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broad, and the tail contains twelve 

 feathers. 



They are small birds, usually of 

 plain plumage. INIany species resemble 

 each other so closely that it is diflficult 

 to distinguish them without having 

 the bird in one's hand. 



The sexes are alike with few 

 exceptions. The young, while having 

 the same color pattern as the adult, 

 are more highly colored. 



Warblers are mainly insectivorous, 

 though some also take small moUusks, 

 and, to a limited extent, fruit. 



The Family consists of between five 

 and six hundred species, divided among 

 sixty-five genera. China has sixty- 

 three species, seventeen of which 

 reach the Yangtse Valley. 



PALLAS' GRASSHOPPER 

 WARBLER. 



LOCUSTELLA CERTHIOLA, L. 



Description. — Length five and one 

 half inches. Bill yellow. Tarsus 

 white. Iris brown. 



A narrow indistinct yellowish white 

 eye-stripe. Above the feathers are 

 dark olive, bordered rufous, having fine 

 black streaks on the back and especially 

 on the head. In old birds there is a 

 rufous olive collar behind the nape 

 without streaks. Throat and abdomen 

 yellowish white. Breast pale yellowish 

 brown, rest of the under parts olive in 

 adults, either not streaked at all, or 

 with only a few tiny marks on the 

 sides and breast. In winter the 

 yellow tinge is lacking. Tail feathers 

 black margined rufous, and broadly 

 tipped white, this forming a dis- 

 tinguishing mark for the species. 



