2 24 LLOYDS NATURAL HISTORY. 



its sides. The material consists of coarse grass, with finer grass 

 and roots, and always neatly lined with horsehair. Spiders' 

 webs, the flowers of the cotton-grass, and occasionally feathers, 

 are also used in the construction of the nest. 



Eggs. — From four to five. Like the eggs of the Sedge- 

 Warbler, next described. Mr. Seebohm says that there is no 

 character by which they can be distinguished from the eggs of 

 the latter bird, excepting that perhaps they are a trifle smaller, 

 and not so yellow in tint. Axis, 0-67-07 inch; diam., 0*5- 

 0-52. 



11. THE SEDGE-WARBLER. ACROCEPHALUS PHRAGMITIS. 

 {Plait XXI. Fig. I.) 

 Sylvia phragmiiis, Bechst. Orn. Taschenb., p. iS r ) (1802). 

 Calamohcrpe phragmitiS) Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 390 (1839). 

 Acroccphalus sclucnoba?ius (L.), Newt. ed. Varr., i., p. 376 



(1873) ; Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 597, pi. 90, fig. 2 (1876). 

 Acroccphalus phra^/nitis, Seeb., Cat. B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 91 



(1SS1); id. Hist. Br. B., p. 352 (1883); B. O. U. List 



Br. B., p. 20 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. 2 



(1S86) ; Saunders, Man., p. 77 (18S9). 



Adult Male. — General colour above russet-brown, with dusky 

 brown centres to the feathers, the crown like the back, but the 

 rump and upper tail coverts more distinctly tawny and nearly 

 uniform ; lesser wing-coverts like the back, the median and 

 greater series, as well as the innermost secondaries blackish, 

 edged externally with tawny-buff ; primary-coverts brown, 

 blackish at the ends, forming an indistinct alar speculum ; 

 quills and tail-feathers dark brown, with tawny edgings, the 

 latter with faint margins to the tips of the feathers, more dis- 

 tinctly seen underneath; a very well marked eyebrow extend- 

 ing from the lores to above the ear-coverts, and accompanied 

 by a less defined black band along the side of the crown ; 

 lores dusky; ear-coverts dull tawny-buff; throat and centre of 

 breast and abdomen white ; fore-neck, chest, and sides of body 

 tawny-buff, deepening in colour on the flanks and under tail- 

 coverts; axillaries like the breast; under wing-coverts white, 

 with a slight tinge of tawny-buff; quills dusky below, whitish 

 alon_; the edge of the inner web; bill dark brown above, with 



