2*4 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



its sides. The material consists of coarse grass, with finer grass 

 and roots, and always neatly lined with horsehair. Spiders' 

 webs, the flowers of the cotton-grass, and occasionally feathers, 

 are also used in the construction of the nest. 



Eggs. From four to five. Like the eggs of the Sedge- 

 Warbler, next described. Mr. Seebohm says that there is no 

 character by which they can be distinguished from the eggs of 

 the latter bird, excepting that perhaps they are a trifle smaller, 

 and not so yellow in tint. Axis, 0-67-07 inch; diam., 0*5- 

 0-52. 



THE SEDGE-WARBLER. ACROCEPHALUS PHRAGMITIS. 



(Plate XXL Fig. I.) 



Sylvia phragmitis, Bechst. Orn. Taschenb., p. 186 (1802). 

 Calamoherpc pliragmitis, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 390 (1839). 

 Acrocephalus schcenobanus (L.), Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 376 



(1873) ; Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 597, pi. 90, fig. 2 (1876). 

 Acrocephalus phragmitis, Seeb., Cat. B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 91 



(1881); id. Hist. Br. B., p. 352 (1883); B. O. U. List 



Br. B., p. 20 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. 2 



(1886); Saunders, Man., p. 77 (1889). 



Adult Male. General colour above russet-brown, with dusky 

 brown centres to the feathers, the crown like the back, but the 

 rump and upper tail coverts more distinctly tawny and nearly 

 uniform ; lesser wing-coverts like the back, the median and 

 greater series, as well as the innermost secondaries blackish, 

 edged externally with tawny-buff; primary-coverts brown, 

 blackish at the ends, forming an indistinct alar speculum ; 

 quills and tail-feathers dark brown, with tawny edgings, the 

 latter with faint margins to the tips of the feathers, more dis- 

 tinctly seen underneath ; a very well marked eyebrow extend- 

 ing from the lores to above the ear- coverts, and accompanied 

 by a less defined black band along the side of the crown ; 

 lores dusky; ear coverts dull tawny-buff; throat and centre of 

 breast and abdomen white ; fore-neck, chest, and sides of body 

 tawny-buff, deepening in colour on the flanks and under tail- 

 coverts ; axillaries like the breast ; under wing-coverts white, 

 with a slight tinge of tawny-buff; quills dusky below, whitish 

 along the edge of the inner web ; bill dark brown above, with 



