CETTIA. 267 



and upper tail coverts ; the quills and tail hair brown, margined with rufescent 

 olive ; ear coverts, sides of the neck, body, flanks and vent feathers a pale dull 

 greyish or earthy brown ; chin, throat, breast, and abdomen white, lower tail 

 coverts slightly rufous brown (webs very lax and much disunited) narrowly 

 tipped with white ; axillaries and wing lining slightly greyish white ; the edge 

 of the wing just above the base of the primaries is white ; in some few specimens 

 the eye streak extends beyond the eye to more than half of the ear coverts, 

 but in most it ceases just beyond the posterior angle of the eye ; irides brown ; 

 legs and feet pale brown or fleshy brown, darker on toes and claw ; bill dark 

 horny brown, but paler on lower mandible. 



"Length. 5-8 to 6*5 inches ; expanse 7*5 to 8*4 ; tail from vent 2.4 to 3 ; 

 wing 2' 5 to 2'8 ; wings, when closed, reach to within from 1*2 to 2 of end of 

 tail; bill at front 0*4 to 0*5 ; tarsus o - 8 to nearly 0*9 ; weight 0-4 oz." Stray 

 Feathers, vol. i. p. 191. 



Hal. Sind, Beloochistan, Persia, and Afghanistan. Found in France, 

 Spain, Algeria, Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine and Turkestan. 



It is found on both shores of the Mediterranean, extending eastwards as far 

 as Turkestan. It winters in Sind. Mr. Blanford obtained it in the Elburz 

 Mountains north of Tehran, where it abounded in bushes on the sides of 

 the valleys. Menetries found it on the Talish Mountains south of Lankoran. 

 Mr. Blanford found its nest near Asupas. He describes it as cup-shaped, 

 deep, rather roughly constructed of dried grass and lined with a little down 

 of plants. Eggs, two in number, uniform dull brick red in colour. Size 075 

 inch x 0-57. 



Mr. Hume gives an interesting account of its skulking habits among the 

 almost impenetrable rushes. 



325. Cettia fortipes, (Hodgs.) Seebohm, P. z;s. 1878, P% 980; id , 



Ibis, 1879, p. 36; id., Cat. B. Br. Mus. v. p. 137. Horornis fortipes, 

 Hodgs. MS. Drawings B. Nepaul, pi. 63 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 584; 

 Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 162 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 329 ; Brooks, Str. F. 

 viii. p. 475. Drymoica brevicauda, .Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 459. Horornis 

 assimilis, (Gray) Brooks, Str. F. x. p. 170. Neornis assimilis, BL Ibis, 1867, 

 p. 22 ; Godwn.-Austen, J. A. S. B. xliii. pt. ii. p. 167 ; Wald. in BL B. 

 Burm. p. 105 ; Hume and Dav., vi. p. 351 ; Schcenicola fortipes, Hume, Str. 

 F. viii. p. 10 1. HODGSON'S HILL- WARBLER. 



Upper surface rich russet brown ; lores and ear coverts darker russet ; eye 

 streak indistinct pale brown, in some with a yellowish tinge ; wings and tail 

 brown, the outer webs edged with russet brown ; under surface of body buffish 

 brown ; axillaries and under wing coverts pale yellow ; bill dark brown, the 

 base of lower mandible paler; legs and feet pale brown ; irides pale brown. 



Length. 4*5 inches; wing r88 to 2'28 ; tail r86 to 2'2i ; culmcn 0-48 

 to 0-56 ; from gape 0*62 ; tarus o^. 



