THE YOUNG 



NATURA.LIST. 



85 



Habitat. — This is not an uncommon 

 bird in the eastern and sonth-eastern 

 counties of England, frequenting stream 

 sides and fenny districts where there is a 

 suitable growth of vegetation. It is also 

 found less commonly in some of the mid- 

 land counties, and is also reported from 

 Yorkshire, but I am afraid that this and the 

 last species are sometimes confounded. 

 Huddersfield is one of the places where it 

 reported (by Morris) as being common, but 

 he must have been mis-informed, as no 

 specimen has been known to occur there. 

 In Scotland it is rare, and in Ireland very 

 rare. 



Abroad it is found in many parts of 

 Europe, also in Palestine, Arabia, Egypt, 

 and Nubia. 



Nest. — I have to thank Mr. F. Kerry 

 for also sending me a liberal supply of 

 the nests and eggs of this species. The 

 nest is perhaps the most beautiful of all the 

 British Warblers. All those sent by my 

 kind correspondent, were built between 

 three or four stems of the common reed, 

 and about half-way up the stems ; but I have 

 seen a nest which was afi&xed to a willow 

 branch, and in this case it was more com- 

 pact than those suspended in the reed 

 stems. The nests sent me by Mr. Kerry, 

 and which were taken near Harwich, were 

 constructed of blades, stems, and flower- 

 heads of fine grasses ; the coarser material 

 being used on the outside, and the finer 

 material inside. One or two of the nests 

 had a few hairs inside, and some had also a 

 little sheeps' wool interwoven among the 

 grass. The nest above referred to, which 

 was built upon the stem of a willow, had a 

 much greater quantity of sheep's wool used 

 in its construction than any of those sent by 

 Mr. Kerry, and it was also much more com- 

 pactly built. Great difference in the neat- 

 ness of construction were exhibited in the 

 nests sent from Harwich ; probably the best 

 constructed nests were built by the oldest 



and most experienced birds. The nests are al- 

 ways very deep in proportion to their width ; 

 for if they were not so, the eggs or young 

 birds would be rolled out by the first gale 

 of wind; whereas, the nests being built as 

 they are, the reeds may be bent almost 

 into a horizontal position without the con- 

 tents of the nests taking any harm. Not 

 untrequently this bird builds in bushes at a 

 distance from water, and also in osier beds. 



Eggs. — Four or five eggs are laid. The 

 ground colour is white, or greenish-white, 

 more or less spotted, or rather blotched, 

 with slaty grey, brown, and olive green. 

 They are very variable. 



Varieties.— One, nearly white, is figured 

 by Hewitson, and there is a similar one in 

 the collection of eggs belonging to the Marl^ 

 borough College. 



A SPIDER. 



By J. W. Williams (Univ. Dunelm), 

 Honorary Member 

 Boldmere Naturalists' Society, &c. 



Common as a spider is, I find that it is 

 not very often taken as a subject in our 

 present natural history serials ; and, also, 

 with the thought that it is overlooked by 

 the collector and naturalist generally, I have 

 written this paper with the hope that it may 

 help those inclined to study the Araneida 



The spiders are at once distinguished 

 from the Insecta (though very commonly 

 confounded) by having eight legs and by the 

 segments of the head being amalgamated 

 with those of the thorax, forming a single 

 mass called the cephalo-thorax ; and from 

 the Scoi'pionidcB by the abdomen being 

 attached to the cephalo-thorax by a stalk or 

 peduncle. The mouth is situated in the 

 front part of the body, and is provided with 

 the following appendages a pair of 



mandibles for prehension ; 2. — a pair of 

 maxillae, each having a long-jointed process, 



