5. LOCUSTELLA. 117 



of transverse bars on the tail. Chin and centre of belly white, 

 shading into bufSsh brown on the breast, flanks, thighs, and under 

 tail-coverts, most of the latter have narrow dark-brown centres ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts pale buffish brown ; inner margiu 

 of qiulls palish brown. Wing with the third primary longest, and 

 the second slightly longer or slightly shorter thati the fourth ; 

 bastard primarj- very small, rarely, if ever, extending beyond the 

 primary-coverts. Bill ty^ncally Locustelline, indistinguishable from 

 Phylloscopine, upper mandible dark, under mandible pale ; rictal 

 bristles obsolete. Tail generally shorter, but sometimes nearly as 

 long as the wing ; outside feathers 'O-o inch shorter than the longest, 

 and shorter than the under tail-coverts. Legs, feet, and claws pale 

 brown. Length of wing 2-6 to 2-27 inches, tail 2-4 to 1-95, culmen. 

 0-58 to 0-51, tarsus 0-8. 



The plumage of the sexes is alike. After the autumn moult the 

 brown on the breast and flanks is darker, buffer, and more extended. 

 In birds of the year the whole of the underparts are more or less 

 suffused with yellow, and most of the feathers on the throat have 

 dark centres. A slight tinge of yellow on the underparts, and some 

 of the pectoral streaks, are frequently found in young birds after 

 their first spring moult. 



The Grasshopper Warbler is a summer migrant to Central and 

 Southern Europe, uot extending fuither north than the British 

 Islands. It probably winters in Xorth Africa, though it is said to 

 be occasionally found in South Europe throughout the year. 



7. Locustella straminea. 



Acridiornis straminea, Scivrtz. Turki-st. Jcvotn. p. 66 (1873). 



LocustuUa laneeolata {Ti'inin.'), apud Urcanir, Ibia, 1876, p. 90. 



Locustella heudersoui {Casg.), apud Hume, >itr. F. vi. p. ;i40 (1878). 

 General colour of the upper parts pale olivaceous brown, each 

 feather having a well-defined dark-brown centre ; lores and the 

 feathers behind the eye olivaceous brown, obscurely streaked ; eye- 

 lids pale ; eye-stripe nearly obsolete ; wings brown, the outside 



