Days' Nesting in Andalucia. 71 
CiSTICOLA CURSITANS. 
Found commonly in all suitable localities. On April 14tli 
we took four beautiful little nests and found another with 
the eggs just hatching. These were all in spear-rushes 
about 2 feet from the ground, and were formed of several 
stems fastened together with spiders' webs and interwoven 
with fine grass ; they were 3 or 4 inches deep^ drawn together 
slightly at the top and rounded off. They were lined with 
dandelion- and other flower-down, and were exceedingly 
difficult to find. Two broods may possibly be reared in the 
season, as nests are often found when cutting barley at 
the end of May, and I saw one on May 5th with nearly fresh 
eggs. These are subject to the most extraordinary variation 
in colour : — 
1. Pour fresh eggs, light blue, fine red lines 
and dots all over them. 
2. Six fresh eggs ; red spots on white ground. 
3. Six fresh eggs ; all white. ^ 
4. Six much incubated egsrs : all blue. ( , ., , . , 
5. I'our eggs on the point oi hatching;! 
lighter blue. ' 
6. Four fresh eggs ; white, fine red lines. April 16th. 
7. Five slightly incubated eggs ; very pale blue. May 5th. 
Parus major. 
Common; nests found with fresh eggs, April 17th to 
29th. 
MOTACILLA FLAVA. 
Common, especially on the marismas. Fresh eggs were 
found on May 5th and young birds on May 7th, so laying 
is rather irregular. All the nests that I saw contained five 
or six eggs ; they were built in scrub, near, but not quite 
on, the ground. 
Lanius meridionalis. 
Very local; an early breeder. On April 15th I found a 
nest with young just ready to fly, and was told of another 
from which full-fledged young had been taken three weeks 
before. On the same day we saw some with three fresh 
