RIVER AVA RULER. 
{)8 
Lengtli of a male sent me by M. E. Verreaux, six inches; carpus 
to tip three inches; tail two inches and one fifth; tarsus nine 
tenths of an inch; beak seven tenths of an inch. 
The lliver Warbler, which is one of the finest species 
in the family, is found principally in Europe on the 
shores of the Danube. It has also been found, but 
isolated and rarely, in Saxony, Siberia, Lithuania, and 
France. It also occurs in Hungary and in Egypt. 
Its home is in moist and swampy places, where reeds, 
high grasses, and water-plants afford it concealment. It 
is migratory, appearing in its breeding places on the 
banks of the Danube in May, and disappears the end 
of August. Of its habits. Count Miihle says, — 
‘‘By day it keeps in the deepest concealment, and 
flies away when disturbed with the greatest stillness and 
velocity, or it hastens from one bough to another, close 
over the ground. In early morning, hoAvever, in the 
still gloomy twilight, it will remain quite unconcerned, 
singing on an open branch or twig, and even by day 
it may sometimes be heard during thunder-storms. 
While singing, it likes to sit upon a slanting branch, 
swells out its throat, lets its wings droop somewhat, and 
with a measured movement sings its remarkable song in 
quick railroad time, repeated quite tAventy times in a 
breath. This song resembles the chirping of grasshop- 
pers. Upon the very obscure history of its propagation 
some light has been thrown by Thienemann and 
Ileckel. Its breeding-places are the closely-Avooded parts 
of the banks of the Danube. The nest is ahvays in 
thick bushes, Avhich have groAving amongst them high 
grasses and reeds. It is formed of Avithered leaves, 
mostly of grass, and dry straAVS, thickly Avoven over Avith 
the young shoots of grasses, so as to conceal it completely 
