' 4. ACfiOCEPHALUS. 87 



brown or pale isabelline brown. In other respects the coloration is 

 the same as that of the two or three preceding subspecies. The 

 third and fourth primaries are nearly equal and longest ; the second 

 primary in a skin from Turkestan is intermediate in length between 

 the sixth and the seventh, and in one from Scinde between the 

 seventh and eighth ; the bastard primary exceeds the primary-coverts 

 by 0-35 inch in both skins. Length of wing 2-4 inches, tail 2*0 ; 

 culmen in the Turkestan skin O'ol, in the Scinde skin 0-6 ; tarsus, 

 in the Turkestan skin 0-86 (very pale), and in the Scinde skin 0-8 

 (darkish brown). 



So far as is known the Desert Tree- Warbler is confined to the 

 sandy regions of Turkestan in summer, and to those of Scinde in 

 winter. The only skins I have seen are the type of Salicaria 

 obsoleta, Severtz., from Turkestan, and a skin from Scinde, both in 

 my own collection. 



4. ACROCEPHALUS. ^^p^ 



Acrocephalus, Naum.Kat. Land- u. Jl'ass.- Vijg. nordl. 



Deutschl., Xachtr. iv. p. 199 (1811) A. hirdoides? 



Muscipela, Koch, Syst. hiiier. Zool. p. 162 (1816) . . A. turdoides? 



Calamohevpe, lioie, Isis, 1822, p. 552 A. turdoides P 



Calamodus, Kmtp, Natiirl. Sysf. p. 117 (1829) .... A. phragmitia. 

 Calamodjta, Xatq), Natiirl. Syst. p. 118 (1829, ex 



Meyer) A. acpiaticus. 



Hydrocopsichus, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 121 (1829) A. turdoides. 

 Arundiuaceus, Lesson, Traite d Orn. p. 419 (1831) A. turdoides? 

 Salicaria, Selby, Brit. Orn. p. 197 {lt<'-j^, partim) . . A. turdoides? 

 Junco, Reichenbach, Natiirl. Syst. pi. Ixi. (1850) . . A. turdoides? 

 Eparnetes, Reichenbach, Natvrl. Syst. pl. Ivii. (1850) A. syrinx? 

 Caricicola, Brehm, Nauru. 1855, p. 284 A. pliragmitis. 



/ V 



Bill of Acrocephahis sfreperus. 



The genus Acrocfplicdus comprises a well-marked group of birds 

 familiarly known as Eecd-Warblers, and is distinguished by the 

 possession of a very minute bastard primary and a moderately 

 rounded tail. The bastard primary is so minute that in adult bird's 

 it does not usually extend as far as the piimary-coverts. In birds 

 of the year, and in one or two species slightly aberrant in this 

 respect, it is usually somewhat longer, occasionally extending 

 beyond them. 



The bill is typicaU) large, depressed and bread at the base, with 



