A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE several pairs of the wood-warbler breed, such as around Woburn, Southill, Luton Hoo, the woods adjoining Ampthill Park and the plan- tations near Clophill, also in the Aspley Woods, Everton, and at Bromham, yet we must consider this bird as a rather uncommon summer migrant and very local in its distri- bution. With us it seemingly prefers the fir plantations with their sparse undergrowth to the oak or other mixed woodlands where the under-cover is more dense. 23. Reed-Warbler. Acrocephalus streperus (Vieillot) Locally, Reed-Bird, Reed-Wren. Wherever reed beds abound there also shall we find this summer migrant plentiful. There are many of its haunts in close proximity to the town of Bedford, and throughout the whole course of the Ouse it occurs very com- monly. On the Ivel at Blunham, Clifton, Langford, and other places I have found it abundant, and it is no doubt frequent all along this waterway. At Southill Lake it nests freely, and the lake at Luton Hoo is a favourite haunt also. The majority of these nests are built, as is usual, suspended between the reeds, but not a few are found in osier beds built similarly upon the osiers and often at a considerable distance from the ground. 24. Sedge-Warbler. Acrocephalus phragmitis (Bechstein) A summer migrant, and common every- where ; along the banks of our rivers through- out their course, and about every stream, pool, pond, ditch or wherever moist herbage grows, and even some distance away from any such situation we find its nest. It is generally placed in low bushes, on the stumps of osiers or amongst the rank herbage, seldom more than 2 or 3 feet from the ground, but sometimes higher ; one nest that came under my notice at Tempsford situated in the top of one of the numerous tall hedgerows found around that neighbourhood was fully 8 feet above the ground. Mr. J. King kindly gave me a nest with the eggs of this bird taken at Langford 28 May 1897 which were pure white, without any markings upon them whatever. He once shot a sedge-warbler as late as December, having seen it several times previously along the river. 25. Grasshopper-Warbler. Locuitella nxvia (Boddaert) A very scarce summer migrant. According to Mr. J. King, Sherhatch Wood near Cople seems to have been a veritable stronghold for this bird in our county. In 1891 he found a nest containing young in his osier bed close to his house at Langford. It has also been heard in the woods at Stagsden and Bromham, also at Harlington, Thurleigh, Oakley and Pegsdon. Its nest is also said to have been found at Clapham, Thurleigh, Kempston and near Woburn. During the year 1901 I found two pairs nesting on Flitwick Marsh, and its song was heard at Clapham Park and in one of the osier-bed islands in the river at Cox's Pits. 26. Hedge-Sparrow. Accentor modularis (Linn.) A resident throughout the year, and very common, evidently preferring, like the robin and sparrow, the close vicinity of the haunts of man. White, buff and pied varieties of this bird have been met with. 27. Dipper. Cinclus aquaticus, Bechstein The slow-flowing Ouse and our sluggish brooks offer the dipper but little attraction. The only authorities for including it in our fauna are Mr. Cane, who states that about thirty years ago one was obtained in Luton Hoo Park, and Mr. W. J. Chalk who saw one on the Ivel in March 1900. 28. Bearded Reedling. Panurus biarmicus (Linn.) The only information that I have relating to the occurrence of this bird in the county was given to me by Mr. A. Covington, who was told by an old sportsman and ornithologist that he had killed two or three specimens of this bird when shooting down the river fifty to sixty years ago. In Mr. Covington's possession is an old male given to him in the flesh which was said to have been shot along the river below Great Barford in the winter of 1867. It is unfortunate that Mr. H. Thompson, as the authority on the list of birds given in The History of Luton, 1855, only briefly refers to this bird as rare, without verifying its actual occurrence. 29. Long-Tailed Tit. Acredula caudata (Linn.) Locally, Long-Tom, Pudding-Bag. Resident and generally common. Its won- derfully constructed nest will be known to most of us, and the family parties of this in- teresting little bird, which roam about the country, implicitly following their leaders, are a common enough sight. Mr. A. Covington once dissected one of their nests, which con- tained no less than 2,050 feathers besides wool and other materials used in the con- struction of the lining. 108
