284 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
received several specimens from the neighbourhood of Pinetown, 
where they were procured by Mr. T. L. Ayres. Mr. Thomas Ayres 
observes that in Natal ‘‘these Warblers, which are not so 
common as some other reed-birds, are found amongst the rank grass 
and rushes that grow in swampy places. When they have been 
once flushed, it is a difficult matter to put them up a second time, as 
they creep away with great swiftness amongst the stems of grass. 
Their notes are rather loud and somewhat harsh; their flight is 
weak, being seldom sustained for more than fifty yards. Their 
food appears to consist entirely of small insects.” 
Adult.—Above light tawny brown, rather darker on the head and 
inclining to ashy brown on the sides of the neck; wings brown, the 
least wing-coverts uniform with the back, the rest of the coverts and 
the quills externally margined with the same tawny brown as the back, 
becoming paler towards the tips of the primaries ; upper tail-coverts 
very long and broad, resembling the tail in texture, and of a deep 
brown colour like the middle tail-feathers, the remainder of the 
latter blackish, obscurely waved with dusky under certain lights, 
and tipped with dull whitish; lores and a faint eyebrow, ashy grey ; 
sides of face light brown with paler shaft-streaks to the ear-coverts ; 
throat and cheeks white, washed with yellowish on the hinder 
margin of the latter; rest of under surface of body white in the 
centre, the breast and sides as well as the flanks light tawny buff ; 
thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts light brown, the latter rather 
darker; under wing-coverts whitish, washed with buff; lower 
surface of quills pale ashy brown, with an almost imperceptible 
lighter edging along the inner web; upper mandible black, the 
lower one grey; legs flesh-colour; iris brown. Total length, 5°8 
inches; culmen, 0°55; wing, 2°4; tail, 3°35; tarsus, 0°8. 
Obs. Mr. Ayres (Ibis, 1863, p. 323) gives the soft parts as 
follows :—“TIris light hazel; upper mandible of bill very dark ashy 
brown; under mandible light ash-colour; nostrils large and oval ; 
tarsi and feet palish brown.” 
Fig. Heuglin, Orn, N. O. Afr. taf. ix. 
269. PHLEXIS VICTORINI. Victorin’s Reed- Warbler. 
Bradypterus layardi and B. victorini, Layard, B. 8. Afr. 
pp. 100, 101. 
The identity of P. layardi and P. victorini we consider to he 
