SYLVIADZ. 101 
lilacs or laurustinus growing in a shrubbery at some 
distance from the water.* 
The food of the Reed Warbler appears to consist 
of worms, slugs, aquatic insects and the smaller 
species of dragonflies.+ 
The beak is of a pale brown, inclining to yel- 
lowish white on the under mandible; the irides 
brown; the head, neck and all the upper surface of 
the body uniform pale brown, with a tinge of chest- 
nut, the primary quills being a little darker; the tail 
is rounded, the outside feathers being shorter than 
the middle; the chin and throat are white; the 
breast, belly, flanks and under tail-coverts pale buff, 
rather lighter in the middle than on the sides; 
legs, toes and claws pale brown. Although much 
resembling both the Grasshopper and Sedge War- 
bler, this bird may be distinguished from them by 
its more uniform colour and by the absence of the 
pale streak over the eye: there are some other dis- 
tinctions mentioned by Yarrell, but they do not 
appear so obvious. 
The eggs are of a greenish white ground colour, 
spotted and speckled with ash-green and light 
brown, occasionally (according to Hewitson) much 
resembling those of the Sedge Warbler, from which, 
* Hewitson. There are also various notes in the 
‘ Zoologist’ to the same effect. 
+ Yarrell, vol! 1.;"p. 310. 
K 3 
