OF HARTING. 2/5 



intensity during its progress with a regular crescendo 

 and diminuendo movement. This bird is stated by 

 authors to build in low bushes near water, and so 

 indeed it does occasionally ; but as a general rule, in 

 this locality at least, it does not do so even where an 

 experienced bird'snester can see no reason for its 

 absence : for instance, out of nine nests of which we 

 have an authentic record, seven were found in flat 

 grass meadows, and only two in bushes. The first we 

 ever saw was the uppermost of a series of nests in a 

 low, scrubby blackthorn ; and it seemed as if the bird, 

 after having reared one family in this bush, had made 

 use of the first nest as a foundation for the next, and 

 so on for five or six successive broods or seasons. 

 With one other exception, however, all the remaining 

 nests we have taken of this bird were built in little 

 natural depressions in the soil between the roofs of 

 high meadow grass under which circumstances they 

 were of course brought to light by the mowers when 

 they cut the grass for hay. It will be obvious, then, 

 that we never had the opportunity of seeing the nests 

 that were mowed out in this way till after the crop 

 was down, so that we can only describe them as having 

 consisted entirely of blades of grass, a trifle finer 

 inside than out, and so loosely put together, that it was 

 not possible to remove either of them without leaving 

 a considerable portion of the building materials behind. 

 More recently, however,, we have seen a nest of this 

 bird in a meadow before the scythe had done its work. 

 It was as perfectly concealed as if the builder of it had 

 taken a lesson from the wheatear and placed it in a 

 rabbit burrow ; and there was no visible way to it 

 except through a distant entrance, the bird obviously 

 gliding unseen under the grass, like a mouse, to reach 

 it and leave it we say obviously, because the tunnel 

 to its domicile was the very cause that led to its 

 discovery ! 



The Sedge Warbler (Calamoherpe phragmitis) is 



T 2 



