Selous : Ornithological Observations in Brittany. 101 
JuLy rotH.—The same pair of birds (as I make no doubt) 
still about the same place this morning—6-30 to 8—but have 
got no further to my knowledge. 
JULY 11TH.—For about an hour before breakfast, I again 
watched the outskirts of the osier-beds, but without result. 
Coming again, after breakfast, I took up my position in the bed 
itself in the place I made yesterday, which just commands the 
spot which [ still think must be the birds’ nesting-place. I 
spread my cycling cape on the heap of bracken I had put down— 
which was now all a sop—put my satchel, which is my usual 
seat, on this, and sat and watched in silence. It was not long 
before I saw one of the birds, but though this was repeated, 
and the harsh rattling note sounded from time to time, I got 
no further indication. All then ceased for a considerable time, 
but at last I caught a glimpse of a small brown shadow passing 
across a leaf amidst the labyrinth into which I tried to pene- 
trate. Then the same leaf, and another beyond it, twitched 
once or twice, the birds were their sure enough, but put my 
head to this side or that as I would, I could never quite see 
them. During an interval of quiescence, I walked quickly out, 
clipped an intervening osier spray or two, and took my seat 
again. Now there was another long interval, half-an-hour 
perhaps, during which I saw nothing, then the bird was there 
again, and flitted down into the bush. Once or twice again 
this happened, and each time a certain stem shook. Fixing my 
eyes on this stem, and getting it again when [ lost it, which, 
in creeping out under the tangle, on my hands and knees, [ 
could not avoid doing, I at length stood still, looking at it; 
then, walking up to it, a beautiful little nest hanging on a bram- 
ble bough, and beautifully concealed by its leaves, was before 
me. In it were three tiny young birds, naked and yellow. 
I put back the intervening foliage between the bush place and 
my observatory, and, exposing the nest in the same way, so 
as to cover it again when [I left, took my seat and waited again 
with glasses adjusted on the seat of my camp-stool. In a very 
few moments a pretty little, sleek-looking, yellow-breasted 
Warbler, with long dagger beak—the best view I have yet had 
of it—flew to the nest, fed a young one, was off again, returned, 
fed another, and so once again, then brooded the young, making 
a sweet little picture. I was just concluding that I had been 
right in concluding that the young were fed only by the hen, 
when up flew the male, swiftly passed something to his mate 
as she sat, and in a moment was gone again. The hen had now 
a small green caterpillar in her bill, and she remained sitting 
thus with it till just before leaving the nest, when she ate it. 
She was back almost directly with a fly, which she gave to one 
of the young, and whilst standing over them, the male flew 
in again and gave her another fly, which I think she ate, and 
1915 May 1. 
