0)1 the Birds of South- Eastern China. 45 



ACROCEPHALUS ORIENTALIS. 



The Chinese Great Reed-Wai'bler occurs on the Kwang 

 Tung coast and on the West River as a bird of passage 

 during the spring and autumn migrations. It passes through 

 in a very leisurely manner, and shews more inclination 

 for mulberry-canes and bamboo-scrub than for actual reeds, 

 especially in the autumn. 



The earliest date for spring migrants was April 22nd, 

 and many were in the reeds and in full song from May 3rd 

 to May 8th, the last was seen on the 16th of that 

 month. 



From September 5th until October 24th they were observed 

 on the West River passing south. 



LOCUSTELLA CERTHIOLA. 



Pallas's Grasshoppei'-W^arbler has been observed at Sam- 

 shui from September 6th until October 15th, and it has also 

 occured at Macao and Wuchau. 



This bird, as is well known, is a great skulker and difficult 

 to flush from the paddy ; when put up it drops again 

 and threads its way with astonishing rapidity through the 

 stalks to rise once more well ahead of the place in which it 

 alighted. It is never seen on its spring passage, but at 

 that time the paddy-fields are all hard, dry, and bare and 

 would offer it no cover at all. At this season the Snipe, 

 whose habitat Locustella favours in the autumn, migrate 

 to the mulberry-canes, but this little bird was never found 

 there with them. 



Possibly this species travels to the north by a different 

 rou.te from that by which it journeys south. 



Locustella lanceolata. 



This Grasshopper- Warbler was only obtained once, 

 October 28th, 1907; but it is quite possible that this 

 species may have been confused with Locustella certhiula, 

 both being such confirmed skulkers and very difficult of 

 observation. 



