Report of a Mission to Guam. 53. 



51. Acrocephalus syrinx Kittl. 



Mr. March found this species on Pagan Island, where it was 

 probabl}' accidental. General color above uniform ruddy brown, 

 under surface yellowish white. Length 6.8, wing 3, tail 2.50, 

 culmen .95-1, tarsus 1.05. Hab. Isle of Ponape, Carolines. 



52. Acrocephalus luscinia (Quoy & Gaim.). Ga-kaliso. 



Reed Warbler. 



Thrvolhoi us luscinus, Quoy & Gaim., Voy. Astrolabe, 1S30, I., p. 202. 

 Acrocephalus marianniT, Tri.st., Ibis, 1SS3, p. 45. 



Tatare luscinia, Oust., Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., Ser. III., Vol. VIII., p. 209. 

 .\cyocephalus luscinia, Hartert, Nov. Zool.. V., p. 57. 



This bird is now quite scarce, and I predict will soon become 

 extinct on the island of Guam. It lives exclusively among the 

 reedy swamps, and these swamps are now being drained to make 

 room for the Chinamen's rice paddies. Ga-kaliso, "The Dweller 

 Among the Reeds," as this name signifies, is the most beautiful 

 singer in all the islands. Early in the morning usually, from 

 among the tall reeds his liquid sweet song can be heard, the notes 

 rising and falling in happ}' cadence, reminding one very much of 

 the Mocking Bird of the southern United States. The.se birds are 

 very hard to distinguish in the field as they are so nearly the color 

 of the reeds, the onl}- way to locate them being by their melodious 

 voices. This made the .shooting of them a hard task, for to kill a 

 bird with so .sweet a voice made one feel as if he were committing a 

 great crime. Four specimens were taken. Their stomachs con- 

 tained the remains of a great many insecfls and larvie. I frequently 

 watched them feeding among the reeds. Three of these birds were 

 males, and one female. Their measurements are as follows: — 



The spread of the wings is about 10.25, the depth of the bill at 

 the nostrils is about .18. The general coloring above is a uniform 

 olive brown, with a slight rufous tint ; the primaries are a darker 

 brown than the mantle. In No. 9542, an adult male in fine breed- 

 ing plumage, the tail being darker than the mantle ; while in the 

 other specimens it is not. The tail and wing feathers, if held in a 

 certain light, show slight cross bands ; rump more or less yellowish, 

 much brighter in the females and young males ; a ^-ellow super- 

 ciliary line and lores ; the entire under surface is yellowish ; thighs 

 rufous ; sides of body and flanks rufous and gra^- ; bill brown above, 

 yellowish below ; feet and tarsus brownish gray ; eye dark hazel. 

 The females and the young are colored almost alike and are char- 

 acterized by the more rufous coloring in general ; the rufous outer 

 webs to the primaries and the very dark color of the inner second-. 



