16 BOOTED REED WARBLER. 



secondly, he describes the very significant first quill feather thus: 

 f remigibus 19, quarum prima § brevior;' as is known, it is in S. 

 arundinacea nearly as long as the wing coverts. 



"The three specimens of Sylvia scita, Eversm., in the Petersburg 

 Museum, namely, two adults and one young, were from Ural. The 

 male, shot on the 18th. of June, 1842, was brownish grey above, 

 upper rump yellowish grey, quill and tail feathers brownish grey; an 

 obscure streak over the eyes yellowish; under side greyish white; 

 chin and middle of the belly lightest in colour; tail rounded off, the 

 outer feathers four and a half millemetres shorter than the middle 

 ones. Female like the male. Young male, shot at Spask on the 6th. 

 of July, lighter ochre grey in colour, particularly conspicuous on the 

 outer edge of the quill feathers. Yellowish white streak over the 

 eyes broad. A specimen from the same locality, in most points 

 agreeing with the latter, Professor Maklin was good enough to lend 

 me, and in this the first quill feather is six millemetres longer than 

 the hand-coverts; the second of the same length as the sixth; the 

 third and fourth longest. Tail somewhat different from that of the 

 adults, being rounded off, it is true, but the two middlemost feathers 

 are some millemetres shorter than the nearest ones, undoubtedly in 

 consequence of an incompleteness of development not unusual in 

 young birds before the moulting. Tarsus covered with seven plates, 

 of which the first, second, and seventh are very short; the third, 

 fourth, and fifth of equal length; the sixth shortest. Besides, the 

 base (root) of the toes covered with two joint-plates. Bill at the root 

 (base) greater in height than width. Other measurements as follows: 



Sex. Bill. Tarsus. Toes. Wing. Tail. Locality. 





From From 

 forehead, angle. 





Middle 

 toe. 



Hind 

 toe. 









Male 



Female 



Young 



def. 



10 14.5 



9.5 13 



21 

 20 

 19 



15 

 14 



10.5 



10.5 



11 



'5.5 



60 

 57 

 61 



49 

 def. 



47 



Ural, (Petersburg.) 

 " (Helsingfors.) 



"I may be allowed here to mention a bird from the N.W. Provinces 

 of India, namely, Phyllopneuste rama, Sykes, for which I am obliged 

 to Mr. Dresser, who, in a letter, considers it to be identical with 

 Calamoherpe caligata, Licht. The specimen is an old bird, but in a 

 state of strong moult, so that not all 'plastic' conditions (criteria) can 

 be stated with certainty. In colour and several other respects it 

 resembles Iduna salicaria, but the form of the bill shows that it is 

 a genuine Calamoherpe. The bill resembles most that of C. arundinacea, 

 and at the base is greater in breadth than height. The first quill 

 feather is very long, and extends eight millemetres beyong the wing 

 coverts; in the specimen before me the relation between the other 



