CETTl's WARBLER. 95 



reed-stem, it is down again tlie moment it is observed. 

 Its song is ratlier agreeable, but is heard only from 

 its concealment. The poor bird seems to have a more 

 than usual instinctive knowledge that reasoning man is 

 its enemy. Its call of two syllables resounds continually. 

 When it is pursued, and it thinks the enemy has been 

 led away far enough, it will turn quickly back again 

 to its first place. 



It builds its nest in a bush not far from water, and 

 near the ground. It is constructed of dry grass and 

 half-decayed plant stems: it lines it with horse-hair 

 and sometimes with feathers. It lays four or five eggs, 

 which are brown red, without spots, and as large as 

 those of the Whitethroat. 



My figure of the egg is from a drawing sent me by 

 M. Moquin-Tandon, who remarks about its nidification: 

 — "S. Cetti, from the neighbourhood of Montpellier, 

 where the bird is rather rare. This egg was given mc 

 by M. Devilliers. ^S*. Cetti makes its nest in bushes or 

 large aquatic plants, at a short distance from the ground : 

 the nest, skilfidly made, is composed of stalks of grasses, 

 and also of feathers. It contains four or five eo'ffs of 

 an uniform red brick-colour, without spots. It is 

 sometimes darker than the drawing. I saw lately at a 

 Paris merchant's ten eggs of this bird: six of them like 

 the drawing, three darker, and one lighter. Great 

 diameter nineteen to twenty-one millemetres, small 

 diameter fourteen or fifteen." 



The male bird sent me by M. E. Verreaux has all 

 the upper parts of the body a rich chesnut brown, 

 darkest on the wing primaries and the tail. The throat 

 is white, shading ofi" to ash grey on the belly and to 

 olive brown on the flanks and under tail coverts, the 

 latter being tipped with white. The wings are short. 



