﻿346 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  AVES. 
  

  

  The 
  Marsh-Warbler 
  (Acrocephalus 
  palustris) 
  in 
  Oxfordshire: 
  a 
  

   new 
  Position 
  for 
  the 
  Nest. 
  — 
  I 
  may 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  supplement 
  former 
  

   notes 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  by 
  a 
  brief 
  statement 
  of 
  my 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  

   two 
  seasons. 
  These 
  birds 
  have 
  never 
  failed 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  favourite 
  

   osier-bed, 
  but 
  since 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  cut 
  down 
  every 
  winter, 
  with 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   ception 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  which 
  the 
  owner 
  kindly 
  leaves 
  

   for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  succeeded 
  in 
  finding 
  one 
  nest 
  

   there 
  in 
  each 
  season, 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  or 
  more 
  which 
  we 
  found 
  when 
  

   it 
  was 
  an 
  overgrown 
  jungle. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  osier-bed 
  

   differs 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  suitable 
  for 
  it 
  ; 
  if 
  the 
  

   meadow-sweet 
  or 
  willow-herb 
  is 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  grown, 
  the 
  birds 
  will 
  

   hang 
  the 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  the 
  willows, 
  or 
  even 
  in 
  nettles 
  ; 
  this 
  year 
  4 
  

   however, 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  willow-herb, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  spot 
  over 
  a 
  wet 
  ditch 
  — 
  

   the 
  first 
  time 
  I 
  have 
  known 
  it 
  build 
  in 
  so 
  moist 
  a 
  place. 
  But 
  this 
  is 
  

   not 
  the 
  new 
  position 
  which 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  record. 
  For 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  years 
  

   another 
  pair 
  has 
  taken 
  to 
  a 
  hedge 
  about 
  two 
  hundred 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  

   osiers, 
  which 
  separates 
  a 
  corn-field 
  from 
  a 
  hay-meadow 
  adjoining 
  the 
  

   railway. 
  In 
  1903 
  the 
  singing 
  was 
  so 
  persistent 
  in 
  this 
  hedge 
  that 
  I 
  

   took 
  great 
  pains 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  nettles 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  under 
  

   the 
  hedge, 
  or 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  corn 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  only 
  succeeded 
  in 
  discovering 
  

   what 
  was 
  plainly 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  twist 
  some 
  dry 
  grass-stalks 
  round 
  the 
  

   stems 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  beans 
  which 
  were 
  growing 
  among 
  the 
  wheat. 
  

   Apparently 
  the 
  beans 
  did 
  not 
  answer 
  the 
  purpose, 
  for 
  nothing 
  came 
  of 
  

   this 
  attempt. 
  This 
  year, 
  however, 
  it 
  was 
  clear 
  that 
  a 
  pair 
  were 
  at 
  

   work 
  near 
  the 
  same 
  spot, 
  and 
  a 
  nest 
  was 
  begun 
  in 
  meadow-sweet 
  over 
  

   a 
  ditch 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  embankment, 
  which 
  unluckily 
  

   again 
  came 
  to 
  nothing, 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  exposed 
  by 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  

   grass 
  on 
  the 
  embankment 
  just 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  it 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  

   half 
  finished. 
  Tiie 
  birds 
  then 
  reverted 
  to 
  the 
  hedge; 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  

   been 
  wiser 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  osiers, 
  where 
  they 
  invariably 
  

   escape 
  all 
  molestation. 
  But 
  they 
  seemed 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  bit 
  of 
  

   tall 
  hedge 
  which 
  they 
  affected 
  last 
  year, 
  and 
  repeatedly 
  sang 
  in 
  it 
  while 
  

   I 
  listened 
  sitting 
  just 
  below 
  them; 
  they 
  sang, 
  in 
  fact, 
  nearly 
  all 
  daylong, 
  

   beginning 
  at 
  about 
  four 
  a.m., 
  as 
  the 
  haymakers 
  in 
  the 
  meadow 
  assured 
  

   me. 
  One 
  morning 
  I 
  went 
  there 
  at 
  five 
  a.m., 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  little 
  watching 
  

   found 
  a 
  nest 
  almost 
  finished 
  in 
  cow-parsnip 
  and 
  nettles 
  immediately 
  

   under 
  the 
  hedge, 
  and 
  adjoining 
  the 
  corn. 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  have 
  to 
  record 
  

   that 
  at 
  nine 
  a.m. 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  this 
  nest 
  also 
  was 
  laid 
  bare 
  by 
  some- 
  

   one 
  prowling 
  behind 
  the 
  hedge, 
  and 
  had 
  of 
  course 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned. 
  

   Even 
  after 
  this 
  second 
  misfortune 
  the 
  cock 
  continued 
  to 
  sing 
  for 
  two 
  

  

  