THE REED-WARBLERS. 
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which is a resident form in Egypt, Persia, Transcaspia, and 
Turkestan. The winter home of the Great Reed-Warbler ex- 
tends south to the Transvaal in Africa, but it would also appear 
to follow many of the river-systems in the last-named continent, 
as the late Mr. Jameson procured it on the Aruwhimi river, 
and it has also been met with on the Lower Congo. 
HaMts. — In the reed-covered marshes affected by this bird, 
it is very easily discovered by its powerful song and large size, 
which identify it at once when it flies. It often sings as it 
ascends a reed to the top, its note commencing with a harsh 
“ carag/i, caragh ,” and then continuing like an enlarged edition 
of the Sedge-Warbler’s song. When it has attained to the 
summit of the reed, it finishes its song, and flies off for a 
little distance, again drops like a stone into the reed-bed, and 
commences to sing again. When threading our way through 
the Hansag marshes in Hungary, after the International Con- 
gress of Ornithologists in 1891, we saw and heard numbers of 
these birds, and afterwards obtained specimens in a little patch 
of reeds near the Neusied’er lakes, where there were several 
pairs of them. It has several croaking notes which it intro- 
duces into its song, and it is heard late into the evening. Its 
food consists of insects, but it is also said to feed on elder- 
berries in the autumn. 
Nest.— Suspended in reeds, and very skilfully attached to the 
latter. It is made of dead reeds, with a few roots interwoven, 
and lined with grass stems and the flower of the reed. Some- 
times a little moss or the leaves of other water-plants are 
added. 
Eggs. — From four to six in number, and very handsome. 
The ground-colour varies from pale blue to greenish-blue or 
greenish-white, and the eggs are very boldly blotched and 
spotted. The blotches, which are generally at the larger end 
of the egg, are greenish or reddish-brown, sometimes clouding 
the larger end entirely ; in many cases they are so dark 
as to appear almost black. The underlying markings of 
violet-grey are strongly pronounced, and often partake of the 
nature of blotches, almost as large as the brown overlying 
markings. Axis, o-8-ro; diam., 0-6-0-65. 
