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excessively flimsy deep cup, about 3 inches in diameter, and 2 J inches
in depth internally. It was composed of downy seeds of grass
held together externally by a few very fine Bblades of grass, and
irregularly and loosely lined with excessively fine grass-stems.

Many other nests subsequently obtained were similar in their
materials, the great body of the nest consisting of grass-down,
slightly felted together and wound round with slender blades of
grass. The nest, however, is by no means always cup-shaped; it
is often covered in above, an aperture being left on one side near
the top.

A nest which I found near Kotegurh is composed of fine grass
very loosely and slightly put together, all the interspaces being
carefully filled in with grass-down firmly felted together. The
nest is nearly the shape of an egg, the entrance being on one side,
and extending from about the middle to close to the top. The ex-
terior dimensions of the nest are about 5| inches for the major
axis, and 3 inches for the minor. The entrance-aperture is circu-
lar, and about 2 inches in diameter. The thickness of the nest is
a little over three eighths of an inch ; but the lower portion, which
is lined with very fine grass-stems, is somewhat thicker. The nest
was in a thorny bush, partly suspended from just above the en-
trance-aperture and partly resting against, though not attached to,
some neighbouring twigs. It contained seven eggs, and v as taken
at Kirlee (Kotegurh) on the 30th May. Of course, the position
of the nest was that of an egg standing on end aud not lying on
its side.

They lay from five to seven eggs, and have, I tlmilc, two
broods.

Dr. Jerdon states that " it makes a large, loosely constructed
nest of fine grass, the opening near the top a little at one side, and
lays three or four eggs of a fleshy white, with numerous small
rusty-red spots tending to form a ring at the large end."

Writing about a collection of eggs made at Murree, Messrs. Cock
and Marshall tell us :—" Nest built in high jungle-grass, loosely but
neatly made of very fine grass and cobwebs, opening atone side
near the top. Breeds late in June at about 4000 feet elevation."

From Almorah Mr. Brooks writes that this species was " common
on hill-sides where low bushes were numerous. One nest found
was suspended in a low bush, and was a very neat purse-shaped
one, with an opening near the top aud rather on one side. It
was composed of fine soft grass of a kind which had dried
green, and was intermixed with the down of plants and lined
with finer grass. The eggs were four in number; the ground-
colour white, speckled sparingly with light red, but having also a
broad zone or ring of deeper reddish brown very near the large
end—on the top of the larger end, in. fact.

" Laying in Kumaon in May."

Prom Mussoorie Captain Hutton remarks:—"This little bird
appears on the hill, at about 5000 feet, in May. A nest taken