PROPAHUS. 119

The eggs are broad ovals, a little pointed towards the small end,
the shell white, almost devoid of gloss. A dense ring or zone of
excessively small black spots surrounds the large end, and similar
specks are rather sparsely distributed over the whole of the rest of
the surface of the egg, having, however, a tendency to become ob-
solete towards the small end. Sometimes a little brown and some-
times a little lilac is intermingled in the zone.

183. Proparusvinipectus(Hodgs.). The Plain-brown Tlt-Bctbller.

Proparus vinipectus (HodysJ), Jerd. J?. 2nd. ii, p. 257 ; JTttmej Rouyh
Draft N. $ E. no. 622.

The Plain-brown Tit-Babbler is not uncommon in the higher
wooded hills betvs een Simla and Kotegurh, and from somewhere near
Mutiana Captain Blair sent me a nest and egg, together with one
of the old birds which had been caught on the nest.

This latter was a rather compact massive cup, composed of
moderately line blades of grass, measuring externally about 4|
inches in diameter and standing about 2| inches high. The egg-
cavity, about 2 inches in diameter and rather more than half an
inch deep, was lined with fine blackish-brown grass-roots. Neither
nest nor egg is exactly what I should have expected to pertain to
this species ; but Captain Blair was certain that they belonged to
the parent bird which he sent with them,, and I therefore describe
both with entire confidence in their authenticity.

The egg is a moderately elongated oval, slightly compressed
towards one end ; it has a pale-green ground, and near the large
end has a strongly marked but very irregular sepia-brown zone,
and pale stains of the same colour here and there running down
the egg from the zone, as well as a few isolated dark spots of the
same tint. Although much smaller, and although the colour of
the markings is very different, the ground-colour and the character
of the markings much recall those of Liotfirix luttus. The egg has
little or no gloss, and measures 0*73 by 0*55.

Mr. Man delli obtained two nests of this species — one at Sinchal,
near Darjeeling, at an elevation of 9000 feet, on the 2nd June ; the
other at Tongloo, at an elevation of 10.000 feet, on the 29th May.
The first contained one, the second three fresh eggs, all precisely
similar in size and colour to the egg formerly sent me by Capt. Blair,
though the nests themselves were rather different in appearance.
These nests were both placed amongst the branches of dense brush-
wood, at heights of 3 and 4 feet from, the ground ; they are very
compact, massive little cups, about 3*25 inches in diameter and 2
in height exteriorly ; the cavities are about 2 inches in diameter and
1-25 in depth. The chief materials of the nests are dry blades of
grass and bamboo-leaves ; but these are only seen at the bottom of
the nests, the sides and upper margins being completely felted over
with green moss. Apparently there is a first lining of fine grass and
roots ; but very little of this is seen, as the cavity is then thickly
covered with black and white hairs.