230 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



IV. THE REED-WARBLER. ACROCEPHALUS STREPERUS. 



(Plate XXL, Fig. 2.) 



Sylvia strepera, Vieill., N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., xi., p. 182 



(1817). 



Calamoherpe arundinacea, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 395 (1839). 

 Acrocephalns strepcrus^ Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 369 (1873); 



Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 567, pi. 87 (1877) ; Seeb., Cat. B. 



Brit Mus., v., p. 102 (iSSi) ; B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 18 



(1883) ; Lilford, Col. Fig., Br. B., pt. iii. (1886) ; Saunders, 



Man., p. 71 (1889). 

 Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Seeb., Br. B., i., p. 367 (1883). 



Adult Male. General colour rufescent olive-brown, the lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts showing a slight inclination 

 to ruddiness in the tint of the brown ; wing-coverts like the 

 back, the bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quills dusky brown, 

 edged with the same colour as the back ; tail-feathers 

 brown, edged with lighter brown, and having a faint indication 

 of a pale fringe at the tips ; crown slightly more dingy than the 

 back, but like the mantle, lores, and ear-coverts dusky brown, 

 with a faint streak of whitish above the eye ; cheeks, throat, 

 and under-parts white, with a fulvescent tinge on the breast and 

 sides of the body, the flanks browner ; under tail-coverts white, 

 with a slight fulvous tinge, as also the under wing-coverts, 

 axillaries, and quill-lining ; bill dark brown above, the under 

 mandible paler ; feet and claws purplish-brown ; iris brown. 

 Total length, 5-1 inches; culmen, o'6 ; wing, 2-5; tail, 2-0; 

 tarsus, 0-9. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male in colour. Total length, 

 5-4 inches; wing, 2-5. 



Young. More dingy and reddish-brown than the adults ; the 

 under surface of the body fulvescent, and inclining to tawny- 

 buff on the flanks ; the throat dingy fulvous ; and the abdo- 

 men ashy white. 



Range in Great Britain. Generally distributed over the 

 southern and midland counties, becoming somewhat rarer 

 in the south-west, but fairly common in Wales. To the 

 north it becomes gradually rarer and more local, and authen- 

 tic records from Scotland and Ireland are wanting. 



