190 BIRDS' NESTS 



builds its nest in a slight hollow in the ground amongst 

 the long meadow grass, making it externally of dry 

 grass and moss, and lining it with fine roots and 

 hairs. 



The "open" nests of the Warblers (Sylviinse) 

 present a far greater amount of variety, and range 

 from the slight net-like cradles of such species as the 

 Whitethroat and Blackcap to the compact and bulky 

 structures fabricated by such forms as the Marsh 

 Warblers, and so on. To a very great extent these 

 types of nest are peculiar to the various genera. 

 Confining ourselves for the present to the open cup- 

 shaped type of nest, we may briefly sketch this 

 divergence and illustrate it by a few examples taken 

 from the more familiar species. Beginning with the 

 least elaborate, we have the nests of the birds com- 

 prising the genus Sylvia. Of these the Blackcap (S. 

 atricapiUa) makes a flimsy, loosely-woven nest com- 

 posed chiefly of dry grass stalks, with a scrap or two 

 of moss, a few leaf-stalks and roots, sparingly lined 

 with horsehair. It is so frail and net-like in com- 

 position that the eggs can often be seen thro«^gh the 

 material. Some of the other species in this genus, 

 however, make more elaborate homes, as, for instance, 

 the Orphean Warbler {S. orpliea), which adds a lining 

 of vegetable down to its cradle. Then we have the 

 nests of the birds associated in the genus Locustella. 

 Of these the Grasshopper Warbler (L. ncBvia) makes 

 a somewhat compact and deep nest of dry grass, 



