REED WAEBLEE. 81 



make their way about the stalks of the reeds with their 

 parents. 



Male; weight, nearly three drachms; length, five inches 

 and a half; bill, broad at the base, pale brown, the under 

 mandible inclining to yellowish white, brown towards the 

 end an indistinct dusky streak runs from its base to the 

 eye and behind it, and a pale yellowish brown streak over 

 it; iris, pale orange brown; eyelids, pale yellowish white; 

 there are two or three strong bristles on each side of the 

 bill. Head, crown, neck on the back, and nape, uniform 

 rather pale brown with a tinge of chesnut; chin and throat, 

 white, of a silvery cast in old birds. Breast, pale greyish 

 yellow, darkest on the sides; back, pale reddish brown. 



The wings extend to within an inch and a half of the end 

 of the tail, the quills are nineteen in number, the first 

 feather is about a quarter the length of the second, the 

 second and fourth nearly equal; primaries, secondaries, and 

 and tertaries, dark dusky chesnut brown, bordered with olive 

 brown. Tail, rather long, and a good deal rounded at the 

 end, the outside feather being a quarter of an inch shorter 

 than the middle one; the two middle feathers are the longest, 

 and a little pointed; it is dark dusky brown, bordered with 

 olive brown; under tail coverts, pale buff. Legs and toes, 

 pale greyish or yellowish brown, the claws a little darker, 

 the hind one strong, long, and hooked; the soles yellowish. 



The female is scarcely distinguishable from the male, but 

 is rather smaller. Length, about five inches. 



The young of the year are darker coloured than their parents, 

 and more mottled. The white streak over the eye is very 

 faint until after the moult. 



G 



