182 Capt. H. Lynes on the Habits and 



stare ; even if one of his mates is shot alongside him_, he 

 Mill probably merely suspend his absorbing search after food 

 (as if in pained surprise at the noise) for a few moments 

 only. 



When disturbed at the nest, however, as might be 

 expected, more concern is shown, the owners M'ill then 

 flutter about the reeds with expanding wings and tail, 

 " swearing^' in an undertone. 



The call-note is a musical trill, which may be likened to 

 a softly blown pea- whistle and reminds one somewhat of the 

 spring call of our Nuthatch. It is for these trills that it is 

 necessary to listen, in order to locate the birds both winter 

 and summer. Repeated strophes of the trill probably do 

 service as a song, but there is no real one. 



In alarm, as when roused from the nest, there may be an 

 undertone of Crow-like " swearing ^^ or a guttural '^chup- 

 chup'^ in conjunction with the trill. 



Nidification. 



Nest-building appears to commence in June; the one nest, 

 obtained on the 11th of June, with five fresh eggs, may have 

 been an early one, for another, only just begun (at which 

 tne male bird was shot), was found on the following day. 



The completed nest is a beautiful structure (Plate IX.), 

 woven entirely out of strips torn off dead reeds by the birds 

 themselves ; just one or two pieces of cobweb appear in the 

 binding. 



It is cup-shaped, supported in mid-air by two reeds (in 

 Heed-Warbler fashion) at a height of five and a half feet 

 above the ground. Its main body is of strips of the sheath 

 part of the reed, about one-tenth of an inch broad ; the 

 lining, rim, and binding strands are mostly mere filaments 

 of the tough reed-stems themselves. 



The dimensions are as follows : — Inside : width 2 inches, 

 depth 2t ; outside : width about ^^ inches, depth about 3|. 



The eggs are oval in shape, of smooth texture, and medium 

 gloss j the ground-colour is white, tinged with greenish. The 

 markings consist of large blotches and clouds of pale sienna 



