THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 387 
at Basra on November 20th and obtained one which undoubtedly belongs to the 
Eastern race. The above records tend to shew that this bird is resident, but 
further confirmation is desirable. 
7y. River Warbler. Locustella fluviatilis. 
Locustella fluviatilis, Wolf (Meyer and Wolf’s Taschenb. d, deutsch, 
Vog. 1, p. 229, 1810—R. Don in Austria). 
A single specimen was obtained by Venning at Basra on May 11th, 1918 ; it is 
pretty certain to have been a passage migrant. The occurrence of this species 
is not unexpected as it occurs in the Ural Range and has been obtained in Asia 
Minor and Palestine (Hartert. Vog. Pal.) 
The Eastern Grasshopper Warbler (L. n. straminea) and Savi’s Warbler (L. 
luscinioides) may both be expected to occur. 
80. Great Reed Warbler. Acrocephalus arundinaceus. 
Acrocephalus arundinaceus zarudnyi, Hart. (Bull. B. O. C., 21, p- 26— 
Djarkent in Turkestan). 
The records and notes about Great Reed Warblers are not many and rather 
confused as the different kinds were not recognized in some cases. It can how- 
ever be confidently stated that the Eastern Great Reed Warbler is a passage 
migrant through Mesopotamia in spring and autumn. Pitman noted that the 
spring passage lasted at Feluja from April 20th to 29th and Buxton records a 
sudden rush at Amara on May 7th. Cheesman saw two at Sheik Saad as early as 
April 3rd. Cumming records it as a double passage migrant at Fao. Pitman records 
the return passage during the first week of September at Baghdad. Odd birds 
may winter in Mesopotamia as Woosnam obtained one at Ahwaz on February 
28th and Zarudny lists it as wintering in the Karun district, as well as being 
a passage migrant. 
There is no evidence so far of its breeding in our area. Buxton, who worked 
the huge marshes to the east of Amara during the nesting season, failed to see or 
hear an derocephalus at all. On passage this bird affects bean and pea rows in 
the absence of reed beds. 
Ten specimens examined: Basra, 31-7-18; Sheik Saad, 3-4-17 (two); 
Baghdad, 31-8-17 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.); Feluja, 21-4-17 (two); 29-4-17 
(two) (C. R. P) ; 9, Amara, 7-5-18 (P. A. B.). 
The specimens obtained are certainly too pale on the back, rump and flanks for 
the typical race and correspond best with zarudnyi, which race Weigold also 
records from Urfa on April 20th. 
Zarudny records the Eastern Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stento- 
reus brunnescens as wintering in the Karun district. We have no definite records 
of it and no specimens were obtained, and in view of the discovery of Acroce- 
phalus babylonicus I hesitate to accept Zarudny’s record. 
81. Babylonian Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus babylonicus. 
Acrocephalus babylonicus C. B. Ticehurst (Bull. B. O. C., 253, pp. 12-13, 
1920—Basra). 
In working out the collection I found some specimens of Reed Warbler which 
evidently belonged to no known race or species and I described it therefore as 
new (supra l. c.). 
We have in Mesopotamia three Reed Warblers at least, viz., the Common 
Reed Warbler (Ac. scirpaceus), a small bird, the Great Reed Warbler (Ac. arun- 
dinaceus zarudnyt), a large bird, and the Babylonian Reed Warbler (Ac. babylo- 
nicus) of a somewhat intermediate size. As the field observations refer to the 
Common and Great Reed Warblers and doubtless include our new species, little 
of certainty can be said about it. Cheesman obtained the type specimen on 
April 22nd, 1917, at Basra where he found it among date palms and pomegranate 
