G-ABRULAX. 51

elevations not much exceeding 2500 feet. It affects the low, dense
scrub growing in moist; situations, and usually fixes its nest between
several upright sprays, within 5 or 6 feet of the ground, The nest
is cup-shaped, made of dry bamboo-leaves, intermixed with a very
few pieces of climber-steins, and thickly lined with old leaf-stalks
of some pinnate-leaved tree. Externally it measures about 5*5
inches in diameter by 4 in height; internally 3-5 by 2*75.

" The eggs are four or five in number."

Mr. Gates writes:—" On the 27th April I shot a female
in the Pegu Hills off her nest. This latter contained one young
one, and one deformed egg, which unfortunately got broken; colour
a deep blue. The nest was placed in a small seedling bamboo
about 6 feet from the ground at a joint where a number of small
twigs shot out, inverted umbrella fashion. The nest in every
respect closely resembled that of G-.pectoralis"

He subsequently remarked :—u Breeds in Lower Pegu chiefly in
July. Average of six eggs, 1-16 by -88; colour, very glossy deep
blue. Nest placed in forks of saplings within reach of the hand,
massive, cup-shaped, and made of dead leaves and small branches;
lined with fine twigs. Outside diameter 7 inches and depth 4 ;
interior 4^ by 2."

A nest found below Darjeelhig in the first week of June on the
branch of a good-sized tree, at a height of 12 feet from the ground,
was similar to that described by Mr. G-amniie, and contained a
single fresh egg. This is a moderately broad oval, somewhat pointed
towards the small end, and exhibits very little gloss. It is of pre-
cisely the same colour as those of the preceding species, but mea-
sures only 1*2 in length by 0*9 in breadth.

Writing from Tenasserim, Major 0. T. Binghain says :—fl Be-
tween the 25th March and 28th April I found at least twenty
nests of this bird. They were broad, shallow cups of roots and
twigs, lined with fine black grass-roots, and placed at heights varying
from 4 to 10 feet above the ground, invariably in the forks of low
bamboo. The number of eggs varied from 3 to 5 ; blue in colour,
and fairly glossy."

Numerous nests from Sikhini, Pegu, and Tenasserim are all of
precisely the same type as described by Mr. G-amniie; but some are
fully 7 inches in external diameter, and in several the cavity is at
least 4 inches in diameter. "

The eggs of this species obtained by Mr. Ganimie vary very much
in size and shape, and somewhat in colour. Some are considerably
elongated ovals, with a marked pyrifonn tendency. Others are
particularly broad ovals for this class of egg. The shell is fine and
compact, and as a rule they seem to have a fine gloss; but one or
two specimens almost want this. In colour they are a pale, clear,
slightly greenish blue, unspotted and unmarked. In length they
vary from 1-01 to 1*13, and in breadth from 0*81 to 0'9, but the
average of thirteen is 1-07 by 0-85.