Measure- 

 ments. 



269 



nest has been compared to those of both Reed and Sedge Warbler: it 

 is built of dead grasses, roots, fragments of sedges from the floating 

 scum and bits of tamarisk down, etc., lined neatly and smoothly with 

 grasses, bits of reed flower, and sometimes a feather or two is woven 

 in. Some nests have quite a large number of feathers of Purple Gallinule, 

 Water Rail, and Little Bittern in the lining. Dimensions: depth from 

 3 in. upwards, diameter 3i in., diameter of cup, 11 — 2 in., depth II in. 



Usually 4, occasionally 3 or 5, and 6 have occasionally been found ^8g»- 

 in Hungary. They closely resemble those of the Sedge Warbler, but 

 when fresh have generally a greenish tinge and are as a rule lighter in 

 colour. The fine speckles of olive brown and ashy shell markings are 

 evenly distributed over the surface, generally showing the pale greenish 

 (or occasionally light yellowish brown) ground, but in a few cases are 

 so thick that the ground is quite obscured. Many eggs have a black 

 hairstreak at the big end. 



In Hungary the eggs may be taken from mid-April onward to the ^"^'^>°8 

 end of May and even in June, and two broods are reared. In Sicily 

 Lynes found young on the wing and fresh eggs (presumably second 

 broods) on June 6 — 8. Both sexes take part in incubation. 



Average of 86 eggs (45 by the writer and 41 by Rey), 17.86x13.12, 

 Max. 19x13.1 and 18.3x14.1, Min. 16.3x12.3 and 17x12. 



Average weight, 83 mg. (Rey); 85 mg. (Bau). 



[The Eastern form of this species, L. melanopogon mimica Mad. 

 breeds from the Volga delta and the Kirghis steppes eastward to Persia. 

 The eggs do not differ from those of the Western form.] 



125. River Warbler, Locustella fluviatilis (Wolf). 



Plate 29, fig. 22, 23 (Breslau, 20. VI. 81 and 15. VI. 86). 



Eggs: Thienemann, Fortpfl. Tab. XXI, fig. 6, a— c (errore) ; Taf. IC, 

 tig. 11, a, b. Heckel, Verb. d. Z. B. Ver., Wien, 1852, Taf. fig. 1—3 

 and Naumannia, 1853. Taf. II. Baedeker, Tab. 19, fig. 19. Taczanowski, 

 Tab. XIV, fig. 1. Dresser, pi. — , fig. 33, 34, 39, 40. 



Foreign Names: Bohemia: Rdkosnik ri^ni. Finland: Virtakerttu. 

 Germany: Fluss-Rohrsanger, Fluss-Schwirl. Hungary: Berki tilcsokmaddr . 

 Poland: Oajowka strumeniotva. Russia: Retschnaja kamyschefka. 

 Locustella fluviatilis (Wolf). Dresser, B. of Europe, II, p. 102 and Man. 

 Pal. Birds, p. 135. Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 547. 



Breeding Range: Germany (chiefly in the E.), Austro -Hungary, 

 and Russia N. to about 60°, but everywhere local. 



In Germany the River Warbler has long been known to inhabit ^^^l^'^^^ 

 certain marshy districts in the E. provinces, such as E. Prussia (especially Europe. 



