162 
PARIDiE. 
but not so compact in the interior ; it is generally placed 
in a tuft of coarse grass, or rushes near the ground, on 
the margin of the dykes in the fen ; also sometimes fixed 
among the reeds that are broken down, but never sus¬ 
pended between the stems; the eggs vary in number 
from four to six, rarely seven.” Mr. Yarrell says: “ A 
few years since I obtained two nests from the parish of 
Horsey. These were both placed near the ground, being 
sustained only an inch or two above the surface by the 
strength of the stems of the coarse grass upon which they 
were fixed. Each nest was composed entirely of dried 
bents, the finer ones forming the lining.” 
