372 BRITISH BIRDS. 



with twenty-four birdsj a nest with four eggs, and leaving a nest not quite 

 completed. The latter nest we visited, and found it to contain four fresh 

 eggs. In another part of the dyke, which had not been explored by 

 Swaysland on his previous visit, we also found a nest containing four fresh 

 eggs. These nests were both within six inches of the level of the water. 

 A couple of days after Swayslaud^s visit a bitterly cold north wind set in, 

 and we had a fortnight's regular March weather, with two days heavy rain 

 in the midst of it, during which time either the Reed- Warblers were not 

 at the Ajke or suspended nest-building for the time, or carried it on in a 

 very dilatory manner. The evening before our visit the wind changed to 

 south, and in the afternoon we found it very hot. We divided our forces 

 and began to beat up the reeds on either side of the dyke in what appeared 

 to me at first to be an utterly useless search for Reed-Warblers which did 

 not exist. We had not proceeded more than a hundred yards, however, 

 before the well-known song of a Reed-Warbler suddenly commenced. By 

 gently bending aside the reeds with our sticks, we were able easily to expose 

 the whole situation to view, and in a few yards came to the nest. In this 

 way, without any difficulty, we found in a couple of hours eleven nearly 

 finished nests, built in the reeds from one to two feet above the water- 

 level. The birds were evidently busy building; both male and female 

 were in close proximity to the unfinished nest, the locality of which was 

 at once revealed to ns b_v the male beginning to sing. The birds skulked 

 away among the reeds ; and we could trace their progress by watching the 

 motion of the reeds, which bent under their weight. They never came 

 out into the open, unless suddenly surprised or surrounded. The Reed- 

 Warbler is said to be a very quarrelsome bii'd, and to drive off all comers 

 from its own particular part of the dyke. Each nest was at some distance 

 from the next ; and when we drove the birds before us into the ground of 

 the next pair the song of the two males sounded loud and angry. The 

 narrower dykes were full of reeds ; but some of the broader ones had open 

 water in the middle. In these broader dykes we saw much more of the 

 birds, as they frequently crossed from one side to the other ; and here we 

 observed that the Reed- Warbler, like the Sedge- Warbler, sings as it flies. 

 We could also watch them with the binocular as they lustily sang, clinging 

 to the reeds, and showing very conspicuously the deep orange of the inside 

 of their mouths. When flying, the tail was generally expanded, especially 

 as they alighted ; but when on the reed, it was usually depressed as if to 

 form an additional support by touching the stem. We never saw them 

 Avith erected tail ; but this position may probably be assumed when they 

 are defiant. Their great object appeared to be to keep as much out of 

 sight as possible ; and whenever a bird did take wing it flew close over the 

 top of the reeds, dropping into them as soon as it thought itself at a suffi- 

 ciently safe distance. Where the reeds were slender or not close together. 



