418 
REED WARBLER. 
Its nest and eggs are also different. The nest is composed of long 
grass and the seed branches of reeds, and lined with the finer parts of 
the latter ; it is very deep, and conceals the bird when sitting. This is 
generally fastened by long grass to several reeds which are drawn 
together for that purpose, and generally placed over the water. The 
eggs are four or five in number, rather larger than those of the sedge 
bird, of a greenish white, blotched all over with dusky brown. 
This species is much more local than the sedge bird, but they are some- 
times found together. Their notes are similar, and we have found both 
species all along the coasts of Kent and Sussex, from Sandwich to 
Arundel, amongst the reedy pools and ditches, especially on Romney 
Marsh ; but in Wiltshire and Somersetshire, where the sedge warbler 
is found in abundance throughout the banks of the Avon, not a single 
Reed Warbler is to be found. 
The nest of this bird being deep, gives security to the eggs, which 
would otherwise be thrown out by the wind. We have seen the bird 
sitting on her nest when the wind blew hard, and at every gust forced 
it almost to the surface of the water. 
*I have now a nest of this species before me, which was built in a 
field among the branches of lucerne {ISIedicago sativa.^ It is very 
deep, nearly three inches by the same in diameter, and almost wholly 
composed of hay ; the brim being of thicker stems of dry grass. A 
very few hairs are wound around the interior, which is very smoothly 
finished ; and in some parts of the structure a few small tufts of willow 
down, and (what seems a singular material) elm blossoms, are inter- 
woven. It is so different, indeed, from the nests described by 
Lightfoot, and figured by Bolton,’ that I should have entertained 
doubts respecting it, had I not known the bird, of which I had a few 
days before seen a living’ specimen in Mr. Sweet’s aviary at Chelsea. 
Mr. Lightfoot’s nest was bound round with packthread, and Mr. Bol- 
ton’s with stout, double-twined woollen yarn, such as the poor people 
use for making stockings ; but though he had seen several of these 
nests, this was the only one where a twined bandage was used. Mr. 
Sweet found one of these nests in the low side branches of a poplar-tree 
at Fulham. 
“ It is a pretty little lively species,” says Sweet, “ generally fre- 
quenting the sides of rivers and ditches, where its warbling song may be 
heard amongst reeds, sedges, or other thickets that are near the water.” 
Towards autumn it sometimes frequents gardens for the sake of in- 
* Harmonia Ruralis, ii. p.72. 
