tinental 

 Europe. 



278 



Acrocephalus arundinaceiis (L.). Newton, ed. Yarrell, I, p. 364. Dresser, 

 B. of Europe, II, p. 597 and Man. Pal. Birds, p. 119. A. turdoides 

 (Mey.). Saunders, Man. p. 83. A. arundinaceus arimdinaceus (L.). 

 Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 556. 



Breeding Range: Middle and South Continental Europe, from 

 the Baltic and Gulf of Finland to the Mediterranean, and from Andalucia 

 E. to Orenburg, but replaced by the Caspian race in S. E. Russia. 

 [Also in N. W. Africa, Asia Minor and W. Siberia.] 

 Con- It is very curious that a species, which breeds in such numbers 



on the opposite side of the Channel and whose northern range extends 

 to the Gulf of Finland, should only be a rare accidental visitor to the 

 British Isles. It is abundant in the reed beds of Portugal, and in the 

 S. of Spain, but becomes very scarce in the plateaux of the interior, 

 although it is found in the lagoons of the E. coast. In France it is 

 fairly general in all suitable ground and is very common in some parts 

 of Holland and Belgium. In Germany it is most numerous in E. Prussia, 

 Pomerania, parts of Silesia, the Mark, Mecklenburg, Brunswick and the 

 lower Rhine, but becomes scarce in Schleswig, although a few pairs 

 have been found breeding in Denmark. In Switzerland it is confined to 

 the low ground, and in Italy is found in the marshy districts of the N. 

 and Central Provinces, but is scarce in the S., although not uncommon 

 in the lakes and marshes of E. Sicily. Corsica and Sardinia are only 

 visited on passage. Eastward it is found in almost all parts of Austro- 

 Hungary where reed beds exist, in Poland, the Baltic Provinces to the 

 islands in the Gulf of Riga and to about lat. 57" N. in the Urals. In 

 the Balkan Peninsula it is common in the Danubian states, and breeds 

 in the marshes of Herzegowina, Albania and in Corfu, but apparently not 

 in Macedonia, while only a small proportion stay through the summer 

 in Greece. [Also breeds in W. Siberia (Johansen), Asia Minor, probably 

 in Palestine, and in some numbers in N. W. Africa, especially in parts 

 of Algeria.] 

 NeBt. The presence of this bird in reed beds is very easy to detect on 



account of its extremely loud and rather harsh song, which becomes 

 almost deafening when uttered simultaneously by a dozen or more males. 

 Unlike most bird songs, it can be very accurately represented by words, 

 Karra, karra, karra; karee (or Keeit) karee karee; charra, charra, 

 charra, etc. The nest is a copy on a larger scale of that of the Reed 

 Warbler, but is even more neatly constructed. It is built round 3 to 

 5 reed stems growing close together at heights varying as a rule from 

 2 to 4 ft. above the water, which it almost always overhangs. One nest 

 only have I seen which was well concealed among rank marsh vegetation 

 (not reeds), and within a foot of the water. Occasionally however nests 



