84 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



channel, pushing aside the tall Lijthrum and Eupatorla 

 as I went, when the bird in question rose out of the 

 coarse herbage and instantly entered the reed-bed oppo- 

 site. Being struck with its appearance, which differed 

 both in size, colour, and manner of flight from the Eeed- 

 Warblers that I had met with more or less all day, I 

 signalled to my keeper, who was carrying my marsh- 

 jumping pole, and when he came up I sent my retriever 

 into the reeds where the bird had entered. The bird 

 moved through the reeds at once before the dog, and my 

 keeper seeing it, forced it out by a thrust or two of the 

 pole. It flew along the water-course very low, just 

 topping the cresses, with a weak, fluttering flight, and 

 some dust-shot then struck it down. I anticipated no 

 difficulty in identifying it by a reference to Gould's Birds 

 of Great Britain, and I turned at once to the description 

 of the Thrush-AVarbler, Acrocephalus turdoides. Beauti- 

 ful, however, as are the plates, and admirable as are the 

 popular descriptions in this work, it is unfortunately 

 wanting generally in precise information as to measure- 

 ments, colour, &c., and in this instance nothing beyond 

 the plate is given towards identifying a supposed speci- 

 men. Gould's figure measures 8 inches; my bird 

 measures 7f inches. The general aspect, structure and 

 size of the bill, and markings — as far as the bird possesses 

 them — agree, with the exception of feet and tarsi, which 

 in the coloured plate are of a pale yellowish-brown, and 

 in my freshly killed bird a very decided hght bluish-slate 

 colour. Without professing to give a scientific descrip- 

 tion of my bird, I should describe it as follows : Bill, 

 upper mandible brown, lower purplish-brown, lighter 

 towards the gape ; point of gape, 1 inch exactly. Top of 

 head raw umber-brown, with a lighter line over the eye 



