146 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
light greyish brown; the whole surface of the egg having 
these markings pretty evenly distributed over it. 
The Turki name for the Blue-throat is Chaghchi, an appella- 
tion given to it because it is said to make a sound resembling 
the noise of the spinning-wheels used by the women of Yarkand. 
515 ¢er.—Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Lin. 
$. Yarkand, 23rd June.—ISiength, 8°33; expanse, 11:2; 
wing, 3°8; tail, 3°15; tarsus, 1:0; bill, from gape, 0°95; 
closed wings fall short of tail, 1:85; weight, l‘loz. Pill: 
upper mandible brownish black above, tip and edge grey horny ; 
lower mandible, greyish horn color, dusky towards tip. Irides, 
straw brown; interior of mouth, orange; legs and feet, greenish 
fleshy ; claws, dusky horn color. 
This species was often heard among the reeds and rushes 
growing in marshy ground, but it was so dificult to get sight 
of it, that I only succeeded in obtaining one specimen. Its 
song is most peculiar—a pleasing sort of whistle at the begin- 
ning suddenly breaking into a harsh croak, so loud as to give 
one the impression that it must proceed from a bird much 
larger than this one really is. The Yarkandi Shikaris gave 
me the following information about this Reed Warbler. “ The 
Turki name of the bird is Kanaichi. It is a seasonal visitant, 
arriving about March, and leaving at the beginning of winter, 
when the water begins to freeze. It breeds in this country 
(Yarkand) making its nest in the Yekan (reeds) where it lives, 
and laying four eggs about the beginning of June. It does not 
migrate to Hindustan, but westwards—to Mazan Daran (an exten- 
sive forest region in Persia near the border of the Caspian.)” 
Four eggs, said to belong to this species, were brought to 
me on the fourteenth June; the man who brought them had 
never been told to get me the eggs of this species, but. of 
course, I cannot vouch that they are authentic; the embryo 
was found to be formed within them. In shape they are moder- 
ately elongated ovals, compressed at. one end. The ground 
color is greyish creamy; the small end is unspotted, but over 
the rest of the surface a few brown spots are sparingly scat- 
tered about, and at the widest part of the eg¢, brown spots and 
. dull purplish blotches are found, forming a broadish zone round 
the egg at that part. In length the eges measured from 0:93 
to 0°95, and in breadth from 0°68 to 0:7. The average of the 
four eggs is 0°94 by 0°692. 
517 &is—Acrocephalus macrorhynchus, Hume, 
SH, PII... 305. 
9. Kizil Aghil, 14th August.—Length, 5:8; expanse, 7°6 ; 
wing, 2°4; tail, 2-4, tarsus, 0-9; bill, from gape, 0°75 ; closed 
wings fall short of tail, 1:45; weight, 0°5 oz, 
