374 sviA'iiD.i:. 



Lus ol)lige(l the J^^litor with the foilowiug- remarks on a 

 comparison of the two species : — • 



" Although the colour of the upper portion of the plu- 

 mage in hoth is an uniform olive-brown, .1. palnatris is 

 yellower. It is a somewhat longer bird, with a shorter and 

 broader bill ; a huffy- white line, extending from the base of 

 the bill over the eye, is clearly defined. In A. streperiis 

 this line is so faint as to be scarcely discernible. In A. 

 ■p'lliistris, the second primary is equal in length to the 

 fourth, while in .4. Htreperus it is equal to the fifth. It is 

 doubtful whether this can l)e invariably relied upon, for the 

 length of feathers, even in the same species, will sometimes 

 vary considerably, through age, moult or accident. The tail 

 in A. pahistfls is less rounded than in A. streperu^, the 

 outer feather in tlie former being not so short as in the hitter. 



" The measurements of the two species, taken from skins, 

 are as follows : — 



Length. Bill. Wing from Carpus. Tarsus. 



" A. stirprniH . 5-3 -55 2-7 '8 



" A. palitHtrh. . 5-5 -5 2-5 -9 



" The readiest means of distinguishing the two birds at 

 a glance is by the colour of the legs and toes. In living or 

 freshly- killed, specimens it will be observed that the tarsi 

 and feet of A. streperus are of a slaty-brown, while in A. 

 palustris the same parts are flesh-colour. In dried skins, 

 the former turns to hair-brown ; the latter to yellowish- 

 brown. The tarsus of A. palustris, moreover, is rather 

 longer and stouter than that of its congener." 



It must be remarked that other writers give a somewhat 

 different account of the outAvard distinctions of the two 

 birds, and the colour of the legs, upon which Mr. Harting 

 most relies, especially seems to be a doubtful characteristic. 

 Many if not most British authors, state that the legs of the 

 Reed- Warbler are light coloured, and, if their descriptions 

 have been made from specimens and not copied, it is not 

 only clear that l)irds with light-coloured legs (that is, in Mr. 

 Harting's opinion, Marsh-Warblers) are not at all uncom- 



