346 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



blotched or spotted pinkish-brown and grey ; others, closely 

 resembling Marsh -Warbler's ; a third type has ground suffused 

 brownish -grey with brown and ashy spots, etc. Average of 52 

 eggs, 17.6 X 13.7 mm. Breeding-season. — June. 



Food. — Insects, but exact data not available. 



Distribution. — Great Britain. — Eight or nine. One Fair Isle 

 (Shetlands), Sept. 29 and 30, 1910 {ut supra) ; one Spurn Point 

 (Yorks.), Sept. 20, 1912 (J. K. Stanford, Brit. B., vi, p. 217) ; one 

 Holy Island (Northumberland), Sept. 25, 1912 (H. F. Witherby, 

 I.e., p. 206) ; four or five single birds Fair Isle, Sept. 24, 26, 29, 30 

 and Oct. 1, 1912 (Duchess of Bedford and W. E. Clarke, Scot. Nat., 

 1913, p. 28) ; one Dudgeon Lt. ship (Norfolk), Oct. 20-21, 1912 

 (Bull. B.O.C. Mig. Rep. xxxiv, p. 271). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Central Asia from Himalayas north- 

 ward, to Transcaspia, Altai, Turkestan, west Siberia, and parts of 

 European Russia. Winters in India, south to Ceylon and Burma. 



ACROCEPHALUS SCHCENOBiENUS 



146. Acrocephalus schcEnobaenus (L.) — THE SEDGE- 

 WARBLER. 



MoTACiLLA ScHCENOB.,E]srns Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 184 (1758 — 

 " Habitat in Europa." Restricted typical locality : S. Sweden). 

 Acrocephalus phragmitis, Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B., i, p. 352 ; Saunders, 

 p. 85. 

 Acrocephalus schoBnobcenus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 376. 



Moustached Warbler (Lusciniola m. melanopogon) . B. Sedge- Warbler {Acrocephalus 

 sch^Bnobmnus). C. Aquahc Warbler (A. aquaticus). From above. 



Description.— ^(^w^^ male and female. Winter. — Whole crown 

 with broad brown-black streaks each feather edged with brown ; 

 back of neck, mantle and scapulars more uniform brown with much 

 fewer, smaller and less dark .streaks ; back, rump and upper tail 

 coverts tawny (varying in shade) and uniform save for occasional 



