ground in close proximity. In each of these, 

 twigs of the respective plants were ingeniously woven 

 into the structure itself, and though somewhat shallow, 

 they all retained much of their normal character. 

 The most curious fact, however, in connection with these 

 nests, was finding a cuckoo's egg in three of them, and 

 a young cuckoo, of course per se, in the fourth. This 

 youngster was kept alive for some weeks in confine- 

 ment, and presented the most absurd appearance, when, 

 having grown uncomfortably large for it, it still at- 

 tempted to nestle down in its original cradle. Occa- 

 sionally, but rarely, I have known a cuckoo's egg de- 

 posited in the nest of this species when placed as usual 

 amongst the reeds ;* but in the above four instances, 

 increased size and depth and easiness of access afforded 

 no doubt peculiar attractions. One nest, which had been 

 built into the centre of a currant bush, presented a most 

 novel and beautiful appearance, the dry materials con- 

 trasting with the green foliage, whilst the young fruit 

 hung in bunches above and around it. This species, like 

 the sedge warbler, is an incessant songster, heard at 



* Mr. W. H. Thomas, (" Zoologist," 1843, p. 97), in his most 

 interesting description of these birds and their nests, as observed 

 by himself on the banks of the Thames, mentions two instances in 

 which he had found Cuckoo's eggs in nests built amongst the reed 

 stems, and the novel method adopted by the little reed bird, to 

 feed its unwieldy nestling, perching on its broad back, and thus 

 dropping the food into its gaping mouth. Mr. A. Newton tells me 

 also that he has frequently known of similar cases. In one 

 instance he found two Cuckoo's eggs in the same nest. 



