96 



Beresowaja gorge. Dr. Lehmann obtained a Grasshopper- Warbler, which probably belonged to 

 the eastern form, at Nowo-Alexandrowsk, on the peninsula of Mangyschlak ; and, according to 

 SevertzofF, it breeds in the steppe and mountain districts of nearly the whole of Turkestan, from 

 the delta of the Syr-Darja in the west along its entire course, on the Karatau, in the western 

 Tian-shan, and in Semiretschje, and Mr. Russoff sent examples to the St. Petersburg Museum 

 from Tschinas and Iskander-kul. In June, 1877, it was met with by Col. Prjevalsky in con- 

 siderable numbers in the meadows in the forest-zone of the Kungas valley (Tian-shan), and it 

 nests there, he adds, in the thick grass. 



Severtzoff met with it in the Pamir range, and says (Ibis, 1883, p. 65) that it was "found 

 at the end of July on brook-swamps near the mountain-pass between the Chatir-kul and 

 Kara-kul in the northern range, at the height of nearly 15,000 feet. It probably breeds there." 

 Col. Biddulph obtained it at Gilgit ; and according to Mr. Oates (Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 355) 

 it is " a winter visitor to the plains of India. I have examined specimens from Delhi, Etawah, 

 Cawnpore, Native Sikkim, the Bhutan Doars, Asansol, Deesa, Belgaum, and Coimbatore. All 

 these were killed from April to September, except the specimen from Native Sikkim, which was 

 procured in June. It is, therefore, probable that L. straminea may pass the summer and breed 

 there. Cripps records this species from Furreedpore, but I have not had an opportunity of 

 examining the specimen referred to by him." Mr. Oates further states that the summer- 

 quarters of this bird are not known ; and the above statement that it has been met with in India 

 " from April to September " is probably a misprint. 



In habits the present species does not appear to differ from its western ally, and its nest 

 and eggs doubtless resemble those of that species, but I do not find any description of them on 

 record. 



Mr. Pleske (I. c.) does not separate the eastern and western forms specifically, but after a 

 careful examination of the series in the British Museum, and a comparison between European 

 and Asiatic specimens, I think that the two forms may reasonably be kept apart. Specimens of 

 Locustella straminea from the Ural, compared with examples from Germany, have the markings 

 on the upper parts much more clearly defined, more especially on the head and rump, where in 

 German specimens they are much less clearly defined, the rump being almost devoid of the dark 

 markings ; the ground-colour is also darker in the western form, and more olivaceous and 

 lighter in the eastern. The eastern form is smaller and has the second primary intermediate 

 between the fifth and sixth, whereas in the German bird it is intermediate between the third 

 and fourth. On the whole the differences between Locustella straminea and L. ncevia appear 

 to me to be about equivalent to those between Hypolais rama and II. caligata. 



The specimen figured and described was obtained by Sabanaeff at Ekaterinburg and is in 

 my own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E litis. H. E. Dresser. 



a. Ekaterinburg, Ural, June 20th, 1872 (Sabanaeff). b, c, 6 . Orenburg, May 23rd and 26th (Menzbier). 

 d. Etawah, N.W. India, April 13th, 1869 ; e. Etawah, September 13th, 1869 {TV. E. Brooks). 



