THE REED-WARBLERS. 229 



which is a resident form in Egypt, Persia, Transcaspia, and 

 Turkestan. The winter home of the Great Reed- Warbler ex- 

 tends south to the Transvaal in Africa, but it would also appear 

 to follow many of the river-systems in the last-named continent, 

 as the late Mr. Jameson procured it on the Aruwhimi river, 

 and it has also been met with on the Lower Congo. 



Eabits. — In the reed-covered marshes affected by this bird, 

 it is very easily discovered by its powerful song and large size, 

 which identify it at once when it flies. It often sings as it 

 ascends a reed to the top, its note commencing with a harsh 

 "carag/i, caragk" and then continuing like an enlarged edition 

 of the Sedge-Warbler's song. When it has attained to the 

 summit of the reed, it finishes its song, and flies off for a 

 little distance, again drops like a stone into the reed-bed, and 

 commences to sing again. When threading our way through 

 the Hansag marshes in Hungary, after the International Con- 

 gress of Ornithologists in 1891, we saw and heard numbers of 

 these birds, and afterwards obtained specimens in a little patch 

 of reeds near the Neusiedler lakes, where there were several 

 pairs of them. It has several croaking notes which it intro- 

 duces into its song, and it is heard late into the evening. Its 

 food consists of insects, but it is also said to feed on elder- 

 berries in the autumn. 



Nest. — Suspended in reeds, and very skilfully attached to the 

 latter. It is made of dead reeds, with a few roots interwoven, 

 and lined with grass- stems and the flower of the reed. Some- 

 times a little moss or the leaves of other water-plants are 

 added. 



Eggs. — From four to six in number, and very handsome. 

 The ground-colour varies from pale blue to greenish-blue or 

 greenish-white, and the eggs are very boldly blotched and 

 spotted. The blotches, which are generally at the larger end 

 of the egg, are greenish or reddish-brown, sometimes clouding 

 the larger end entirely ; in many cases they are so dark 

 as to appear almost black. The underlying markings of 

 violet-grey are strongly pronounced, and often partake of the 

 nature of blotches, almost as large as the brown overlying 

 markings. Axis, o'8-ro; diam., 0-6-0-65. 



