226 ON SAVl'S WARBLER. 



The bird's activity in running and creeping about in the day-time rubs 

 the plumage very much. In the month of July, therefore, it is entirely worn 

 out ; the tail especially always is defective. 



The young ones are similar to the old ones ; but they are much more 

 rusty red on the belly, and may easily be confounded with C. arundinacea 

 before they are full-grown. 



When the family is grown up, all emigrate into the high grass, the reeds 

 are left. There they remain till late in the month of September, always on 

 the wet ground. 



C. luscinioides is perhaps the reed-bird which remains longest with 

 us. 'I he number of the eggs is mostly five, sometimes four. The bird only 

 breeds once in every summer, either at the end of the month of May 

 or in the beginning of June. The later young ones are from disturbed 

 broods. 



The eggs vary very much in form and colour. They are rounded, 

 bellied, seldom lengthy, never pointed, always without gloss. In the same 

 nest the eggs are similar to each other. The ground-colour is whitish, often 

 quite chalky white, with fine points (just as on the eggs of S. fliiviatilis) at 

 the end. Those coloured in this way are most similar to the eggs of the 

 species before named. 



Other eggs are chalky white, sparingly sprinkled with larger, yellowish- 

 brown and blackish-violet points ; the crown cannot be well seen, because 

 it originates from spots of the inner shell. These eggs could be confounded 

 with those of S. curruca. 



Finally, there occur others with a dirty -white ground, which hardly can 



