GRASSHOPPER WARBLER. 343 



ground well exposed to the sun, and concealment for bird and nest good. 

 Such situations as these are the most attractive, as the great number of 

 nests found in them testify. The number of birds breeding here appears 

 to vary very much in different years. Some seasons considerable numbers 

 breed here ; and then for one or two years they are comparatively scarce. 

 The years 1879 and 1880 were what may be termed good seasons, many 

 nests being found ; whilst 1881 and 1882 were poor seasons, the number 

 of nests being found was less than half as many as were taken in the two 

 preceding years. The number of nests taken one season does not seem to 

 affect the number found the following one; and comparatively few nests 

 all together are taken, for the difficulty in discovering them is so great. 

 Besides the plantations already referred to as this bird's breeding-grounds, 

 many nests are found in the bottoms or sides of thick hedgerows. During 

 the season of 1880, of seven nests found by myself the last week in May, 

 five were in young plantations (three nests in one and two in another), 

 whilst the others were in hedgerows. The situation usually chosen for the 

 nest is on the ground or close to it in a thick tuft of dead rank grass, 

 and well concealed. Sometimes, however, this is not the case, and after 

 flushing the bird but little search is needed to discover the nest. I have 

 found the nest built on the ground at the foot of a young larch, and, 

 without moving any of the herbage, the eggs were plainly visible as soon 

 as the bird flew off. The nest is also often placed under a whin bush, 

 and is then sometimes very difficult to find. The sitting bird usually 

 flies off the nest very quietly when flushed, and drops into the under- 

 wood at once. One instance, however, came under ray notice, where the 

 bird flew up and over some tall trees ; and if the eggs are hard sat, or 

 the nest contains young, the bird comes stealing back in and out amongst 

 the grass like a mouse, and will approach within a few yards. The number 

 of eggs laid varies from three to seven : the usual number is five or six 

 (very many of the nests found in May or early in June contain six) ; 

 and seven is very rarely found. The earliest full clutch of eggs I have 

 was taken on the 14th of May. The usual time, in an ordinary season, 

 for the first nests containing a full complement of eggs is from the 

 20th to the 28th of May ; but many nests are found with fresh eggs 

 up to the 10th or 14th of June. Two broods appear to be reared in 

 the season, as fresh eggs may be found in the last week of June, and 

 sometimes even in July. Should the nest be taken, the bird will frequently 

 build another, sometimes within a few yards of the first. One or two 

 clutches of the eggs of this bird in my collection have a distinct and well 

 defined band or zone of dark spots round the larger end; another has 

 streaks dispersed over the eggs, similar to a Bunting's ; whilst those of 

 another clutch are of a uniform pale brown colour without spot or streak." 

 I have taken the nest of the Grasshopper Warbler near Brighton. It 



