388 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
trees, and says a Reed Warbler of sorts breeds at Basra. Pitman obtained three 
specimens at Lake Akkarkuf near Baghdad on August 25th where they weve not 
uncommon. Logan Home and Tomlinson found it breeding in the marshes 
near Basra and sent to Jourdain eight clutches of eggs together with a breeding 
bird. This specimen is in the Tring Museum labelled brunnescens, which it cer- 
tainly is not. Jourdain who received nests as well as eggs, describes (t. c. p. 14) 
the former as “‘ comparatively small and slight about 3—3} inches in depth and 
about the same in diameter, totally unlike the deep bulky edifices constructed by 
the Great and Clamorous Reed Warblers. The eggs, three or more (usually four) 
in number, are also smaller (av. 19°5x14'6mm., 23 measured) and are very 
variable in colouring, some closely approaching the type of A. palustris while 
others would almost pass for A. scirpaceus, and two sets have a pale bluish grey 
ground and irregular streaks, spots and blotches, chiefly at the large end, of 
varying depths of sepia and ochreous brown.”” One clutch was (Lbis, 1920, p. 310) 
erroneously described as unusual varieties of brunnescens. 
Five specimens examined : J, Basra, 22-4-17 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.) type of 
species. 
L. Akkarkuf, 25-8-17 (three) (C. R. P.); Basra, 11-5-19 (L. Home) ex Tring 
Museum. 
This species has the same shaped bill as stentorews, though smaller ; but the 
wing formula is like that of arwndinaceus, that is to say the second primary is a 
little shorter than the third (the longest) and reaches between the third and the 
fourth. The first primary is minute, 6 mm.,* shorter than the longest primary 
covert. The tail is less rounded than in stentoreus or brunnescens, the outer 
feathers being 5-8°5 mm. shorter than the centrals, instead of 14-16 mm., as 
in brunnescens. The third primary only is emarginate on the outer web, unlike 
brunnescens in which the third and fourth are both emarginate. The tail is 
shorter than in any known race of arundinaceus or stentoreus, markedly so. 
The colour of the upper parts is more olivaceous green than in either of these, 
and the throat pure white without any obsolete streaks. Underwing and axil- 
laries paler, almost white. The autumnspecimens appear to be more rufescent 
than the spring ones but they are poor specimens. 
Iris brown, bill horn colour, tongue bright yellow, legs and feet plumbeous. 
Wing 78-83°5, tail 61°5-65, bill from base 19°5-22, tarsus 23°5-24 mm. 
Nothing is known about the status of this bird or its habits and distribution ; 
further observations and specimens are greatly desired. 
82. The Common Reed Warbler. Acrocephalus scirpaceus 
-(streperus auct). 
(1) Acrocephalus scirpaceus scirpaceus, Herm. (Obs. Zool., p. 202, 
1804— Alsace). 
(2) Acrocephalus scirpaceus macronyx, Sev. (Turkest. Jevotn. Moskov., 
viii, 2, p. 128, 1873—Syr. Daria). 
There are no observations practically regarding this bird. Cheesman saw 
it at Shush on May 2nd and Buxton noted several in a reed bed at Gurmat Ali 
on August 18th and obtained a specimen; other specimens were obtained at 
Amara, April 3rd, Busra, April 22nd, L. Akkarkuf, August 22nd, and Sulei- 
mania, September 9th. 
Probably it is a double passage migrant through Mesopotamia. It was ob- 
tained at Fao by Cumming on August 20th. 
All these specimens undoubtedly belong to the European (typical race), a curious 
fact since Mesopotamian birds on the whole belong to the Eastern races. The 
Eastern form of the Reed Warbler (macronyx) inhabits the countries east of the 
Caspian, and Persia, and one would expect that it would have been this race 
* By aslip, in the original description 6 mm. ‘longer’ appears instead of ‘‘ shorter,’’ 
