163. BOOTED WARBLER.
Hypolais caligata, (Licht.) in Eversm. Reise nach Buchara, p. 128 (1823) ; Dresser, ii. p. 541, pl. 84 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Br. Mus. v. p. 85 ; Pleske, Orn. Ross. ii. p. 367 ; (Oates), F. Brit. Ind. Birds, p. 393 ; S. scita, Eversm. Add. Pall. Zoogr. Ross. As. fasc. iii. p 12 (1842) ; S. salicaria, Naum. Vog. Deutschl. Anhang p. 78, Taf. 375, fig. 2.
Male ad. (Turkestan). Differs from H. rama in being smaller, with a shorter first and longer second primary and a shorter tail. Culmen 0.53, wing 2.35, tail 2.00, tarsus 0.85 inch ; first primary nearly 0.3 longer than the coverts and 1.05 shorter than the second, which is 0.18 shorter than the third, which is the longest.
Hab. Russia, from Moscow in the west to the valley of Yenesei in the east, north to about 61° ; the Altai, Turkestan, Bokhara, Transcaspia, and Kashmir ; wintering in northern and central India, south to Belgaum, east to Mudhupur and west to Karachi and Hydrabad.
It has occurred as far west as Heligoland.
In general habits it differs but little from H. rama and like that species frequents bush-covered localities near water, but is also found amongst bushes on the dry steppes. It does not go far in the mountains but affects the plains. Its song is said to have affinity with that of H. icterina, and also with the song of the Sedge-Warbler, and it sings both dining the day and at night. It breeds in May and places its nest, which is cup¬shaped and neatly constructed, either in a low bush above the ground or on the ground amongst grass, constructing it of fine grass-bents and plant-stems, fine rushes, hair, and a few feathers, and lining it with fine rootlets, hair, and wool, and sometimes a little ducks-down. The eggs 4 to 6 in number are rose coloured or salmon colour, marked with a few purplish underlying shell markings, and blackish surface spots and dashes, which are rather more numerous at the larger end ; in size they measure about 0.58 by 0.47.
163. Hypolais caligata
163. BOOTED WARBLER.