BOOTED REED WARBLER. 17 



feathers cannot be ascertained. Bill from forehead 12, from angle 16 

 millemetres; tarsus 19 millemetres; middle toe 10.5 millemetres, hind 

 toe 5.5 millemetres; wing 60(?); tail strongly rounded off, about 54 

 millemetres. Bill and tail differ therefore considerably from those of 

 Iduna salicariaP 



The Booted Warbler has been found in Siberia, Russia, Greece, 

 and India. Eversmann found it on the banks of the rivers in the 

 Ural Mountains. It is described by Pallas as inhabiting the banks of 

 rivers, among the willows. It hangs on the stems of the trees, and 

 is continually in motion, and singing most agreeably. It constructs 

 in the forks of the branches a nest composed of grass, and it lays 

 four or five eggs. 



A male specimen, marked Motacilla salicaria, sent to me by Herr 

 Schluter, of Halle, has the head, nape, back, and upper tail coverts 

 olive tinged with brown; wings brown; the first (true) primary equal 

 in length to the fifth; the second, third, and fourth equal, and longest 

 in the wing; secondaries slightly tipped with white, and edged with 

 yellowish white. Tail round, and brown like the wings; the two 

 lowest and most external feathers edged with white. Chin, neck, and 

 breast white; abdomen and flanks yellowish white; under wing coverts, 

 cream-coloured; rest of the under wing and under tail slate grey. A 

 decided superciliary streak of lighter yellowish white. Cheeks olive; 

 culmen three-fifths of an inch long, black; lower mandible yellow, 

 with darker markings near the tip. Tarsus thirteen-twentieths of an 

 inch long, and light yellowish in colour; middle toe half an inch long; 

 hind claw large, being one-fifth of an inch long measured straight. 



My figure of this bird is taken from a specimen, killed in June, 

 1874, sent to me by Herr -Schluter, of Halle, with the egg, also figured, 

 and the following remarks: — "This bird nests in the Steppes of Kir- 

 gisch. It likes to live in company. The position of the nest is 

 from half a foot to five feet from the earth. The nest is not built 

 close against the reeds, and bound up with them, but is generally 

 loosely built. I saw it in JRubus sumis, and also on one of the 

 small-leaved reddish brown willow bushes; often also on elevations in 

 the downs, on Elymus sabulosus and wild roses, with other singing 

 birds. It builds generally in June and July, but there are many 

 nests earlier. It lays four or five eggs." 



Since the above was in type I have seen the account of this bird 

 in Dresser's "Birds of Europe." That gentleman says he has con- 

 sulted Eversmann's specimen in the Berlin Museum, and that it is a 

 vol. in. d 



