Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 7 of 9.djvu/99

 

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AQUATIC WARBLER.

 

Calamodyta aquatica, Gould, Birds of Great Britain, vol. ii, 2 pp, pl. 76 (coloured figures of adults), 1871.

Acrocephalus aquaticus, Yarrell, British Birds, 4th Ed., edited by Newton, vol. i, pp. 380-383 (woodcut), 1873; Dresser, Birds of Europe, vol. ii, pp. 591-596, pi. 89 (coloured figures of adult and young), 1876; Seebohm, British Birds, vol. i, pp. 357-360, pl. 10, fig. 18 (egg), 1883; Lilford, Coloured Figures, vol. iii, p. 42, pl. 21 (coloured figure of adult), 1888; Saunders, Manual of British Birds, 2nd Ed., pp. 87-88 (woodcut), 1898.

Danish, Vandsanger; French, Bec-fin aquatique; German, Seggen Rohrsanger; Hungarian, Csíkosfejü nádiposzata; Italian, Pagliarola; Norwegian, Starrsangaren; Polish, Gajowka wodniezka; Russian, Karnys-chewka wertljawaja; Spanish, Arandillo.

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLUMAGE.

 

Adult Male in Spring.—The upper parts are yellowish buff, each feather having a blackish broad centre spot which gives the bird, when the plumage is in perfect order, a striped appearance. The yellowish buff is richer and brighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts where the spots are narrower. On the back two lighter stripes are formed by the whitish edges of the outer back feathers. The forehead is almost orange buff, and a light buff stripe, very distinct, runs down the centre of the crown bordered on each side by a broad black line with narrow buff edges. A whitish buff superciliary stripe is very conspicuous, the lores are greyish buff, sides of the head buff, and the uppermost ear-coverts blackish, forming a streak behind the eye. The least wing-coverts are brownish buff, the greater wing-coverts blackish, broadly edged with yellowish buff, and the bastard wing blackish. The primaries and their coverts are lavender brown tipped

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