ACBOGEPHALUS PALUSTBIS. 405 



evidently trying to find a nesting place. On the further side of 

 the hedge was a field of beans, and what I saw induced me to 

 examine a particular spot in this close to the hedge. Here, on 

 July 5th, I found an unmistakable and pathetic attempt to use 

 the bean-stalks as supports for a nest ; several pieces of dry 

 grass had been threaded round them. This attempt was given 

 up, but I have some reason to think that a nest was built not 

 far away. The young in the other nest had flown by July 6th. 



1904. — This year the owner had forgotten his promise, or 

 fancied we had seen enough of the Marsh-Warbler. The osiers 

 were now entirely cut down, and in early June there was no 

 cover suitable for the birds. On June 4th, however, a bird was 

 singing as usual, and on the 12th there was singing going on 

 both in the osiers and in the hedge to which the birds had taken 

 a fancy last year. On the 16th I found a nest with four eggs in 

 willow-herb in a new position in the osier-bed, where a spring 

 kept the ground wet, and favoured the early growth of the plants. 

 This spring and the wet ground had up till now been steadily 

 avoided by our birds, which (as is well known) rarely or never 

 build over water ; but this year they seized on the only chance 

 open to them, and by doing so produced a comparatively early 

 brood. On the 18th another nest was exposed and ruined by 

 mowing near the hedge and field already mentioned, at the 

 bottom of the railway embankment, in meadow-sweet. On the 

 28th there was again brilliant singing in the hedge. On the 

 80th I found a nest just completed in cow-parsnip under the 

 hedge, at 5 a.m., but, on taking Mr. Aplin to see it later in the 

 day, we found it also exposed and spoilt. So long as the birds 

 could remain in the osiers they were almost sure to escape harm, 

 but in their attempts to establish themselves in more public 

 places near at hand they made a mistake. Singing continued 

 till July 7th, but I found no other nest. 



1905. — The osiers seemed quite hopeless this year, but on 

 June 4th I heard the bird singing in the other and larger osier- 

 bed, which was well-grown and suitable for their operations. 

 Here they continued to sing for some time, but no nest was 

 found. A new bit of railway was being made close by, and the 

 men at work were apt to come into the osier-bed. It looked 

 to me as if such conditions as we could offer them would no 



