Hz BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



Family TURDID&. Subfamily S YL VIIN&. 



THE MARSH-WARBLER. 



Acrocephalus palustris, BECH V ST. 



IN the summer this species occurs over nearly the whole of Europe south of 

 the Baltic ; and eastwards through Russia and Siberia to Turkestan and 

 Persia ; according to Seebohm its occurrence in Asia Minor and Palestine is 

 doubtful. It winters in Africa from the Nile probably to Natal. 



In Great Britain the Marsh- Warbler is apparently very local ; the nest has 

 been recorded as taken near Bath, in Gloucestershire, in Cambridgeshire and Oxon. 

 I am satisfied that a nest which I found with only one egg built in the reeds near 

 the margin of one of the Ormesby broads was a nest of this species, although 

 Ornithologists seem to be agreed that the Marsh- Warbler never frequents reeds, 

 but only swampy ground. The fact that this bird is a regular breeding species 

 near Taunton, in Somersetshire, was discovered through the acumen of Mr. Howard 

 Saunders ; the facts being as follows : 



An Ornithologist, a Dr. Woodforde, had a collection of birds, and Mr. Howard 

 Saunders, who was visiting Mr. Cecil Smith, was taken by him to see this 

 collection : amongst the specimens shown to him were a bird with nest and one 

 egg, which no one previously had been able to recognize, and which Mr. Saunders 

 identified as the Marsh- Warbler. No sooner was this fact made known than Mr. 

 Murray Matthew, then Vicar of Bishop's L/ydeard, asked Mr. John Marshall, of 

 Taunton, if he could get old Coates, the birdcatcher (the discoverer of Dr. Wood- 

 forde' s bird, nest, and egg, twenty years previously) to look about for a nest and 

 specimens of this species. Coates being then in Mr. Marshall's employ, went with 

 him in search of the nest : in this they were perfectly successful, so that Mr. 

 Marshall was able to distribute both nests and eggs among his friends : two of 

 these nests came into the possession of Mr. Seebohm ; who, curiously enough seems 

 to credit Mr. Cecil Smith with the discovery of the breeding of the species in 

 Taunton, not even mentioning Mr. Marshall's name : the illustrations of eggs of 

 this species in the present work are reproductions of careful coloured drawings 

 of some of Mr. Marshall's specimens. 



