1920.] Birds of North- East Chihli. 647 



tlie Reecl-Warblers i'ouiicl in the vicinity. It a[)[)ears in 

 spring towards the 15tli of May^ and some remain until the 

 middle of June. It is extremely abundant in the millet crops 

 on the plain dui'iiig August, and when tiie crops are cut, 

 spreads to the grass-covered marshes, where it is abundant 

 in October. The earliest date on which I have seen this 

 Inrd on the autumn migration is the 7th of August, 1912, 

 and the latest the 26th of October, 1914, and the 27tli of 

 October, 1912. At the end of August many young birds, 

 probably bred in the vicinity, are about. They appear to 

 moult before they leave for the south. The young bird is 

 paler above than the adult, especially on the crown; the 

 black eyebrow is less marked, the feathers being edged with 

 fulvous browai ; the wing- feathers are edged with paler brown, 

 in strong contrast with their dark centres. I have occasionally 

 heard birds singing at tlie port on the spring migration. 

 The song is not loud but very melodious. This Warbler and 

 the Black-naped Oriole are the only migrants heard singing 

 at Chinwangtao. 



33. Acrocephalus tangoniin La Touche. 



Acrocephulvs tcoiyorum La Touche, Bull. B. O. 0. vol. xxxi. 

 1912, p. 10 ; Ibis, 1914, p. 568. 



Description (autumn bird). Upper parts warm fulvous 

 brown, more fulvous in young birds. A pale buff superciliary 

 stripe, and above this a narrow and more or less blackish 

 stripe. Throat and centre of abdomen silky wliite. Rest of 

 under parts warm rufous buff. Wings and tail brown, edged 

 exteri(jr]y with the same fulvous brown as the back. Tail- 

 feathers narrow and pointed. A male shot on the 5th of 

 June has the upper parts less fulvous than autumn birds and 

 its superciliary stripe is w'hitish, the dark band above it 

 l)eing more conspicuous tiian in the autumn birds. The 

 soft parts of this bird were as follows : — Iris greyish hazel ; 

 upper mnndible blackish ; lower mandible flesh-colour ; 

 tongue I)right yellow ; rictus and mouth yellow ; legs 

 yellowish flesh-colour. One of the birds obtained in 1912 



SER. XI. VOL. II. 2x 



