326 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



FOOD. Little information available, but said to feed on diptera 

 and small coleoptera. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. One. Male, St. Leonards-on-Sea (Sus- 

 sex), April 12th, 1915 (ut supra). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Breeds in south-east Spain, Italy, 

 Sicily, and Hungary, probably in Dalmatia and Bosnia and perhaps 

 in south France and Egypt. Hungarian birds winter in Greece. 

 From Kirghiz Steppes and west Turkestan to Persia replaced by 

 an allied race, wintering in India. 



Genus LOCUSTELLA Kaup. 



LOCUSTELLA Kaup, Skizz. Entw. & Naturl. Syst. Eur. Thierw., pp. 115, 

 191 (1829 Type by tautonymy : Sylvia locustella=L. ncevia). 



Somewhat resembling Cettia, but differing by having 12 rec- 

 trices and the plumage less silky. Rictal bristles obsolete, other- 

 wise much resembling Acrocephalus. Bill slender and pointed. 

 Under tail-coverts very long, as long as or longer than lateral 

 rectrices, tail strongly rounded, almost graduated. Sexes alike. 

 Nine species in Palsearctic region, in winter to tropical Asia, Sunda 

 Islands and Moluccas, and to Africa. Double moult. Nests on 

 or near ground, open, eggs more or less pinkish, spotted. 



Key to species of genus LOCUSTELLA. 



( Upper-parts distinctly spotted ... 2 



1 Upper-parts not distinctly spotted . . L. luscinioides, p. 326 



I Rectrices with white tips and black ante- 

 apical bar from below L. certhiola, p. 328 

 Rectrices uniform 3 



f Wing about 60-66 mm L. ncevia, p. 330 



3 t Wing about 53-57 mm L. lanceolata, p. 333 



LOCUSTELLA LUSCINIOIDES 



137. Locus tella luscinioides luscinioides (Savi) SAVI'S 

 WARBLER. 



SYLVIA LUSCINIOIDES Savi, Nuovo Giorn. Litter, vil, p. 341 (1824 Pisa). 

 Acrocephalus luscinioides (Savi), Yarrell, I, p. 389 ; Locustella luscinioides 

 (Savi), Saunders, p. 91. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 12). Adult male and female. Winter. Whole 

 upper-parts uniform dark reddish -brown, sometimes with an 

 olivaceous tinge and in certain lights faint, narrow, transverse 

 bars are observable ; short, indistinct eye-stripe buff ; lores dusky ; 



