SITTA.	1&5
deal of masonry work as hard and firm as that on white-ant hills, in
the middle of which was a neat circular hole just large enough for
the passage of the bird. The masonry continued clown inside the
hole as far as I could see; I did not break it open, as there were
nearly fledged young ones inside. I knew this because the parent
birds had been seen for some days carrying in food. I did not see
the nest till the end of May. The following spring I found another
nest at Kurnal in a bokain tree ; it was constructed after the same
fashion ; the nest itself, which consisted only of dead leaves, was not
very far down. I was unfortunately this time (March 15th) too
early for the eggs. The holes are not easy to see from the ground,
as they are most skilfully concealed from view."
The eggs of this species are very regular, slightly elongated ovals,
scarcely compressed or pointed towards the small end at all. The
shell is fragile, and is either entirely glossless or has only a, trace
of gloss. The ground-colour is white, with at times a faint pinkish
tinge, and the markings consist of specks, spots, and splashes
(always most numerous at the large end, where they usually form
a more or less conspicuous though irregular cap) of dull or bright
brick-red, more or less intermingled in most specimens with dull
reddish lilac. The arrangement and size of the markings are very
variable. In, some eggs they are all mere specks, forming a small
speckly cap at the large end, and elsewhere very thinly scattered
about the surface ; in others many of the spots are (for the size of
the egg) large, the majority are well-marked spots and not mere
specks, and the whole surface of the egg is pretty thickly studded
with them, while the broad end exhibits a large blotched and
mottled cap. The majority of the eggs are intermediate between
these two extremes.
In length the eggs vary from 0*61 to 0*72 and in breadth from
0*5 to 0*54, but the average of numerous specimens is 0*67 by 0*52.*
* sitta tepiironota, Sharpe.    The Eitstcnt Hock-Nuthatch.
Sitta neumayeri, Mich., Hume, Cat. no. 248 quint.
The Eastern Rock-Nuthatch is abundant in Baluchistan, and without doubt
breeds there. The following note by Lieut. II. JE. Barnes will therefore be inter*
esting. He writes from Afghanistan:—" This Nuthatch is very common on the
hills. It appears to choose very different localities to build in. In some
instances a hole in the face of a rock is selected, and this it lines with agglu-
tinated mud and resin, continuing the lining-case until it projects in the shape
of a cone to fully 8 inches. It seems fond of decorating its little palace with
feathers to a distance of 2 or even 3 feet, aud it is thus a conspicuous object; but
most nests are found in holes in trees, and even here feathers are stuck into
crevices all around. They are usually well lined with cam el-hair.
" They breed in March and April. The eggs are usually four in number (I
have sometimes found five), oval in shape, more or less glossy white, and more
or less densely or sparsely (generally most densely towards the large end)
spotted and blotched with varying shades of chestnut, to reddish brown, more
or less intermingled with pale purple and occasionally purplish grey. Some
eggs are very richly marked. Some are almost pure white. They average OS7
by 0-57."
The eggs of this species are typically moderately broad ovals, slightly pointed