102 CBATEEOPCXDIDJE.

lined, though domed over, with the entrance at the side, and con-
taining two fresh eggs, white, thickly speckled with brick-red and
obscure purple. On the 12th of the same month, I found a second
nes't behind the zayat or rest-house at Meeawuddy. This was
similar to the nest above described, and contained three similar

The eggs measure from *7S to -88 in length, and from "58 to '65
in breadth ; but the average of twelve eggs is -82 by -62.

147. Pellomeum fuscicapillum (Bl.). The Brown-capped Babbler.
Pellorneuni fuscocapillimi (-#/.)? ^ume) Cat. no, 399 quint.

Captain Legge writes, in his c Birds of Ceylon' : — "The nest of
this species is exceedingly difficult to find, and scarcely anything
is known of its nidification. Mr. Blyth succeeded in finding it in
Haputale at an elevation of 5500 feet. It was placed in a bramble
about 3 feet from the ground, and was cup-shaped, loosely con-
structed of moss and leaves ; it contained three young."

149. Drymocataphus nigricapitatus (Eyton). The Blade-capped

Babbler.
Dryinocataphus nigricapitatus (Eyton) } Hume, Cat. no. 396 sex.

.Mr. "W. Davison writes : — "I got one ne'st of this bird at Klang.
I was passing through some very dense jungle, where the ground
was very marshy, when one of these birds rose from the ground
about a couple of feet in front of me, and alighted on an old
stump some few feet away. On examining the place from which
the bird rose, I found the nest placed at the base of a small clump
of ferns, and concealed by a number of overhanging withered
fronds of the fern. The base of the nest, which rested on the
ground, was composed of a mass of dried twigs, leaves,*&c. ; then
came the real body of the nest, composed of coarse fern-roots, the
egg -cavity being lined with finer roots and a number of hair-like
fibres. It looked compactly and strongly put together, but on
trying to remove it, it all came to pieces. When the bird saw me
examining the nest it fluttered to within a couple of feet of me,
twittering- in a most vehement manner, feigning a broken wing to
try and draw me away. The nest contained only two eggs, which
were slightly set."

These eggs are extremely regular ovals, scarcely smaller, if at
all, at one end than at the other. The shell is very fine and fragile,
but has only a slight gloss. The ground-colour appears to have
been creamy white, but the markings are so thickly set that little
of this is anywhere visible. First, pale inky-purple spots and
clouds are thickly sprinkled over the surface, and over this the
whole egg is freckled with a pale purplish brown. They measured
0-82 in length by 0'62 and 0-63 in breadth.