130 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



They appeared to me to be specimens of the true Haliaetus 

 albicilla, but I deferred putting the circumstance on record till 

 the assumption of their adult plumage should put their specific 

 identity beyond a doubt. This has now taken place^ and I there- 

 fore request admission for this notice to the pages of the ' Ibis.' 



J. H. GURNEY. 



Etawah, 8th Nov., 1867. 



Sir,— In 'The Ibis' for 1863 (pp. 303, 304) Mr. Swinhoe 

 makes mention of the Fantail Warbler {Cisticola schoenicola) , a 

 bird which is common in this part of India, and is always found 

 where the grass is long and plentiful, sometimes in watery 

 situations, and sometimes where there is no water in the imme- 

 diate vicinity. 



I have by me three specimens of the bird, which I, unlike Mr. 

 Swinhoe, find to be full-sized, — the length of the wing agree- 

 ing very nearly with that given by Dr. Bree (B. Eur. ii. p. 88), 

 exceeding the wing represented in his plate by an eighth of an 

 inch. In colouring, the birds vary much, some being much 

 darker than others. The plumage, I find, also fades more than 

 that of most small birds. 



I have taken the nest of this species very frequently. It was 

 once only built in grass, which grew in water about a foot deep ; 

 and in this instance it was placed about a foot above the surface 

 of the water. In other cases I have generally found it about 

 the same distance from the ground. It is in the form of a purse 

 or bag, about 4 inches deep and 1*5 inch in diameter, made of 

 fine grass and cobwebs, with which the bird draws the grass- 

 stems together, all round the nest, so as almost to hide it. To 

 remove the nest, a considerable handful of grass must be cut at 

 the roots. Inside it does not appear to have any additional 

 lining but just the very fine grass and spiders' webs of which it 

 is built. Its sides, in fact, are formed mainly of the grass-stems 

 which support it. The bird draws them together as I have 

 said, and constructs a bottom to the tube thus made. The en- 

 trance to the nest is at the top, and rather on one side. 



The eggs are five, and sometimes six in number, i-ather glossy, 

 and invariably white, more or less finely marked and spotted 



