ASSAM, SYLIIET AND CACHAR. 201; 



517.— Acrocephalus agricolus, Jerd. 



I only twice saw this species in Manipur, both times in high 

 lice stubble in the neighbourhood of the Logtak lake, and 

 I with great difficulty secured two of the birds I saw. They 

 were in small parties, kept very close in cover, were flushed 

 with great difficulty, took very short flights and became invisi- 

 ble the instant they dropped. It is certainly, I think, rare in 

 Manipur. The two birds measured — 



Length. Expanse. 



^ ... 5-55 70 



„ ... 5-7 7-0 



Tarsi dull fleshy; feet a little greyer and browner, say 

 brownish fleshy; soles yellowish ; upper mandible brown, pink- 

 ish towards nares ; lower mandible pink or pale fleshy, brownish 

 towards tip, whitish towards gape ; irides light brownish yellow 

 to light hazel 



I got this at Lukkhai and two or three places in Central Sylhet, 

 and God win- Austen records it from Ghatak in Northern Sylhet. 

 I also met with it at Lakhipur and two or three other places in 

 Central Cachar, but beyond this I know nothing of its distribu- 

 tion in Assam, Sylhet or Cachar. 



[I secured a couple in the Dibrugarh district in some damp 

 bushy ground bordering a paddy field. 



Length. Expanse. Tail. Wing. Tarsus, Bill from gape. Weight. 



Bill above dusky, below fleshy ; gape fleshy ; mouth inside 

 yellowish ; legs and feet fleshy brown ; soles dingy yellow ; 

 irides bright olive brown ; food, small beetles, ants and tiny 

 insects. They are terrible skulks. — J, R. C] 



It has not been sent as yet from Arakan (though it is 

 certain to occur there), but it is common in the Pegu plains, 

 and occurs in the Thatone plains of Tenasserim, though 

 apparently only as a rather rare straggler. 



filter. — Acrocephalus bistrigeiceps, Swinh. 



Whilst beating the grass at Phalel for my new Perdicvbla 

 (S. F., IX, 467), I once or twice caught sight of a mite of a bird, 

 darting between the stems, and when on the second day 

 I ceased to find any more quail, I thought I would try and 

 shoot one of these unknown birdlets. This when I took 

 in hand to do it proved by no means an easy task. First it 

 was very hard to find them ; it was a good hour before I 

 roused one, aad then I only had a bad snap shot. However, 



2G 



