CAMPOPHAGA.	347
tree (Bassia latifolia), placed on and at the end of two small out-
shooting branches. When in y man, mounting the tree, approached
the nest the parent birds evinced the greatest anxiety, flew just
above his head, uttering all the while a sharply repeated cry.
Even when one of the birds was shot the other would not leave
the spot, but remained hovering about and uttering its shrill cry.
The nest is slightly made, and constructed of thin twigs and roots;
the exterior is covered slightly with spider's web. If we except
the size, the formation of this Cuckoo-Shrike's nest is almost
identical with that of Gfraucalus macii. I secured two eggs in the
nest. In colour they are, when fresh, of a deepish green, mottled
with dark brown spots; indeed the eggs, when first taken, a good
deal resemble those of Gopsychus snulans. The maximum number
of eggs, no doubt, is three, as those I secured were fresh-laid.
The bird breeds from June to August.35
The nest above referred to, and now in iny museum, was a very
shallow, rather broad cup. The egg-cavity about 2J inches in
diameter and about | inch deep, and the nest very loosely put
together of very fine tuigs, and exteriorly coated and bound together
with cobwebs. The sides of the nest are about 0*6 inch thick, but
the bottom is a mere network of slender twigs, not above | inch
thick, and can be readily looked through.
Mr. I. Macpherson writes :—"This bird is found in the open
scrub-forests of the Mysore district, but is nowhere common.
" 14th May, 1880.—While passing a small sandal-wood tree a
bird flew out, and on looking into the tree I found a very shallow
nest at the junction of two small branches about 10 feet from the
ground \ the nest contained three eggs.
" Returned again in a quarter of an hour and shot the bird (the
male) as it flew out of the tree. The eggs were within a few days
of being hatched off.
u 20th May, 1880.—While out driving this morning saw a male
bird of this species fly out of a small sandal-wood tree close to the
roadside. Pulled up to watch, and shortly saw the female bird
fly into the tree. Got out and shot her and took the nest, which
was beautifully fixed in a fork with three branches only eight feet
from, the ground.
" The nest contained three eggs very hard-set.1'
Mr. J. Davidson, C.S., remarks:—"This pretty little Cuckoo-
Shrike is one of the earliest migrants in the rains, arriving about
the 8th of June, and breeding all along the scrub-jungles which
stretch between the Nasik and Khaudeish Collect orates. It appears
particularly partial io the Angan forest, and, as far as I remember,
all the many nests I have seen have been in forks of angan trees.
The nest is a pretty firm platform composed of fine roots; and
the eggs, which much resemble those of the Magpie-Robin, are
three in number."
Colonel Legge writes, in his ' Birds of Ceylon ':—" With us
this Cuckoo-Shrike breeds in April in the Western Province.
Mr. Mac Vicar writes me of the discovery, by himself, of two nests