BRITISH BIRDS. 29 



GENUS XIV. HYPOLAIS, Brehm (1828). 

 Bill moderate, tolerably stout, widened at base. Wings 

 fairly long, ist quill veiy small, 3rd longest. Tail 

 moderate. Feet rather small. 



36. Hypolais hypolais (Linn.). ICTERINE WARBLER. 



Hab. Northern and Central Europe, south to Italy, 

 north to Arctic Circle in Norway, west to the Rhine and 

 Netherlands, east to Ural Mountains. South in winter to 

 Africa. 



Male : above olive-grey, with a yellow streak above 

 eye ; tail-feathers and primaries brown ; secondaries with 

 wide margins and tips of dirty white ; lower plumage 

 pale yellow ; bill brown, base of lower mandible yellow ; 

 tarsi slate. Length 5-10; wing 3*00. Female scarcely differs. 



A very rare straggler to our shores ; five examples have 

 been obtained, viz. : one near Dover (1848), one in Co. 

 Dublin (1856), two in Norfolk (1884 and 1893), one near 

 Newcastle~on-Tyne (1889). Also recorded as observed in 

 Wicklow and Pembrokeshire in 1886. 



GENUS XV. ACROCEPHALUS, Naumann (1819). 



Bill moderately long, nearly straight, ridge of upper 

 mandible arched, base widened, tip compressed. Wings 

 somewhat short ; ist quill very small, 3rd longest. Tail 

 rather long, rounded. Feet and claws large and strong ; 

 tarsus long. 



37, Aeroeephalus streperus (Vieill). 

 REED-WARBLER. 



Hab. Europe, north to south of Sweden ; also Persia 

 and Turkestan. In winter south to Africa. 



Male : entire upper plumage pale brown, with a chestnut 

 tinge which is most decided on rump ; above eye a buffish- 

 yellow streak ; breast, flanks and under tail-coverts buffish- 



