the Birds of Chinkiang. 445 



others were seen there at the same time. I shot a very worn 

 example on the 7th of September following. 



Note. — I heard in summer in the reed-beds, on two or 

 three occasions, a call-note and song which were either those 

 of A. bistrigiceps or A. agricola ; but I could not see 

 the birds, and was unable to procure the nest. Styan 

 states that both these species breed at Kiukiang, and I 

 have no doubt that they will be found nesting among the 

 Chinkiang reed-beds. 



Note. — In 'The Ibis' for 1900, p. 51, I wrote in error 

 that Calamoherpe concinens Sw. ( — A. agricola Jerdon) was 

 founded on examples of A. agricola collected by Pere David 

 near Peking. But I now find that Swinhoe described the 

 bird from an example which he himself shot just outside 

 Peking (P.Z. S. 1870, p. 432). 



29. Cisticola cursitans Frankl. 



Cisticola cisticola (Temm.) ; Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 335. 



The Fantail- Warbler is extremely abundant in summer 

 about Chinkiang. It breeds both on the plains and on the 

 grass-covered hills. The two or three nests which I have 

 seen in situ were all empty and were shown to me by 

 natives ; but a great number with eggs were brought to me 

 during the summer of 1903, between June 18 and August 17. 

 June appears, however, to be the principal breeding-time. 

 There are doubtless several broods in a season. All the 

 nests that I have seen were quite similar in shape and 

 construction. They were in the form of a deep pear-shaped 

 purse, made of the softest grass-down, felted together and 

 secured by cobwebs to the grasses in the midst of which 

 they were built. They were placed at heights varying from 

 a few inches to a foot and a half from the ground. The 

 supporting plant was in every case a clump of grass. The 

 full clutch appears to consist of five or six eggs, usually six, 

 but once a nest containing seven very small eggs was brought 

 to me. A nest taken on June 20 contained, besides two 

 fresh eggs, a Cuckoo's egg ; and another taken on June 28, 

 with five eggs, had also a Cuckoo's egg in it. Both these 



