CISSA.—DENDEOCITTA. 10

moderately fine roots; the cavity was 5 inches by 4, and about 1
in depth.

The eggs received from Major Bingham, as also others received
from Sikhim, where they were procured by Mr. Maadelli on the 21st
and 28th of April, are rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards
the small end. The shell is fine, bat has only a lie-tie gloss. The
ground-colour is white or slightly greyish white, and they are uni-
formly freckled all over with very pale yellowish and greyish brown.
The frecklings are always somewhat densest at the large end, where
in some eggs they form a dull brown cap or zone. In some eirgs
the markings are everywhere denser, in some sparser, so that some
eggs look yellower or browner, and others paler.

The eggs are altogether of the Garruline type, not of that of
the Dendrocitta or Lfrooissa type. I have eggs of G. lanceolate,
that but for being smaller precisely match some of the Cissa eggs.
Jerdon is, I think, certainly wrong in placing Cissa between tft'O-
cissa and Dendrocitta^ the eggs of which two last are of the same
and quite a distinct type*.

The eggs vary from 1-15 to 1*26 in length, and from 0-9 to 0-95
in breadth, but the average of eight is 1-21 by 0*92.

15. Cissa ornata (Wagler). The Ceylonese Maypie.
Cissa ornata ( WagL), Hume, Cat. no. 673 bis.

Colonel Legge writes in his c Birds of Ceylon':—" This bird
breeds during the cool season. I found its nest in the Kandapolla
jungles in January; it was situated in a fork of the top branch of
a tall sapling, about 45 feet in height, and was a tolerably bulky
structure, externally made of small sticks, in the centre ot' which
was a deep cup 5 inches in diameter by 2| in depth, made entirely
of fine roots; there was but one egg in the nest, which unfortu-
nately got broken in being lowered to the ground. It was ovate
and slightly pyriform, of a faded bluish-green ground thickly spotted
all over with very light umber-brown over larger spots of bluish-
grey. It measured 0-98 inch in diameter by about 1*3 in length."

16. Dendrocitta rufa (Scop.). The Indian T

Dendrocitta rufa (Scop.), Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 314; Jlume, Houjh
Notes N. «§• K no. 674.

The Indian Tree-pie breeds throughout the continent of.India,
alike in the plains and in the hills, up to an elevation ot' 6000 or
7000 feet.

* I am responsible, and not Mr. Hume, for calling this bird a Magpie.
Jerdou calls it a Jay, but places it among the Magpies, which is, I consider, its
proper position, notwithstanding the colour of its egga.—ED.

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