CISTICOLA.
Tail 12 feathers, fan-shaped ; small brown Warblers frequenting grain fields or tangled herbage, also reeds; nest a purse, with opening at top, amongst grass or low in bush; eggs variable, pale blue unspotted or pale blue or white spotted rufous.
Cisticola cisticola cisticola (Temminck). FANTAIL WARBLER.
9 Above reddish buff, streaked black, rump and upper tail coverts rufous ; beneath reddish buff, throat white ; tail graduated with white tips and black subterminal bar. Bill Clark brown, yellowish white at base .below, inside mouth black.
Legs and feet yellow brown. Wing cr 4 44-5o. Tarsus 16-19. Bill 8-to.
Resident.—S. Spain, Portugal, Balearic Islands, Morocco, Algeria, N. and C. Tunisia, Egypt.
"C. c. arquata" (N. Africa), "C. c. mauritanica " (Algeria), and "C. c. jordansi " (Portugal), arc not separable.
C. cisticola harterti \Vitherby. Edgings to feathers of upper parts more buff and less grey, underparts more buff.
Resident.—S. Europe from France and Italy to Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt.