ACROCEPHALUS. 355 



vii. ]>. 2SJ : Tfumi', Oat. no. 520; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 40(>; Reid 

 6'. F. x, p. U ; Barne*, Birds Bom. p. 213. 

 Locustella straminea (Severtz.), Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 117. 

 The Lesser Reed- Warbler, Jerd. 



Coloration. The whole upper plumage olive-brovvu, each feather 

 with a central dark brown or black spot ; wings brown, edged with 

 olive-brown ; tail brown, faintly edged with olive-brown and tipped 

 paler, obsoletely cross-rayed ; lores and an indistinct supercilium 

 buffy white ; ear-coverts brownish ; chin, throat, and middle of 

 abdomen whitish ; remainder of lower plumage ochraceous ; under 

 tail-coverts streaked with brown. 



Upper mandible dark brown ; lower mandible, legs, and feet 

 fleshy ; iris light brown (Bingham). 



Length about 5*5 ; tail 2 ; wing 2-3 ; tarsus '7 ; bill from gape *6 ; 

 the second primary is shorter than the sixth, but longer than the 

 fourth. 



Distribution. A winter visitor to the plains of India. I have 

 examined specimens from Delhi, Etawah, Cawnpore, Native Sik- 

 him, the Bhutan Doars, Asansol, Deesa, Belgaum, and Coirnbatore. 

 All these were killed from April to September, except the specimen 

 from Native Sikhim, which was procured in June. It is, therefore, 

 probable that L. straminea may pass the summer and breed there. 

 Cripps records this species from Furreedpore, but I have not had 

 an opportunity of examining the specimen referred to by him. 



The summer-quarters of this bird are not known with any 

 certainty. 



Genus ACKOCEPHALUS, Naum., 1811. 



The genus Acroceplialus contains five Indian species which are 

 common in winter. Three of them appear to remain in suitable 

 localities and in limited numbers throughout the summer and to 

 breed in India. The majority of these birds, however, leave in 

 spring and doubtless go to Central and Northern Asia. 



The Eeed- Warblers are birds of plain plumage closely allied to 

 each other, and not easy to be identified except by comparison of 

 size or by the structure of the wing. They haunt reed-beds, canals, 

 ditches, and almost any locality which is fairly well watered. They 

 are great skulkers and are seldom seen, but the harsh note that they 

 all have generally betrays their presence. In the breeding-season 

 they all have a pleasing song. 



The winter and summer plumages do not vary greatly, the chief 

 difference being an intensity of rufous or fulvous in the winter 

 after the autumn moult. These birds appear to undergo a com- 

 plete moult in the spring. The sexes are alike. 



In the birds of this genus the bill is of considerable length, being 

 nearly as long as the head ; there are three large rictal bristles on 

 each side of the head, and the forehead is smooth. The first 

 primary is very minute, and the second reaches nearly to the tip 



2A2 



