CISTICOLA CISTICOLA 123 



outside with strips of the Epilobium and hned inside with fine grass, 

 a Httle hail- and bits of cotton at the top. In all cases the nests 

 are deep and cup-shaped, while the eggs, as a rule from three to five 

 in number, vary from a delicate rose colour to a brownish or brick-red 

 colour, and are unspotted. Average measurements 19 x 14 mm. 



Subfamily DRYMCECIN^. 



CISTICOLA CISTICOLA (Temminck). 



FANTAIL-WARBLEE. 



Sylvia cisticola, Tetnm. Man. d'Orn. i, p. 228 (1820) ; Malherbe, Cat. 



Eais. (VOis. Alg. p. 10 (1846). 

 Cisticola cisticola, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mas. vii, p. 259 ; Erlanger, 



J.f. 0. 1899, p. 279. 

 Cisticola schoenicola, Lochc, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 281 (1867) ; Koeiiig, 



J.f. 0. 1888, p. 193 ; id. J.f. 0. 1892, p. 392. 

 C. cursitans, Whitaker, Ibis, 1896, p. 93. 



Description. — Adult female, winter, from Gabes, South Tunisia. 



Upper parts tawny-buff, the feathers with broad blackish shaft-stilpes, 

 more pronounced on the crown, back and wings, and less so on the nape ; 

 rump bright rusty-buff ; upper tail-coverts the same, but with darker centres 

 to the feathers ; the central pair of rectrices brownish-buff, with dark brown 

 centres, the remaining tail-feathers dark brown, broadly tipped with whibe ; 

 chin, throat and middle of the abdomen white rest of the underparts buff. 



Iris bright hazel ; bill brown above and flesh colour below ; feet pale 

 flesh colour. 



Total length 4 inches, wing 1-85, culmen -40, tarsus -70. 



Adult male resembles the female in coloration, but is slightly larger. 



Two forms of Cisticola occur in North-west Africa, the ordinary 

 C. cisticola (Temm.) and a darker and somewhat larger form, recently 

 described by me under the name of Cisticola cisticola mauritanica 

 (Bull. B. 0. C. xiv, p. 20), which will be treated of in the following 

 article. 



The former probably occurs south of the Mediterranean chiefly as 

 a winter migrant, though it may also be resident in North-west Africa 

 to a certain extent, while the latter seems to be met with there 



