the Birds of Ngamiland. • 385 



d, e. S • Mahabe Flats, 3000 ft., 24tli & 30tli July. 

 (Nos. Q7, 72, R. B. TK) 



The adult male and female are most nearly allied to 

 C. lavendulce Ogilvie-Grant from the Somaliland coast, 

 but differ in having the general colour of the upper. parts 

 somewhat darker, the basal half of the feathers being dark 

 grey instead of whitish, and the rump pale rufous-buff, 

 contrasting with the colour of the back. The bird resembles 

 C. lavendula in the shape of the wing, the first primary being 

 comparatively short and narrow, while the third and fourth 

 arc longest, slightly longer than the second. The iris is hazel ; 

 bill horn-coloured and feet flesh-coloured in April, light 

 brown in July. 



Male, Total length 102 mm. ; wing 52 ; tail 38 ; tarsus 20. 



Female. Total length 97 mm. ; wing 47 ; tail 36 : tarsus 19. 



These little Grass- Warblers were met with throughout 

 the Kalahari wherever there was open country. They have 

 a curious habit of flying to a great height with a succession 

 of quick jerky wing-beats, each jump being accompanied by 

 a sharp clicking note ; this is their most conspicuous feature. 

 They seem to prefer dry grass-country to low-lying marshy 

 ground, where C cisticola uropi/gialis is more often met 

 with. 



Cisticola tinniens (Licht.). 



Cisticola tinniens Stark, ii. p. 147 ; Reich, iii. p. 551. 



a, h. ? . Mababe Flats, 3000 ft., 10th & 15th Aug. 

 (Nos. 89, R. B. TV., & 581, G. L.) 



c, d. (? . Tamalakan River, 2700 ft., 22nd July. (Nos. 

 63, R. B. TV., & 560, G. L.) 



Iris hazel : bill dark brown, lower mandible lighter ; feet 

 light brown. 



Levaillant^s Grass-Warbler is very numerous throughout 

 the Okavango marshes ; it may sometimes be seen among 

 the thick belts of bush bordering swampy ground, but it 

 principally frequents the tall belts of papyrus and pampas 

 grass along the watercourses. It has a great variety of 

 loud notes, many of which resemble those of other birds. 



