87 
The nest of the Fen Reedling also contains a good deal of material, but more 
compactly and beautifully interwoven. It is also very deep, whether it be placed 
among the reeds, where it is liable to be blown about by the winds, or amid the 
clustering, rigid stems of the poplar, when perfectly secure from such annoyance. 
The eggs are most usually five in number (more than which I have never known), 
of a pale, greenish white, blotched all over, and spotted with greenish brown, 
and sometimes a few spots of ash colour: there are likewise commonly some 
dark marks at the larger end, which, as in those of the other species, may be soon 
obliterated. The young are altogether more rufous than their parents, particu¬ 
larly on the throat and under parts, but have no trace of the breast-spots ob¬ 
servable in the other, and the interior of the mouth is yellow; there are also 
two large black spots upon the tongue, which are very conspicuous when the young 
open their mouths for food. Both species leave the nest remarkably early, before 
their feathers have half attained their proper development. The notes of the 
young of both are harsh and dissonant. 
I do not conceive it necessary to enter further into the history of these little 
birds, as might be done at considerable length : should the Fen Reedling occur 
in the vicinity of any reader of this article, he surely will not now fail to detect it. 
I am very desirous of ascertaining, with accuracy, how the migratory land-birds 
are distributed over the, country; a fact which can only be satisfactorily elu¬ 
cidated by the co-operation of naturalists resident in different parts. At present 
there is a good deal to be learnt on this subject. 
I have termed this species “ Fen Reedling,” as I think it is rather more ex¬ 
pressive of the precise nature of its haunts than Marsh Reedling, which has been 
proposed. The words are, undoubtedly, nearly synonymous, but the latter had 
better be reserved for S. palustris, an allied species, not hitherto found in Britain. 
In the fenny counties of England, and in Holland, the S. arundinacea is an ex¬ 
ceedingly abundant species, and, according to Mr. Neville Wood, it occurs, in 
this country, as far north as Derbyshire : how far beyond this I wish to deter¬ 
mine, and have penned the present article in the hope of ascertaining. 
ON THE PAPILIO MACHAON, 
By J. Curtis. 
Of all the various sources of gratification arising from the study of insects, 
none appears to me more interesting than the rearing of them, very especially the 
Lepidoptera. We are enabled at our leisure to investigate and study their won¬ 
derful economy, and at the same time to obtain the most perfect specimens for 
our cabinets ; thus enhancing the beauty of the collection, and securing perfect 
insects for future description. 
