OCCASIONAL NOTES, 445 
interesting to ornithologists. Just outside the borough of Leeds, and in 
close proximity to the banks of a canal, the smell of whose water is very 
offensive to the olfactory nerves, is a small narrow willow garth, separated 
from the towing-path for its entire length by an open drain, about four feet 
in width, which carries the sewage of two extensive townships, and the 
odour from which is simply pestilential and pervades the entire plantation. 
The willows are planted very close together, and are tall and slender, 
the undergrowth being almost entirely rank nettles. Here, taking into 
consideration the extent of the place, the Reed Warbler is abundant, 
though as a Yorkshire bird it must be considered both rare and local. 
On the 12th or 13th of June last I found seven nests of this bird, 
containing eggs, in a few minutes; four of these were in the willows, 
being placed against the slender bole and supported by having two or three 
twigs passing through their structure. The minimum height from the 
ground of the nests so placed was five feet, the maximum seven feet six 
inches. Other nests were hidden among the nettles and supported by 
their stems and dead twigs of the willows. One nest was sustained by 
three nettle-stems. These nests were about two feet from the ground. 
The nests were typical in structure and composition, but I noticed that 
some of them were spangled with a whitish vegetable skin, probably 
obtained from the willow-buds. The eggs were mostly four in number, 
in one instance five, and the contents of two of the nests were exactly 
similar to the eggs of the Marsh Warbler described by Mr. Seebohm, the 
ground colour being white with markings, principally at the larger end, 
and of a clear greenish grey tint of varying intensity. These eggs were so 
very unlike the ordinary type, and at the same time so different to those 
of any other bird that I remarked to the friend who accompanied me that 
had it not been for the fact of our having seen them in the nest it would 
have been an impossibility to have assigned them to any species known 
to us.— W. HacLe Ciarke (5, Kast View, Hyde Park, Leeds). 
Nestine oF Montacu’s Harrier.—In reply to Capt. Hadfield’s remarks 
upon my note on the nesting of Montagu’s Harrier near York, I may observe 
that the egg has been examined by some of our best Yorkshire ornithologists, 
and they pronounce it to be undoubtedly the egg of Circus Montagui. 
T have a fine series of Harrier’s eggs in my collection, and I invariably find 
that there are three distinct sizes. Those of the Marsh Harrier are largest, 
then come those of the Hen Harrier, the smallest being those of Montagu’s 
Harrier. Now the egg in question is a little smaller than several of my 
Montagu’s Harrier eggs; it is too small for that of the Hen Harrier, 
though in the case of Harriers, Owls, Ducks, &c., the best way of identifying 
the eggs is by obtaining the bird. Mr. Widdas’s description of the bird is 
that of a female Circus Montagui. In this part of Yorkshire the Hen 
