ACROCEPHALUS 115 



usually placed at the bottom of the cup. The eggs, usually 4 

 in number, are delicate French white, sometimes with a faint 

 blue green tinge, marked with pale underlying greyish brown 

 shell-markings, and small dark brown surface-spots and average 

 in size about 0'88 by 0'65. They closely resemble those of 

 Anihus campestris. 



165. GREY-BACKED WARBLER. 

 AEDON FAMILIARIS. 



Aedon familiaris, (Menetr.) Cat. Rais. p. 32 (1832) ; Dresser, ii, p. 553, 

 pi. 85, fig. 2 ; Pleske, Orn. Ross. ii. p. 148 ; (Seebohm), Cat. B. Br. 

 Mus. v. p. 36 ; (Gates), F. Brit. Ind. Birds, i. p. 351. 



Kamyschevy-Solovei, Russ. ; Rusignuolo levantino, Ital. 



ad. (Asia Minor). Differs from Aedon galactodes in having the 

 upper parts much greyer , being greyish brown, not rufous brown, the 

 central tail-feathers dull dark greyish brown, the under parts paler and greyer, 

 and the first .primary rather shorter. Culmen 0'75, wing 3'4, tail 2*75, 

 tarsus TO inch ; first primary fully O'l less than the coverts and the 

 second 0*5 less than the third. 



Hob. Greece, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Persia, Turkestan, 

 Afghanistan, and Baluchistan, and winters in Sind and 

 Rajpootana ; has strayed as far west as Heligoland, and occurs 

 though rarely in Italy. 



In general habits it resembles A. galactodes, frequents the 

 same localities ; and its song differs but little ; its call-note 

 is said to be tack, tack. It breeds in May or June, placing 

 its nest in a low tree near the trunk, not high above the 

 ground and occasionally on the ground itself. It is carelessly 

 built of plant-stems, and lined with wool, cotton, feathers, 

 and always contains a piece of serpent's skin. The eggs 4 to 6, 

 usually 5 in number, closely resemble those of A. galactodes 

 but are paler, and are subject to considerable variation. 



ACROCEPHALUS, Naumann, 1811. 



166. PADDY-FIELD WARBLER. 

 ACROCEPHALUS AGRICOLA. 



Acrocephalus agricola, Jerdon, Madr. Journ. xiii. pt. 2. p. 131 (1844) ; 

 Dresser, ii. p. 559, pi. 86, fig. 1 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. v. p. 

 105 : Pleske, Orn. Ross. ii. p. 552 ; Gates, F. Brit. Ind. Birds, 

 i. p. 359. 



i 2 



