The Nests And Eggs Of Indian Birds Vol-I

VVoMiiliUKY Com I

THE

NESTS AND EGGS

OF

INDIAN BIRDS.

BY

ALLAN O. HUME, C.B.

SECOND EDITION.

EDITED BY

EUGENE WILLIAM OATES,

AUTHOR OP ‘A HANDBOOK TO THE BIRDS OF BRITISH BUR.HAiy AJfb
THE BIRDS IN ‘ TaS FATWA. OP BRITISH INDIA." J

WITH IjOXJH ROJi.Tl4?a^.

R. IK _ _

18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH 'satURE.'AV."
1889,

PRIKTKD BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS.
EED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

AUTHOE’S PEEFACE.

I HAVE long regretted my inability to issue a revised
edition of ^ Nests and Eggs/ For many years after the first
Rough Draft appeared^ I went on laboriously accumulating
materials for a re-issue^ but subsequently circumstances pre¬
vented my undertaking the work. Now^ fortunately^ my
friend Mr, Eugene Oates has taken the matter up^ and much
as I may personally regret having to hand over to another a
task, the performance of which I should so much have
enjoyed, it is some consolation to feel that the readers, at any
rate, of this work will have no cause for regret, but rather
of rejoicing that the work has passed into younger and
stronger hands.

One thing seems necessary to explain. The present
Edition does not include quite all the materials I had accu¬
mulated for this work. Many years ago, during my absence
from Simla, a servant broke into my museum and stole thence
several cwts. of manuscript, which he sold as waste paper.
This manuscript included more or less complete life-histories
of some 700 species of birds, and also a certain number of
detailed accounts of nidification. All small notes on slips of
paper were left, but almost every article written on full-sized

IV

AUTHOR^S PREFACE.

foolscap sheets was abstracted. It was not for many months
that the theft was discovered, and then very little of the
MSS. could he recovered.

It thus happens that in the cases of some of the most
interesting species, of which I had worked up all the notes
into a connected whole, nothing, or, as in the case of Ai^gya
Buhrufa, only a single isolated note, appears in the text. It
is to he greatly regretted, for my work was imperfect enough
as it was; and this ^Selection from the Eecords,^ that my
Philistine*servant saw fit to permit himself, has rendered it
a great deal more imperfect still; hut neither Mr. Oates nor
myself can be justly blamed for this.

In conclusion, I have only to say that if this compilation
should find favour in any man^s sight he must thank
Mr. Oates for it, since not only has he undergone the labour
of arranging my materials and seeing the whole work through
the press—not only has he, I believe, added himself consider¬
ably to those materials—hut it is solely owing to him that
the work appears at all, as I know no one else to whom I
could have entrusted the arduous and, I fear, thankless duty
that he has so generously undertaken.

Hothney Castle, Simla,
October 19 th, 1889,

ALLAN HUME.

EDITOR’S NOTE.

Mr. llu.MH lias suliiciciitly explained the ciremnstances
under wliieli tliis edition of his po[)uIar work has been
bvouirlit, about. I luive nuuady to a(hi that, as I was engaged
on a work on the. Birds of India, I thought it would be
easier for me than for anyone else to assist ]\[r. Ilumc. I
was also in England, and knew that my labour would be very
mucli lightened by passing the work through the press in this
country. Another reason, perhaps the most important, was
tlic fear that, as ]Mr. Ilumc had given up entirely and abso¬
lutely the study of birds, the valuable material he had taken
such pains to a(!Ciinnilate for this edition might he irretriev¬
ably lost or further injured by lapse of time unless early
steps were taken to utilize it.

A few' w’ords of explanation appear necessary on the subject
of the arrangement of this edition. Mr. Hume is in no way
responsible for this arrangement nor for the nomenclature
employed. lie may possibly disapprove of both. He, how¬
ever, gave me Ins manuscript unreservedly, and left me free
to deal with it as I thought best, and I have to thank him
for re})Osing this confidence in me. Left thus to my own
ch'vices, 1 liavc* considered it expedient to conform in all

Vi

kditor’s note.

respects to the arrangement of my work on the Birds, whic'li
I am writing, side by side, with this work. Tlie classifica¬
tion I have elaborated for iny purpose is totally diftercnt to
that employed by Jerdoii and familiar to Indian ornitho¬
logists ; but a departure from Jerdon^s arrangement was
merely a question of time, and no better opportunity than
the present for readjusting the classification of Indian birds
appeared likely to present itself. I have therefore adopted
a new system, which I have fully set forth in my other
work.

I take this opportunity to present the readers of
Mr. Hume^s work with portraits of Mr. Hume himsedf, of
Mr. Brian Hodgson, the late Dr. Jerdon, and the late
Colonel Tickell.

EUGENE \V. OATES.

SVSTHMATU! ISDEX.

Onlci- I'ASSHUKJ!.

PA»AI»(>XO«MTIirNvK,

Family ('OUVII).K.
Subfamily CouviN.K,

Tap'

1.

Ciirvus (‘urax, Linn. ....

1

*>

--ftU’unu. Linn .

4

4.

--niiH'rorbynchus,

U'aglrr .

4 :

i.

-.— ^pl(*iub‘iis. T'irld. . .

s

8.

-ins,liens, ilunv^ . .

12

9.

--monedula, Linn. . .

12

10.

Pica rvistiea (•SVap.l ....

15

12.

Fruoissa ueripitalis (/>7.)

14

3

-tluvirostris ( 7>V.) ..

10 .

14.

(Issa (*hin<‘iisis {Bodd.) .

17 ^

l/>.

-ornata ( Wagler) . .

10

lo.

Dundrucitta rufa {Snap.')

10 :

17.

-leucc'Jpistra, Gotdd.

22

18.

-liiinnlayeiisi.s, Bl ...

25 i

21.

Crvpsirhina variaiis
(iMth.) .

25 1

Prro

TK). I'niuistonia ii‘Uiodiuni^

//*>.///>'. 4'2

(10. St‘a nriiviu‘liu.s ruticoprf

... i'4

{\\^ -pilaris i //ors/.) .. 44

Family (’UATKRiIIHIIUD.F.
Subfamily (bi.vTKiiopoMNM^

(»‘i. lh-vumisi<s rulicullis

. 4r,

(55. --cau’ulatus {J{o(h/.'t.) 4<>

<UK (laiTuliix Icuculophus

(/W/r.). 47

70.-b<‘hmp‘ri, Ltss(ni .. 4S

72. -pt'ef«>rulis ( . 40

7:*^ --inmiilip'r {Ilfftlz/a.) 7>0

7i;.-ulhipilariH 52

7S. Iniiflioiuncla (ict*ilata

^3. Platvsmurus loueopterus

{'A'iHfu.) . 2b

24. GarruluH lancaolatus,

Viijors . 2f>

-leucotis, Hiane .... 2S

20. -bispecularis, Ft)/ors 24

27. Niidfrapi hemispila,

Vu/ors . 50

29. Graculus eremita (Limi.) 51.

. Subfamily Pajiix-^:.

Parus nlrie(‘ps,.. 51

‘> 4 , -mniiticola, Vigors . 55

35. -Pl^ithaliscus (U'vthroca-

{ Vig.) .

54

SO.

-ruli^nibiris^ Gim/d..

54

S2.

Trurhalo}>tenmi ervtlirn-

cephalum ( Vig.) .

55

85.

-iu;j:riuH‘ntum,/7/X//j^.

57

S7.

-})hn*niet‘nni [(itndd)

58

S8.

-subimiculor, ILnlgs.

50

00.

-variupitum { Vig.) .

50

01.

-simile, lho7\p ....

00

02.

-.‘'■quamatum ( (undd)

01

05,

-ea(*hinnuns {.Lrd.)

02

00.

-fairbanki. Bfanf. ..

tu

0i>.

-linealuin (..

(4

lOI.

(h*ammntnptila striata

plialuH ( Vigi) . 50

4:1. Machlolopliius spilonotus

(Bl) . 57

42. -xanthogoiiys ( Vig.) 5S

43. -haplonotus (/>Y.) .. 50

44. Lophophaiiuft melanolo-

pliUM ( Vig.) . 40

47 , -riiliauchalis (///.).. 42

( Vigi) . 07

104. Argya aarlii {BL) . iW

105. -aaudata 70

107. -niuk'olmi {Sgkes) .. 72

iOS. -subrufa (Jrrd.), ... 74

110. Cratornpus caiit)rus

(X///;/.). 74

. 111.^-prrlseus \/rmd.\, ... 78

Vlll

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

Page 1

112. Orateropus striatus

(S7i'ams.) . 79

113. -somervillii (S^/Jces') SO

114. -rufescens .... 81

115. -cinereifrons . . 81

116. Pomatorhinus schisticeps,

ITodf/s . 81

118. -olivaceus, Bl . 82

119. -melaniinis, B/ . S3

120. -horsfieldii, S?/7i:es . . 84

122. -feiTiiginosus", B/. .. 80

125. -- ruficollis, Hoclgs. . . 87

129. - erythrogenys, Vig. 87

133. Xiphorliampiius super-

eiliaris {Bhjtli) . 89

Subfamily TiMELiiNiE.

134. Timelia pileata, Ilorsf .. 90

135. Dumetia byperythra

{FranJcl). '.. . 92

136. -albigularia {Bl.) . . 04

139. Pyctorhis sinensis 95

140. -nasalis, Legge .... 98

142. Peilorneum mandellii^

Blanf. .. . 99

144. -ruiiceps, Steams. . . 100

145. -subociiraceum,

Sicinli . 100

147. -fuscicapillum {Bl.) 102

149. Drymocataplius nigricap-

itatus {Eyton) . 102

151. -tickelii {Bl.) . 103

160. -abbotti(^/.). 103

163. Alcippe nepalensis

{Hodgs.) . 104

164. -pii8eocepbala(J6rc?.) 106

165. -pliayrib Bl .108

166. Kbopocicbla atriceps

{Jerd.) . 109

167. -nigrifrons {BL). ... 110

169. Staebyrhis niai’iceps,

Hodgs .". 110

170. -clirysaea, Hodgs. . . 112

172. Staebyrbidopsis ruficeps

{BL) . 112

174. -pyrrhops {Hodgs.) 114

175. Cyanoderma erytbro-

pterum {BL) . .". 115

176. Mixornis nibricapilliis

{Tick.) . 115

177. -gularis {Ragffi.). . . . 116

178. Seboeniparus dubius

{Hmne) . 117

182. Sittiparus castaneiceps

{Hodgs.).' .-118

Page

183. Propariis vinipectus

{Hodgs.) . 119

184. Lioparus ebrysaeus

{Hodgs:) . 120

Subfamily Brachyptehygin.®.

187. MyiDpboneiis temminebi,

Yig . 120

188. -eugenii, Hume .... 123

189. -borsfieldi, Vig .124

191. Larvivora brunnea,

Hodgs . 127

193. Brachypteryx albiventris

{Fairbank) . 128

194. -riifiventris (.5/.) .. 129

197. Drymochares cruralis

(A^.). 129

198. -nepalensis {Hodgs.) 130

200. Elapbrornispalbseri (&.) 131

201. Tesiacyaniventris,2fo<^^s. 131

202. Oligura castaneicoronata

{Burt.) . 132

Subfamily Sibtinje.

203. Sibia picaoides, .. 132

204. Lioptila capistrata ( ) 133

205. -gracilis {McClell.) 135

206. -melanoleuca {BL) . 185

211. Actinodura egertoni,

Guidd . 136

213. Ixops nepalensis {Hodgsi) 137
219. Siya strigula, Hodgs. . . 137

221. -cyanuroptera, 138

223. Yubina gularis, Hodgs. . 139

225. -nigrimentuni

{Hodgs.) . 139

226. Zosterops palpebrosa

{Temm.) . 140

229. -ceylonensis, Holds-

7oorth . 145

231. Ixuliis occipitalis {BL).. 145
932. -flavicollis {Hodgs.) 145

Subfamily Liotrichin.®.

235. Liotbrix lutea {S'cop.). . 147
287. Pterutbiiis erytbropterus

{Vig.) . 150

239. -melanotis, Hodgs. . 151

243, ,^gitbina tiphia {Linn.) 151
246. Myzornis pyrrhura,

Hodgs . 155

252. Gbloropsis jerdoni {BL) 155
254. Irena puella {Lath.) .... 157

257. Mesia argentauris, 160

258. Minla igneitincta, Hodgs. 161

SYSTEMATIC IITEEX.

IX

Page

260. Ceplialopyriis fiammiceps

(Burt.) . 161

261. Psaroglossa spiloptera

(Vic/.) . 161

Subfamily Bpachypopinje.

263. Criniger iiaveolus(6^02AZi?) 163

269. Hypsipetes psaroides, Vi(/. 164

271. -gaueesa, Sykes .... 167

270. Hemixus macclellandi

(JBorsf.) . 168

277. Alcurus striatus (Bl.) .. 169

278. Molpastes baemorrlious

(Gm.) . 169

279. -burmanicus 173

281. -atricapilliis (F2C27/.) 173

282. -beugalensis (Bl.) .. 174

283. -intermedins (A.

Hay) . 175

284. -leucogenys (Gr.) . . 175

285. -leucotis ( Goulcl)^ . 177

288. Otocompsaemeria(X252n.) 178

280. -fuscicaudataj Gould 180

290. - flaviventris (Tick.) 183

292. Spizixus canifrons, Bl. .. 184

295. lole icterica (Strickl.) .. 185

299. Pycnonotiis dnlaysoni^

Strickl . 187

300. -davisoni (Hu7ne) .. 188

301. -melanicterus (G7n.) 188

305. -luteolus (Less .).... 189

306. -blanfordi; Jerd . 190

Family SITTID^E.

315. Sitta bimalayensis, J. cj* S. 192

316. - ciunamomeiventris,

Bl . 193

317. -neglecta, Walden .. 193

321. - castaneixentrisj

Frankl. . 194

323. -leucopsis, Gould .. 196

325. -frontalis, Horsf .... 196

Family DICRURIDiE.

327. Dierurus ater (Herinann) 198

328. - longicaudatus, A.

Hay . 203

329. -nigrescens, Oates .. 208

330. -cseriilescens (Lmni) 209

331. -leucopygialis, Bl. . 209

334. Ohaptia aenea ( Vieill.) . . 210

335. Chibiabottentotta(Xm?z.) 213

338. Dissemurulus lopborbinus

(Vieill) .215

339. Bbringa remifer (Te^imi.) 216
TOL. I.

Page

340. Bissemurus paradiseus

(Lhm.).. . 217

Family CERTHIID.E.

341. Certliia bimalayana, Vig. 220

342. -bodgsoni, Brooks .. 220

347. Salpornis spilonota

(Fra7ikl) . 220

352. Anoftbura neglecta

(Brooks) . 221

355. Urociclila caudata (Bl.) .. 222

356. Pnoepyga squamata

(Gould) ...: .223

Family REaULID/E.

358. Regulus cristatus, Koch. 223

Family SYLVIIDyE.

363. Acrocepbaliis stentoreus

(H^'F.) . 224

366. -dumetoruni, Bl ,. 226

367. -agricola (Jerd .).... 229

371. Tribura tboraeica (Bli).. 229

372. -luteiveutris, Hodgs. 231

374. Ortbotomus sutoriiis

(Forst.) .231

375. -atrigularis, . 235

380. Cisticola volitans (Sum-

hoe) . 236

381. -cursitans (Frankl) 236

382. Frauldinia gracilis

(Frcmkl) . 240

383. -rufescens (Bl) .... 242

384. -bucbanani (Bl ).... 243

385. -cinereicapilla

(Hodgs.) . A... 246

386. Laticilla bnrnesi (Bl.) .. 247

388. Graminicola beugalensis,

Jei-d . 248

389. Megaliirus palustris,

Horsf. .249

390. Scbcenicola platyura

(Jerd.) .. 251

391. Acantboptila nepalensis

(Hodgs.) . 252

392. Cbsetornis locustelloides

(Bl.) .252

394. Hypolais rama (Sykes).. 254

402. Sylvia affinis (Bl^ .257

406. Pbylloscopus tytleri,

Brooks ..258

410.-fiiscatus (Bli) .... 259

415. -proregulus . 260

416. -subviridis (Brooks) 202

b

SYSTEMATIC INDEY.

Page

418. Pliylloscopus linmii

(Broohs) ... . . 262

428. Acantliopueiiste occipi¬
talis (Jerd.) .267

430. -davisoni, Oates .... 269

434. Cryptoloplia xanthosclnsta

Xllodgs.).^ .270

435. -jerdoni (^roo^s) .. 271

436. -poliog-enys {Bl.) .. "2,1 "2

437. -castaneiceps (Kodgs^ 272

438. -cantator ( Tick.') .. 272

440. Abrornis superciliaris,

Tic7i..y. .273

441. -schisticeps (ECoclgs.) 274

442. -albig'ularis, Hodgs .. 275

445. Scotocerca inquieta

(Cretzsclim.) . 276

446. Ncornia flavolivaceiia

(Hodgs.) .. 277

448. Ilorornis fortipes, Hodgs. 279

450. -pallidus (Broolzs) .. 280

451. -pallidipes (Bkmf.) . 281

452. -major (Hodgs.). ... 281

454. Phvllergates coronatus

(Jerd.SfBl.) ...^ . 282

455. Ploreites bnmneifrons,

Hodgs . 282

458. Suya crinigera, Hodgs. .. 282

459. -atrigularis, Moore.. 285

460. -kbasiana, Godw.~

Aust ...286

462. Priuia lepida, Bl .287

463. -flaviventris (JDeless.) 289

464. -socialis, Sykes . .. 291

465. -sylvatica, Jerd . 299

466. -inornata, Sykes .... 301

467. -^ ierdoiii (BL) . 304

468. -blanfordi (Walden) 305

Family LANIID.E.
Subfamily LAXiiNiE.

469. Lanius labtora (Sylzes) .. 306
473. - Valenc. .. 811

475. -nigriceps (Frankl.) . 315

476. -erythronotus (Vig.) 818

477. -tepliroiiotus ( F^J 7 .) . 325

481. -cristatus, Linn . 326

484. Hemipus picatus (Sykes) 327

485. -capitalis (McClell.) . 328

486. Tepbrodornis pelvicus

(Hodgs.) . 330

487. -sylvicola, Jerd. .... 331

488. -poudicei’iaDusl'frw.) 332

4^K). Pericrocotus speciosus

(Lath.) .. 335

494. Pericrocotus flammeus

(Fc.rst.) . . 336

495. -brevirostris( 337

499. - TOBeiis(Vieill.) .... 338

500. -peregrimis (Lin7i.) . 339

501. -erytbropygiiis

( Jerd() . .. . \ . 344

505. Campopbaga melano-

scbista (Hodgs.) .345

508. -sykesi (Strickl.) .... 346

609. -terat (Bodd.) . 348

510. Graucalus macii, Lesson . 348

Subfamily AiiTAMiNiE.

512. Artamiis fusciis, Vieill. .. 350

513. -leucogaster ( Valeric.) 353

Family OEIOLIDAE.

518. Oriolus kundoo, Sykes . . 354

521. -melanocephalus,

Zmn .359

522. -traillii ( Vigors ).... 362

Family EULABETID^F.

523. Eulabes religiosa (Linn.) . 363

524. *-intermedia (A. Hay) 365

526. -ptilogenys (BL)... . 366

527. Calornis cbalvbeiiis

(Horsf.) . 367

Family STUBNIDiE.

528. Pastor roseiis (Linn.) .... 368

529. Stiirnus bimiii, Brooks . . 369

531. minor, Hume .370

537. Stiirnia blythii (Jerd.) . . 371

538. --malabarica (Gm). . 372

539. -nemoricola, Jerd. . . 373

543. Ampeliceps coronatus, BL 374

544. Temenuchus pagodarum

(Gm.) .374

546. Graculipica nigricoUis

(Payh.) . 377

549. Acridotberes tristis

(Linn.) .377

550. -nielanosternus,

Legge . 380

551. -ginginianiis (Lath.) . 381

552. .^Ethiopsar fuseus ( Wagl.) 383
555. Stiirnopastor contra

(Linn.) . 386

656.-superciliaris, Bl. . . 388

EUEATA.

I^Hge 103. After Dr5rniocatapli-Lis tickelli insert (Blyth).

:2in. For Blinnga teniiirostris read B. tectirostris.

Bilge 223. For Pnoepyga albiventris (Hodgs.), read Pnoepyga squa
mata (Gould).

Page .311. After Lanius vittatus Valciic.

Woonr-UKY Comi-y.

BRIAN HOUGHTON HODGSON.

THE

NESTS AND EGGS

OP

INDIAN BIRDS.

Order PASSERES.

Family CORVID.®.

Subfamily CORVINE.

1. Corvus corax, Linn. The Raven,

Corvus coras, Linn., Jercl R. Incl ii, j)* 293.

Corvus lawrencii, Hmne j Hime, Rough Draft N. (§* JEJ. no. 657,

I separated the Punjab Raven under the name of Corvus law-
rencei Lahore to Yarkand/ p. 83), and I then stated, what I wish
now to repeat, that if we are prepared to consider C, coracv, C,
littoralis, Q. iJiibetanus, and C. japonensis all as one and the same
species, then C, laiurencei too must be suppressed; but if any of
these are retained as distinct, then so must G, lawrencd be

The Punjab Raven breeds throughout the Punjab (except perhaps
in the Dehra Grhazee Khan District), in Bhawulpoor, Bikaneer,
and the northern portions of Jeypoor and Jodhpoor, extending
rarely as far south as Sambhur. To Sindh it is merely a seasonal

* I think it impossible to separate the Punjab Raven from the Ravens of
Europe and other parts of the world, and I have therefore mei'ged it into
C. COTOX. —Ed.

TOL. I.

1

2

COBYID^.

visitant, and I could not learn that they breed there, nor have I
ever known of one breeding anywhere east of the Jumna. Even
in the Delhi Division of the Punjab they breed sparingly, and one
must go further north and west to find many nests.

The breeding-season lasts from early in December to quite the
end of March; but this varies a little according to season and
locality, though the majority of birds always, I think, lay in January.

The nest is generally placed in single trees of no great size,
standing in fields or open jungle. The thorny Acacias are often
selected, but 1 have seen them on Sisoo and other trees.

Tbe nest, placed in a stout fork as a rule, is a large, strong,
compact, stick structure, very like a Book’s nest at home, and like
these is used year after year, whether by the same birds or others
of the same species I cannot say. Of course they never breed in
company : I never found two of their nests within 100 yards of each
other, and, as a rule, they will not be found within a* quarter of a
mile of each other.

Eive is, I think, the regular complement of eggs; very often I
have only found ‘four fully incubated eggs, and on two or three
occasions six have, I know, been taken in one nest, though 1 never
myself met with so many.

I find the following old note of the first nest of this species that
I ever took :—

“At Hansie, in Skinner’s Beerh, December 19, 1867, we found
our first Haven’s nest. It was in a solitary Keekur tree, which
originally of no great size had had all but two upright branches
lopped away. Between these two branches was a large compact
stick nest fully 10 inches deep and 18 inches in diameter, and not
more than 20 feet from the ground. It contained five slightly
incubated eggs, which the old birds evinced the greatest objection
to part vdth, not only dying at the head of the man who removed
them, but some little time after they had been removed similarly
attacking the man who ascended the tree to look at the nest.
After the eggs were gone, they sat themseh^es on a small branch
above the nest side by side, croaking most ominously, and shaking
their heads at each other in the most amusing manner, every now
and then alternately descending to the nest and scrutinizing every
portion of the cavity with their heads on one side as it to make
sure that the eggs were really gone.”

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following note of tliis bird’s nidifi-
cation in the neighbourhood of Bind Dadan Khan and Katas in
the Salt Eange :—

“ Lay in January and Eebruary ; eggs, four only; shape, ovato-
pyriform ; size, 1*7 by 1*3; colour, dirty sap green, blotched with
blackish brown; also pale green spotted with greenish brown and
neutral; nest of sticks difficult to get at, placed in well-selected
trees or holes in cliffis.”

I have not verified the fact of their breeding in holes in clifis,
but it is very possible that they do. All I found near Pind Dadan
Khan and in the Salt Eange were doubtless in trees, but I explored
a very Limited portion of these hills.

CORYUS.

3

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall, writing from Bhawiilpoor on the
17th Eebriiary, says : “ I succeeded yesterday in getting four eggs
of the Punjab Haven. The eggs were hard-set and very difficult
to clean,”

Prom Sambhiir Mr. E. M. Adam tells ns :—“ This Eaven is
pretty common during the cold weather, but pairs are seen about
here throughout the year. They are very fond of attaching them¬
selves to the camps of the numerous parties of Banjaras who visit
the lake.

“ I obtained a nest at the end of January which contained three
eggs, and a fourth was found in the parent bird. The nest was
about 15 feet from the ground in a Kaggera tree (Acacia leiwo-
2 oldoea) which stood on a bare sandy waste with no other tree
within half a mile in any direction.”

The eggs of the Punjab bird are, as might be expected, much
the same as those of the European Eaven. In shape they are
moderately broad ovals, a good deal pointed towards the small end,
but, as in the Oriole, greatly elongated varieties are very common,
and short globular ones almost unknown. The texture of the egg
is close and hard, but they usually exhibit little or no gloss. In the
colour of the ground, as well as in the colour, extent, and character
of the markings, the eggs vary surprisingly. The ground-colour is
in some a clear pale greenish blue; in others pale bine ; in others a
dingy olive; and in others again a pale stone-colour. The markings
are blackish brown, sepia and olive-brown, and rather pale inky
purple. Some have the markings small, sharply defined, and
thinly sprinkled; others are extensively blotched and streakily
clouded; others are freckled or smeared over the entire surface,
so as to leave but little, if any, of the ground-colour visible.
Often several styles of marking and shades of colouring are com¬
bined in the same egg. Almost each nest of eggs exhibits some
peculiarity, and varieties are endless. With sixty or seventy eggs
before one, it is easy to pick out in almost every case all the eggs
that belong to the same nest, and this is a peculiarity that I have
observed in the eggs of many members of this family. All the
eggs out of the same nest usually closely resemble each other,
while almost any two eggs out of different nests are markedly
dissimilar.

They vary from 1*72 to 2*25 in length, and from 1*2 to 1*37 in
width ,* but the average of seventy-two eggs measured is 1*94 by
1*31.

Mandelli’s men found four eggs of the larger Sikhim bird in
Native Sikhim, high up towards the snows, where they were
shooting Blood-Pheasants.

These eggs are long ovals, considerably pointed towards one end ;
the shell is strong and firm, and has scarcely any gloss. The
ground-colour is pale bluish green, and the eggs are smudged and
clouded all over with pale sepia; on the t op of the eggs there are
a few small spots and streaks of deep brownish black. They were
found on the 5th March, and vary in length from 1*83 to 1*96,
in breadth from 1*18 to 1*25.

COETIPiE.

3. Corvus corone, Linn. The Garrion-Grow,

Corvus corone, Linn.^ Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 295; Hume^ Rough Draft
N. E, no. 659

The only Indian eggs of the Carrion-Crow which I have seen, and
one of which, vdth the parent bird, I owe to Mr. Brooks, were taken
by the latter gentleman on the 30th May at Sonamerg, Cashmere.

The eggs were broad ovals, somewhat compressed towards one
end, and’of the regular Corvine type—a pretty pale green ground,
blotched, smeared, streaked, spotted, and clouded, nowhere very
profusely but most densely about the large end, with a greenish or
olive-brown and pale sepia. The brown is a brighter and greener,
or duller and more olive, lighter or darker, in different eggs, and
even in different parts of the same egg. The shell is fine and
close, but has only a faint gloss.

The eggs only varied from 1*67 to 1-68 m length, and from 1T4
to 1-18 in breadth.

Whether this bird breeds regularly or only as a straggler in
Cashmere we do not know ; it is always overlooked and passed by
as a “ Common Crow.’^ Euture Ausitors to Cashmere should try
and clear up both the identity of the bird and all particulars about
its nidification.

4. Corvus inacrorhynchus, Wagler. The Jungle-Grow,

Corvus culminatus, Sykes, Jerd. B, Ind, ii, p. 295.

Corvus levaillantii, Less.^ Hume, Rough Draft N, ^ E. no. 660.

The Jungle-Crow (under which head I include t G. culminatus,
Sykes, G, intermedins, Adairs, G, andamanensis, Tytler, and each
and all of the races that occur within our limits) breeds almost
everywhere in India, alike in the low country and in the hills both
of Southern and ISTorthern India, to an elevation of fully 8000
feet.

March to May is, I consider, the normal breeding-season; in
the plains the majority lay in April, rarely later, and in the hills
in May ; but in the plains a few birds lay also in Eebruary.

The nest is placed as a rule on good-sized trees and pretty near,
their summits. In the plains mangos and tamarinds seem to be
preferred, but I have found the nests on many different kinds of
trees. The nest is large, circular, and composed of moderate-sized
twigs; sometimes it is thick, massiA^e, and compact; sometimes
loose and straggling ; always AAuth a considerable depression in the
centre, which is smoothly lined with large quantities of horsehair.

* Mr. Hume, at one tinae separated the Indian Carrion-Crow from Gormis
corone under the name C. pseiido-corone. In his ‘ Catalogue ’ he re-imites them.
I quite agree with him that the two birds are inseparable.— Ed.

t See ‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. ii. 1874, p. 243, and ‘ Lahore to Yarkand,’
p. 85.

COEYITS.

5

or other stiff hair, grass, grass-roots, cocoaniit-fibre, &c. In the
hills they use any animal’s hair or fur, if the latter is pretty stiff.
They do not, according to my experience, affect luxuries in the way
of soft down; it is always something moderately stiff, of the coir
or horsehair type; nothing soft and fluffy. Coarse human hair,
such as some of our native fellow-subjects can boast of, is often
taken, when it can be got, in lieu of horsehair.

They lay four or live eggs. I \m\e quite as often found the
latter as the former number. 1 have never myself seen six eggs in
one nest, but I have heard, on good authority, of six eggs being found.

Captain Unwin writes: “ I found a nest of the Bow-billed
Corby in the Agrore Valley, containing four eggs, on the 30th
April. It was placed in a Cheer tree about 40 feet from the
ground, and was made of sticks and lined with dry grass and
hair.^’

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following remarks on the breeding
of this bird in the Valley of Cashmere:—

“ Lays in the third'week of April. Eggs four in number, ovato-
pyriform, measuring from 1*6 to 1*7 in length and from 1*2 to
1*25 in breadth. Colour green spotted with brown; valley
generally. Nest placed in Cbiuar and difficult trees.”

Captain Hutton tells us that the Corby ‘‘ occurs at Mussoorie
throughout the year, and is very destructive to young fowls and
pigeons; it breeds in May and June, and selects a tall tree, near a
house or village, on which to build its nest, which is composed
externally of dried sticks and twigs, and lined with grass and hair,
which latter material it will pick from the baclvs of horses and
cows, or from skins of animals laid out to dry. I liave had skins
of the Surrow (Ncemoo'hcediis tliar) nearly destroyed by their de¬
predations. The eggs are three or four in number.”

Erom the plains I have very few notes. I transcribe a few of
my own.

On the 11th March, near Oreyah, I found a nest of a Corby—
a good large stick nest, built with tamarind twigs, and placed fully
40 feet from the ground in the fork of a mango-tree standing by
itself. The nest measured quite IS inches in diameter and five in
thickness. It was a nearly flat platform with a central depression
8 inches in diameter, and not more than 2 deep, but there was a
solid pad of horsehair more than an inch thick below this. I took
the mass out; it must have weighed half a pound. Four eggs
much incubated.

‘‘ Etawali^ 14iA March ,—Another nest at the top of one of the huge
tamarind-trees ‘behind the Asthul: could not get up to it. A boy
brought the nest down; it w^as not above a foot across, and perhaps
3 inches deep; cavity about 6 inches in diameter, thickly lined
with grass-roots, inside which again was a coating of horsehair
perhaps a rupee in thickness; nest swarming with vermin. Eggs
five, quite fresh; four eggs noi'mal; one quite round, a pure pale
slightly greenish blue, with only a few very minute spots and
specks of brown having a tendency to form a feeble zone round

6

COHTIDJE.

the large end. Measures only 1*25 by 1*2. Neither in shape,
size, nor colour is it like a Corby’s egg; but it is not a Koel’s, or
that of any of our parasitic Cuckoos, and I have seen at home similar
pale eggs of the Eook, Hooded Crow, Carrion-Crow, and Eaven.

“ Bareilly^ May —Three fresh eggs in large nest on a

mango-tree. Nest as usual, but lined with an immense quantity
of horsehair. We brought this home and weighed it: it w’eighed
vsix ounces, and horsehair is very light.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes :—

This Crow, so common at Allahabad, is very scarce here at
Delhi. In fact I haA^e only seen one pair.

At Allahabad it lays in Eebruary and March. I have, how¬
ever, only found one nest, a rather loose structure of twigs and a
few thick branches with rather a deep depression in the centre. It
was placed on the very crown of a high toddy palm {Borassus
jiaheTLiformis)^ and was unlined save for a wad of human.hair, on
which the eggs, two in number, lay; these I found hard-set (on
the 13th March); in colour they were a pale greenish blue, boldly
blotched, spotted, and speckled with brown.”

Colonel Butler has furnished me with the following note on the
breeding of the Jungle-Crow:—

“Belgaiim, 12th March, 1880.—A nest containing four fresh
eggs. It consisted of a loose structure of sticks lined with hair
and leaves, and was placed at the top of and in the centre of a
green-foliaged tree in a well-concealed situation about 30 feet
from the ground. IStli March : Two nests, each containing three
slightly incubated eggs ; one of the nests was quite low* down in
the centre of an ‘arbor vitm’ about 12 feet from the ground.
81st March: Another nest containing four slightly incubated eggs.
Some of the latter nests were very solidly built, and not so well
concealed. 11th April: Two more nests, containing live incubated
and three slightly incubated eggs respectively; and on the 14th
April a nest containing four slightly incubated eggs. These birds,
when the eggs are at all incubated, often sit very close, especially
if the nest is in an open situation, and in many instances I have
thrown se\'eral stones at the nest, and made as much row as I
could below Avithout driving the old bird off, and I have seen my
nest-seeker within a few* yards of the nest after climbing the tree
before the old bird heAv off. On the 2Gth of April I found tvA*o
more nests, one containing four young birds just hatched, the otlier
three fresh eggs. On the 27th another nest containing three fresh
eggs, and on the 28th a nest of three fresh eggs. On the 5th May
two more nests containing four fresh and four'incubated eggs
respectively.”

“ In the Nilghiris,” Avrites Mr. Davison, “ the Corby builds a
coarse nest of twigs, lined AAuth cocoanut-fibre or dry grass high
up in some densely-foliaged tree. The eggs are usually four, often
five, in number. The birds lay in April and May.”

Miss Cockburn again says:—“ They build like all Crows on large
trees merely by laying a few sticks together on some strong branch,

COBVTJS.

7

generally very liigli up in the tree. I do not remember ever
seeing more than one nest on a tree at a time, so that they difer
very much from the Eook in that respect. They lay four eggs of
a bluish green, with dusky blotches and spots, and nothing can
exceed the care and attention they bestow on their young. Even
when the latter are able to leave their nests and take long flights,
the parent birds will accompany them as if to prevent their getting
into mischief. The nests are found in April and May.”

Mr. J. Darling, jun., writes from the Nilghiris :—“ 1 liave found
the nest of this Crow pretty nearly all over the iSTilghiris. The
usual number of eggs laid is four, but on one occasion, near the
Quinine Laboratory in the Government Gardens at Ooty, I pro¬
cured six from one nest. The breeding-season is from March to
May, but I have taken eggs as early as the 12th Eebriiary.”

Erom Ceylon, we hear from Mr. Layard that ‘‘ about the villages
the Carrion-Crow builds its nest in the cocoaniit-trees. In the
jungles it selects a tall tree, amid the upper branches of which it
fixes a framework of sticks, and on this constructs a nest of twigs
and grasses. The eggs, from three to five, are usually of a dull
greenish-brown colour, thickly mottled with brown, these markings
feing most prevalent at the small end. They are usually laid in
January and Eebruary.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps informs us that in Eastern Eengal it is

common and a permanent resident. Occasionally found in the
clumps of jungle that are found about the country, which the next
species never affects. Breeds in the cold weather. I had noticed
a pair building on a Casuarina tree in my garden, about 50 feet
off the ground, and on the IStli December, 1877, I took two per¬
fectly fresh eggs froin it; and again on the 9th January, 1878, I
found two callow young in this same nest, the birds never having
deserted it. The lining used for this nest was principally jute-
fibre—any tree is selected to build on; the nests are placed from
15 to 50 feet off the ground. Some nests are very well concealed,
whereas others are quite exposed. On the 15th January I found
a nest about 15 feet up a small kudum tree, standing in a large
plain, and which had a lining of hair from the tail-tufts of cows.
There was one fresh egg, and a week later I got another fresh egg
from this very nest. From two to four eggs are in each nest.”

Mr. Oates writes from Pegu :—These birds all begin to build
about the same time, and I have taken numerous nests' at the
end of January. At the end of February most nests contain
young birds.” •

Mr. W. Theobald gives the following notes on the nidifieation
of this bird in Tenasserim and near Deoghur:—

‘‘ Lays in the third week of February and fourth week of March;
eggs ovat 0 -pyriform; size 1'66 by IT5; colour, dull sap-green
much blotched with brown; nest carefully placed in tall trees.”

The eggs, though smaller, closely resemble, as might have been
expected, those of the Eaven, but they are, I think, typically some¬
what broader and shorter. Almost every variety, as far as colora-

8

GORVIDJE.

tion goes, to be found amongst those of the Eaven, are found
amongst the eggs of the present species, and vice versa; and for a
description of these it is only necessary to refer to the account of
the former species; but I may notice that amongst the eggs of
C. macrorliyneJius I have not yet noticed any so boldly blotched as is
occasionally the case with some of the eggs of the Eaven, which
remind one not a little, so far as the character of the markings go, of
eggs of (Edicnemus crepitans and Esacus recurvirosiris. Like those
of the Eaven the eggs exhibit little gloss, though here and there a
fairly glossy egg is met with. Eggs from various parts of the
Himalayas, of the plains of Upper India, of the hills and plains of
Southern India, do not differ in any respect. Inter se the eggs
from each locality differ surprisingly in size, in tone ot* colour, and
in character of markings ; but when you compare a dozen or twenty
from each locality, you find that these differences are purely indi-
\fidual and in no degree referable to locality.

There are just as big eggs and just as small ones from Simla and
Kotegurh, from Cashmere, from Etawah, Bareilly, Euttebgurh,
from Kotagherry, and Conoor ; all that one can possibly say is that
perhaps the Plains birds do on the average lay a shade larger eggs
than the Himalayan or Hilghiri ones.

Takiiig the eggs as a whole, I think that in size and shape they
are about intermediate between the eggs of the European Carrion-
Crow and Eook. But they vary, as I said, astonishingly in size,
from 1*5 to 1*95 in length, and in breadth from 1*12 to 1*22, and
I have one perfectly spherical egg, a deformity of course, which
measures 1*25 by 1*2.

The average of thirty Himalayan eggs is 1*73 by 1*18, of twenty
Plains eggs 1*74 by 1*2, and of fifteen Nilghiri eggs 1*7 by 1*18.
I would venture to predict that with fifty of each, there would not
be a hundredth of an inch between their averages.

7. Corvus splendens, Yieill. The Indian House-Crow.

Corviis splendens; Vieill. Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 298.

Corvus impiidicus, Hodgs.^ Hume, Bough Draft N, v.5" E. no. 663.

Throughout India and Upper Burma the Common Crow resides
and breeds, not ascending tlie hills either in Soutliern or Northern
India to any great elevation, but breeding up to 4000 feet in the
Himalayas.

The breeding-season par excellence h June and July, but occa¬
sional nests will be found earlier even in Upper India, and in
Southern and Eastern India a great number lay in May. The
nests are commonly placed in trees without much regard to size or
kind, though densely foliaged ones are preferred, and I have just
as often found several in the same tree as single ones. At times
they will build in nooks of ruins or large deserted buildings, where
these are in well inhabited localities, but out of many thousands I
have only seen three or four nests in such abnormal positions.

The nest is placed in some fork, and is usually a ragged stick

COUYUS.

9

platform, with a central depression lined with grass-roots; but
they are not particular as to material; I have found wool, rags,
grass, and all kinds of vegetable fibre, and Mr. Blyth mentions
that he has seen several nests composed more or less, and two
almost exclusively, of the wires taken from soda-water bottles,
which had been purloined from the heaps of these wires commonly
set aside by the native servants until they amount to a saleable
quantity.” Eour is the normal number of eggs laid, but I often
have found five, and on two occasions six. It is in this bird’s nest
that the Koel chiefly lays.

Writing of Nepal, Dr. Scully remarks :—In the valley it lays
in May and June; some twenty nests were once examined on the
23rd June, and half the number then contained young birds.”

Major iBingham says:—“Very common, of course, both at
Allahabad and at Delhi, and breeds in June, July, and beginning
of August. At Allahabad it is much persecuted by the Koel
(Eiidynamijs orientalis)^ every fourth or fifth nest that I found
in some topes of mango-trees having one or two of the Koel’s
eggs.”

Colonel Butler informs me that in Karachi it ‘‘ begins to lay in
the mangrove bushes in the harbour as early as the end of May; ”
and that it breeds in the neighbourhood of Deesa in June, July,
and August, commencing to build in the last week of May.”

Later, he writes:—“ &lganm, 15th May, 1879. Pound nume¬
rous nests in the native infantry lines in low trees, containing
fresh and incubated eggs and young birds of all sizes. In the sauie
locality, on the 30th March, 1880, I found a nest containing four
young birds able to fly; the eggs must therefore have been laid
quite as early as the middle of Pebruary, if not earlier.”

Mr. Gr. W. Yidal wuites :—“ The Common Crow appears to
have two broods in the year in our district (Eatuagiri), the first in
April and May, and the second in November and December. In
these four months I have found nests, eggs, and young birds in
several different places in the district, and as yet at no other
times. It is extremely improbable that there should be one
breeding-season lasting from April to December, and I think I may
state with certainty that the Crows do not breed at Eatnagiri
during the months of heaviest rainfall, viz. July, August, and
September. As their breeding in November and December appears
to be exceptional, I subjoin a record of the few nests I examined.

Nov. 22, 1878. Eatnagiri:

“ One nest with 3 young birds.

„ „ 1 fresh egg.

“Nov. 23, 1878. Eatnagiri:

“ One nest with 1 fresh egg.

„ „ 1 fresh egg.

“Dec. 4, 1878. Saugmeshwar.—One nest wdth 3 eggs hard-set;
another nest probably containing young birds, but the Crows
pecked so viciously at the man who was climbing the tree, that he
got frightened and came down again without reaching the nest.

10

COUTIDjE.

Crows with sticks and feathers in their mouths are flying about
all day.

‘‘Dec. 5, 1878. Aroli.—Dound a nest with a Crow sitting in it;
DO one to climb the tree.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitken has favoured me with the following in¬
teresting note:—“I send you an account of a nest of the Common
Crow, found in October, 1874, in the town of Madras. My
attention was first directed to the remarkable pair of Crows to
which the nest belonged, in the end of Julj’’, when they were
determinedly and industriously attempting to fix a nest on the top
ledge of a pillar in the verandah of the ‘ Madras Mail ’ office. The
ledge was so narrow that one would have thought the Sparrow
alone of all known birds would have selected it for a site; and
even the Sparrow only under the condition of a writing or toilet-
table being underneath to catch the lime, sticks, straws, rags,
feathers, and other innumerable materials that commonly strew
the ground below a Sparrow^’s nest. I was told that the Crows
had been at their task for two months before I saw them, and I
then watched them till nearly the end of October. The celebrated
spider that taught King Bruce a lesson in patience was eager and
fi.tful compared with this pair of Crows. I kept no account of the
number of times their structure was blown down, only to be
immediately begun again ; but as there was a good deal of rain and
wind at that season, in addition to the regular sea-breeze, it was a
common thing for the sticks to be cleared offi day after day. But
perseverance will often achieve seeming impossibilities, and, more¬
over, the Crows worked more indefatigably as the season went on,
and used to run up their nest with great rapidity (no doubt, also,
they improved by their practice); so that several times the -struc¬
ture was completed, or nearly completed, before being swept to the
ground, though how it remained in its place for a moment seems a
mystery; and twice I saw a broken egg among the scattered
debris. At length, about the middle of September, the Crowds de¬
termined to try the pillar at the other end of the verandah. By
this time, of course, all the Crows in Madras had long brought up
their broods and sent them adrift; and what they thought to see
an eccentric pair of their own species forsaking society, and building
in September, may be imagined. The new site selected differed in
no respect from the old one, and was no less exposed to the wind;
but the birds had grown expert at building ‘ castles in the air,’ and
now^ met with few’er mishaps. In the first week of October the
hen bird w'as sitting regularly, so on the 8th of the month I sent
a man up by a ladder, and he held up four eggs for me to look at.
It fairly seemed after this that patience was to have its reward,
but on the night of the 20th there came a storm of wind and rain,
and when I went to the office in the morning, the nest was lying
on the ground, with two young Crows in it, with the feathers just
beginning to appear. The other two, I suppose, had fallen over
into the street. And thus ended one of the most persevering
attempts on record to overcome a difficulty insurmountable from

COETTJS.

11

the first. The old birds thought it time now to stop operations,
and frequented the office no more.

“ I am told by a gentleman in the ‘ Mail ’ office that the Crows
have built in that verandah regularly for five or six years past, but
nobody seems to have watched the nests. I am, therefore, hopeful
that the attempt will be repeated this year, in \^'hich case I will
keep a diary of all that takes place.”

He writes subsequently:—‘‘ I sent you a long story in my last
batch of notes about two eccentric Crows that succeeded in building
a nest upon the narrow ledge of a pillar in the verandah of my
office, several months after all well-conducted Crows had sent out
their progeny to battle with the world. I mentioned to you that
they were said to build in that unnatural place every year, and I
said that I would watch them this year.

‘‘ Well, would you believe it ? on the 26th July, when every other
Crow’s nest in Madras had hard-set eggs, or newly-hatched young
ones, these two indefatigable birds set methodically to work to
construct a nest on the south pillar—the one where all their earlier
effiorts were made last year, but not the one on which they suc¬
ceeded in fixing their nest. They worked all the 26th and 27th,
putting up sticks as fast as they fell down, and then desisted till
the 4th August, when they began operations on the opposite (north)
pillar with redoubled energy. Meeting with no better success they
left off operations after a couple of days’ fridtless labour. Yester¬
day (after a delay of five weeks) they set to work on the south
pillar again and succeeded in raising a great pile, which, ho\^’ever,
was ignominiously blown down in the afternoon. Today they are
continuing their work indefatigably.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps has the following note in his list of birds of
Eurreedpore, Eastern Bengal:—“ Yery common, and a permanent
resident, affecting the haunts of man. They build and lay in May.
The Koel lays its eggs in this bird’s nest. In April, 1876, I saw
two iiests in the compound of the house in which I lived at
Howrah, which weve made entirely of galvanized wire, the thickest
piece of which was as thick as a slate pencil. How the birds
managed to bend these thick pieces of wire was a marvel to us ;
not a stick was incorporated with the wires, and the lining of the
nest (which was of the ordinary size) was jute and a few feathers.
The railway goods-yard, which was alongside the house, supplied
the wire, of which there was ever so much lying about there.”

Typically the eggs may, I think, be said to be rather broad ovals,
a good deal pointed towards the small end; but really the eggs vary
so much in shape that, even with nearly two hundred before me,
it is difficult to decide what is really the most typical form.
Pyriform, elongated, and globular varieties are common; long
Cormorant-shaped eggs and perfect ovals are not uncommon. As
regards the colour of the ground, and colour, character, and extent
of marking, all that I have above said of the Eaven’s eggs applies to
those of this species, but varieties occur amongst those of the latter
which I have not observed in those of the former. In some the

12

COEVIDiE.

ground is a very pale pure bluish green,- in others it is dingier andr
greener. Ail are blotched, speckled, and streaked more or less
with somewhat pale sepia markings; but in some the spots and
specks are a darker brown and, as a rule, well defined, and there
is very little streaking, while in others the brown is pale and
muddy, the markings ill-defined, and nearly the whole surface of
the egg is freckled over with smudgy streaks. Sometimes the
markings are most numerous at the Targe end, sometimes at the
small; no two eggs are exactly alike, and yet they have so strong
a family resemblance that there is no possibility of mistaking them.
Generally the markings as a whole are less bold, and the general
colour of a large body of them laid together is bluer and brighter
than that of a similar drawer-full of Eavens’ eggs. As a whole,
too, they are more glossy. I have one egg before me bright blue
and almost as glossy as a Mynah’s, thickly blotched and speckled
at the broad end, and thinly spotted elsewhere wdth olive-green,
blackish-browm, and pale purple. Another egg, a pale pure blue,
is spotless, except at the large end, where there is a conspicuous
cap of olive-brown and olive-green spots and speckles, and there
are numerous other abnormal varieties which I have not observed
amongst the Eavens.

On the whole the eggs do not vary much in size; out of one
hundred and ninety-seven, one hundred and ninety-five varied
betw^een 1*28 and 1*65 in length, and 0-98 and 1*15 in breadth.
One egg measures only 1*2 in length, and one is only 0*96 in
breadth; but the average of the whole is 1*44 by 1*06.

8. Corvus insolens, Hume. The Burmese House-Crow,

Coi’viis insolens; Hume ; Hume, Cat. no. 663 bis.

The Burmese House-Crow breeds pretty well over the whole of
Burma.

Mr. Oates, waiting from Pegu, says :—Nesting operations are
commenced about the 20th March. The nest and eggs require no
separate description, for both appear to be similar to those of
Q. splendensJ’

When large series of the eggs of both these species are com¬
pared, those of the Burmese Crow strike one as averaging some¬
what brighter coloured, otherwise they are precisely ahke and need
no separate description.

9. Corvus monedula, Linn. The JacMaw.

Colaeus monedula {Hin.), Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 802.

Corvus monedula, Linn., Hume, Bough Draft N. ^ JE. no. 665.

I only know positively of Jackdaws breeding in one district
within our limits, viz. Cashmere; but I have seen it in the hills in
summer, as far east as the Yalley of the Beas, and it must breed
everywhere in suitable localities between the tw^o.

PICA.

13

In the cold season of course the Jackdaw descends into the
plains of the North-west Punjaub, is very numerous near the
foot of the hills, and has been found in cis-Indus as far east as
Umballa, and south at Perozpoor, Jhelum, and Kalabagh. In
Trans-Indus it extends unto the Dehra Grhazi Khan district.

I have never taken its eggs myself.

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following remarks on its nidifica-
tion in the Valley of Cashmere :—

“ Lays in the first week of May ; eggs four, five, and six in
number, ovato-pyriform and long ovato-pyriform, measuring from
1*26, 1*45, to 1*60 in length, and from 0*9 to 1*00 in breadth ;
colour pale, clear bluish green, dotted and spotted with brownish
black; valley generally; in holes of rocks, beneath roofs, and in
tall trees.”

Dr. Jerdon says :—‘‘ It builds in Cashmere in old ruined palaces,
holes in rocks, beneath roofs of houses, and also in tall trees, laying
four to six eggs, pale bluish green, dotted and spotted with
brownish black.”

Mr. Brookes writes :—The Jackdaw breeds in Cashmere in all
suitable places : holes in old Chinar (Plane) trees, and in house-
walls,«under the eaves of houses, &c. I did not note the materials
of the nests, but these will be the same as in England.”

The eggs of this species are typically rather elongated ovals,
somewhat compressed towards one end. The shell is fine, but has
only a faint gloss. The ground-colour is a pale greenish white,
but in some eggs there is very little green, while in a veiy few the
ground is quite a bright green. The markings, sometimes very
fine and close, sometimes rather bold and thinly set, consist of
specks or spots of deep blackish brown, olive-brown, and pale inky
purple. In most eggs all these colours are represented, but in
some eggs the olive-, in others the blackish brown is almost
entirely wanting. In some eggs the markings are very dense
towards the large end, in others they are pretty uniformly dis¬
tributed over the whole surface; in some they are very minute
and speckly, in others they average the tenth of an inch in
diameter.

The eggs that I possess vary from 1*34 to 1*52 in length, and
from 0*93 to 1*02 in breadth; but the average of sixteen eggs was
1*4 by 0*98.

10. Pica rustica (Scop.). The Magpie,

Pica bactriana, Hume, Rough Draft N. 8c H no. 668 his.

The Magpie breeds, we know, in Afghanistan, and also through¬
out Ladak from the Zojee-la Pass right up to the Pangong Lake,
but it breeds so early that one is never in time for the eggs. The
passes are not open until long after they are hatched.

Captain Hutton says this bird “is found all the year round
from Quettah to Gririshk, and is very common. They breed in

14

COEYIBJE.

March, and tlie young arc fledged by the end of April. The nest
is like that of the European bird, and all the manners of the
Afghan Magpie are precisely the same. They may be seen at all
seasons.’^

Erom Afghanistan, Lieut. H. E. Barnes writes :—

“ The Magpie is not uncommon in the hills wherever there are
trees, but it seldom descends to the plains. They commence
breeding in March, in which month and April I have examined
scores of nests, which in every case were built in the ‘ Wun,’ a
species of Pistacia —the only tree found hereabouts. A stout fork
near the top is usually selected.

“ The nest is shallow and cup-shaped, with a superstructure of
twigs, forming a canopy over the egg-cavity. The eggs, generally
five in number, are of the usual corvine green, blotched, spotted,
and streaked, as a rule, most densely about the large end with
umber mingled with sepia-brown. The average of thirty eggs is
1-25 by -97.^^

Colonel Biddulph writes in ‘ The Ibis ’ that in Grilgit he took a
nest with five eggs, hard set, in a mulberry-tree at Noiival (5600
feet) on tbe 9th May. Also another uest with three fresh eggs at
Dayour (5200 feet) on the 25th May.

The eggs are typically rather elongated ovals, rather pointed
towards the small end, but shorter and broader varieties, and occa¬
sionally ones with a pyriforjn tendency, occur. The ground is
a greenish or browiiish wlhte. In some eggs it has none, in others
a slight gloss. Everywhere the eggs are finely and streakly
freckled with a brown that varies from olive almost to sepia; about
the large end the markings are almost always most dense, forming
there a more or less noticeable, hut quite irregular and undefined
cap or zone. In one or two eggs dull purplish-brown clouds or
blotches underlie and intermingle with this cap, and occasionally a
small spot of this same tint may be noticed elsewhere when the
egg is closely examined.

12. Urocissa occipitalis (BL). The lled-hiTled Blue Macj^ie,

Urocissa sinensis {Lmn\ Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 309.

Urocissa occipitalis {Bl.)^ Hume^ Rough Draft N. cjj' B, no. G71.

I have never myself found the nest of the Bed-billed Blue Mag¬
pie ; although it does breed spaiungly as far east as Simla and Kote-
gurh, it is not till you cross the Jumna that it is abundant. East
of the Jumna, about Mussoorie, Teeree, G-urhwal, Kumaon, and in
ISTepal, it is common.

Erom Mussoorie Captain Hutton tells us that “this species
occurs at Mussoorie throughout the year. It breeds at an elevation
of 5000 feet in M'ay and June, making a loose nest of twigs exter¬
nally and lined with roots. The nest is built on trees, sometimes
high up, at others about 8 or 10 feet from the ground. The eggs
are from three to five, of a dull greenish ash-grey, blotched and

UROCISSA.

15

speckled with brown dashes confluent at the larger end; the ends
nearly equal in size. It is very terrene in its habits, feeding almost
entirely on the ground.’’

Colonel G. F. L. Marshall remarks :—

“ The Eed-billed Blue Magpie is, as far as I know, an early
breeder at Naini Tal; common as the bird is I have only found
one nest and that on the 24th April; it was a shallow slenderly
built structure of fine roots, chiefly of maiden-hair fern, in a rough
outer casing of twigs, placed on a horizontal bough overhanging a
nullah about fifteen feet from the ground. The tree had mode¬
rately dense foliage, and was about twenty-five feet high in a small
clump on a hillside covered with low scrub at 5000 feet elevation
above the sea. Around the nest several small boughs and twigs
grew out, and being very slight in structure it was not eas}'' to see.
The old bird sat very close. There were six eggs in the nest about
halMncabated ; in two of them the markings were densest at the
small end. The egg-cavity was 6 inches in diameter by about 1^
deep. On the oth June i saw old birds accompanied by young
ones able to fly, but without the long tails.”

The eggs of this species much resemble those of the European
Magpie, but are considerably smaller. They are broad, rather
perfect ovals, somewhat elongated and pointed in many specimens.
They exhibit but little gloss. The ground-colour A'aries much, but
in all the examples that I possess, which I owe to Ca])tain Hutton’s
kindness, it is either of a yellowish-cream, pale cafe au lait or buif
colour, or pale dull greenish. The ground is profusely blotched,
spotted, and streaked (the general character of the markings being
striations parallel to the major axis), with various shades of reddish
and yellowish brown and pale inky purple. The mailings vary
much in intensity as well as in frequency, some being so closely
set as to hide the greater part of the ground-colour; but in the
majority of the eggs they are more or less confluent at the large
end, where they form a comparatively dark, irregular blotchy
zone.

The eggs vary from 1*25 to 1*4 in length, and from 0'S9 to
0*96 in breadth; but the average of 11 eggs is 1*33 by 0*93.

Major Bingham, referring to the Burmese Magpie, which has
been separated under by the name of TJ. mac/nirostris, says :—

“ This species I have only found common in the Thoungyeen
Valley. Elsewhere it seemed to me scarce. Below I give a note
about its breeding.

“ I have found three nests of this handsome Magpie—two on
the bank of the Meplay choung on the 14th April, 1879, and 5th
March, 1880, respectively, and one near Meeawuddy on the
Thoungyeen river on the 19th March, 1880.

“ The first contained three, the second four, and the third two
eggs.

“ These are all of the same type, dead white, with pale claret-
coloured dashes and spots rather washed-out looking, and lying
chiefly at the large end. One egg has the spots thicker at the

16

CORVID JS.

small end. They are moderately broad ovals, and vary from 1T9
to 1*35 in length, and. from 0*93 to 1*08 in breadth.

‘‘ The nests were all alike, thick solid structures of twigs and
branches, lined with finer twigs about 8 or 9 inches in diameter,
and placed hivariably at the top of tall straight saplings of teak,
pynkado (Xylia dolahriformis)^ and other trees at a height of about
15 feet from the ground.”

All the eggs of the Burmese bird that I have seen, nine taken by
Major Bingham, were or one and the same type. The eggs broad
ovals, in most cases pointed towards the small end. The shell
fine, but as a rule with scarcely any perceptible gloss. The ground¬
colour a delicate creamy white. The markings moderate-sized
blotches, spots, streaks, and specks, as a rule comparatively dense
about one, generally the large, end, where only as a rule any at all
considerable sized blotches occur, elsewhere more or less sparsely
set, and generally of a speckly character. The markings are of
two colours: brown, varying in shade in different eggs, olive-yel¬
lowish, chocolate, and a grey, equally varying in different eggs from
pale purple to pale sepia. None of my eggs of the Himalayan bird
(I have unfortunately but few of these) correspond at all closely
with these.

13. Urocissa flavirostris (Bl.). The Yellow-billed Blue Magpie,

Urocissa flavirostris {Bl), Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 310; Hume, Bough
Draft N, B, no. 672.

The Tellow-billed Blue Magpie breeds throughout the lower
ranges of the Himalayes in well-wooded localities from Hazara to
Bliootan, and very likely further east still, from April to* August,
mostly however, I think, laying in May. The nest, which is
rather coarse and large, made of sticks and lined with fine grass or
grass-roots, is, so far as my experience goes, commonly placed in a
fork near the top of some moderate-sized but densely foliaged
tree.

I have never found a nest at a lower elevation than about 5000
feet; as a rule they are a good deal higher up.

They lay from four to six eggs, but the usual number is five.

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall writes :—“ The Yellow-billed Blue
Magpie breeds commonly about Murree. I have never seen the
bird below 6000 feet in the breeding-season. They do not com¬
mence laying till May, and I have taken eggs nearly fresh as late
as the 15th August. I do not think the bird breeds twice, as the
earliest eggs tak^en were found on the 10th May.

“ They build in hill oaks as a rule, the height of the nest from
the ground varying much, some being as low as 10 feet, others
nearer 30 feet. The hen bird sits close, and sometimes (when the
nest is high up) does not even leave the nest when the tree is
struck below. The nest is a rough structure built close to the
trunk, externally consisting of twigs and roots and lined with
fibres. The egg-cavity is circular and shallow, not at all neatly

CISSA.

17

lined. The outer pai't of the nest is large compared to what I
should call the true nest, and consists of a heap of twigs, ^c.^, like
what is gathered together for the platform of a Crow’s nest.

“ The eggs, which are four in number, vary in length from 1’45
to 1*25, and in breadth from 0*9 to 0*75. The ordinary type is an
egg a good deal pointed at the thinner end. The ground-colour
is greehish white, blotched and freckled with ruddy brown, with a
ring at the larger end of confluent spots. The young birds are of
a very dull colour until after the first month. The normal number
of eggs laid appears to be four.”

Captain Cock wrote to me :—‘‘ U. flavirostris is common at
Dhunnsala, but the nest is rather difficult to find. I have only
taken six in three years. It is usually placed amongst the branches
of the hill oak, where it has been polled, and the thickly growing
shoots affiord a good cover; but sometimes it is on the top of a
small slender sapling. The nest is a good-sized structure of sticks
with a rather deep cup lined with dried roots ; in fact, it is very
much like the nest of Garridus Icmceolatus, only larger and much
deeper. They generally lay four eggs, which differ much in colour
and marldngs.”

Dr. Jerdon says :—I had the nest and eggs brought me once.
The nest was made of sticks and roots. The eggs, three in
number, were of a greenish-fawn colour very faintly blotched with
brown.”

The eggs are of the ordinary Indian Magpie type, scarcely, if at
all, smaller than those of U, ocdintalis^ and larger than the average
of eggs of either Dendrociita rufa or Z). Jiimalayensis. Doubtless
all kinds of varieties occur, as the eggs of this family are very
variable ; but I have only seen two types—in the one the ground
is a pale dingy yellowish stone-colour, profusely streaked, blotched,
and mottled with a somewhat pale brown, more or less olivaceous
in some eggs, the markings even in this type being generally
densest towards the' large end, where they form an irregular mottled
cap: in the other type the ground is a very pale greenish-drab
colour; there is a dense confluent raw-sienna-coloured zone round
the large end, and only a few spots and speck's of the same colour
scattered about the rest of the egg. All kiiffis of intermediate
varieties occur. The texture of the shell is fine and compact, and
the eggs are mostly more or less glossy.

The eggs varyfiW 1*22 to 1*48 in length, and from 0*8 to 0*96
in breadth ; but the average of twenty-seven eggs is 1*3 by 0*92.

14. Cissa cMneusis (Bodd.). The Green Magpie.

Cissa sinensis Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 312.

Cissa speciosa Hume, Bough Draft N. ^ D. no. G/3.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes the Green Magpie breeds in
Nepal in the lower valleys and in the Terai from April to July.
The nest is built in clumps of bamboos and is large and cup-shaped,
composed of sticks and leaves, coated externally with bamboo-leaves

YOL. I. ' ^

18

COUYIDiE.

and vegetable fibres, and lined inside with fine roots. It ]a 3 ^s
four eggs, one of which is figured as a broad oval, a good deal
pointed towards one end, with a pale stone-coloured ground
freckled and mottled all over with sepia-brown, and measuring 1*27
by 0*89.

Mr. Oates writes :—“ In the Pegu Hills on the 19th April I
found the nest of the Green Magpie, and shot the female oft it.

“ The nest was placed in a small tree, about 20 feet from the
ground, in a nullah and well exposed to view. The nest was
neatly built, exteriorly of leaves and coarse roots, and finished oh
interiorly with finer fibres and roots ; depth about 2 inches ; inside
diameter 6 inches. Contained three eggs nearly hatched; all got
broken; I have the fragments of one. The ground-colour is
greenish white, much spotted and freckled with pale yellowish-
brown spots and dashes, more so at the larger end than elsewhere.”

Sundry fragments that reached me, kindly sent to me by Mr.
Oates, had a dull white ground, very thickly freckled and mottled
all over, as far as I could judge, with dull, pale, yellowish brown
and purplish grey, the former preponderating greatl}^ As to size
and shape, this deponent sayeth nought.

Major Bingham writes from Tenasserim :—“ On the 18th April
I found a nest of this most lovely bird placed at a height of 5 feet
from the ground in the fork of a bamboo-bush. It was a broad,
massive, and rather shallow cup of twigs, roots, and bamboo-leaves
outside, and lined with finer roots. It contahied three eggs of a
pale greenish stone-colour, thickly and very minutely speckled with
brown, which tend to coalesce and form a cap at the larger end.
I shot the female as she flew off the nest.”

Major Bingham subsequently found another nest in Tenasserim,
about which he says :—

Crossing the Wananatchoung, a little tributary of the Thoun-
gyeen, by the highroad leading from Meeawuddy to the sources
oi: the Thoungyeen, I found in a small thorny tree on the 8th
April a nest of the above bird—a great, firmly-built but shallow
saucer of twigs, 6 feet or so above the ground, and lined with fine
black roots. It contained three fresh eggs of a dingy greyish
white, thickly speckled chiefly at the large end, where it forms a
c:ip, with light purplish brow'm. The eggs measure 1*25 x 0*89,
1*18x0*92, and 1*20x0*90.”

Mr. James Inglis notes from Cachar :—‘‘This Jay is rather rare;
it frequents low quiet jungle. In April last a Kuki brought me
three young ones he had taken from a nest in a clump of tree-
jungle ; he said the nest w’as some 20 feet from the ground and
made of bamboo-leaves and grass.” '

A nest of this species taken below Tendong in Hative Sikhim,
on the 28th April, contained four fresh eggs. It w^as placed on
the branches of a medium-sized tree at a height of about 12 feet
from the ground; it wns a large oval saucer, 8 inches by 6, and
about 2*5 in depth, composed mainly of dry bamboo-leaves, bound
firmly together with fine stems of creepers, and w^as lined with

CISSA.-DENDROCITTA.

10

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

The eggs received from Major Bingham, as also others received
from Sikbiin, where they were procured by Mr. Mandelli on the 21st
and 28th of xlpril, are rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards
the small end. The shell is fine, but has only a lintle gloss. The
groLiud-coloLir is white or slightly greyish white, and they are uni¬
formly frecivled 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 eggs
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 Gamdine type, not of that of
the Dendrocitta or Urooissa type. I have eggs of G. lanceolatios,
that blit for being smaller precisely match some of tlie Olsscc eggs.
Jerdon is, I think, certainly wrong in placing Gissa between Gro-
cissa and Doidrocitta^ the eggs of which two last are of the same
and quite a distinct type*^.

The eggs vary from 1T5 to 1*26 in length, and from 0*9 to 0*05
in breadth, but the average of eight is 1*21 by 0*92.

15. Cissa ornata (Wagler). The Oeijloaese Maggie.

Cissa ornata ( Wagl.), Hitme, Cat no. 673 bis.

Colonel Legge writes in his ‘ 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 brancli of
a tall sapling, about 45 feet in height, and was a tolerably bulky
structure, externally made of small sticks, in the centre of which
was a deep cup 5 inches in diameter by 2h 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 thicklv spotted
all over with very light umber-brown over larger spots of bkiish-
grey. It measured 0*98 inch in diameter by alouf 1*3 in length.”

16. Dendrocitta rufa (Scop.). The Indian Tree-jjie.

Dendrocitta rufa (Scop.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 314; llnmc, Bough
Notes N. B. no. 074.

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

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

2 ^'

20

CORVIDiE.

I persoDally have found the nest with eggs in May, June, July,
and during the first week of August, in various districts in the
North-West Provinces, and have had them sent me from Saugor
(taken in July) and from Plansi (taken in April, May, and June);
but perhaps because the bird is so common scarcely any one has
sent me notes about its nidihcation, and I hardly know whether
in other parts of India and Burma its breeding-season is the same
as with us.

The nest is always placed in trees, generally in a fork, near the
top of good large ones ; babool and mango are very commonly chosen
in the North-West Provinces, though 1 have also found it on neem
and sisso trees. It is usually built with dry twigs as a foundation,
very commonly thorny and prickly twigs being used, on which the
true nest, composed of fine twigs and lined with grass-roots, is
constructed. The nests vary much: some are large and loosely
put together, say, fully 9 inches in diameter and 6 inches in
height externally ; some are smaller and more densely built, and
perhaps not above 7 inches in diameter and 4 inches in depth.
The egg-cavity is usually about 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches
in depth, but they vary very much both in size and materials ; and
I see that I note of one nest taken at Agra on the 3rd August—
“ A very shallow saucer some 6 inches in diameter, and with a
central depression not above inch in depth. It was composed
ecccliisively of roots ; externally somewhat coarse, internally of
somewhat finer ones. It was very loosely put together.’’

Pive is the full complement of eggs, but it is very common to
find only four fidly incubated ones.

Mr. W. Blewitt writes that he “found several nests in the
latter half of April, May, and the early part of June in the neigh¬
bourhood of Haiisie.

‘ “ Pour was the greatest number of eggs I found in any nest.

“The nests were placed in neem, keekur, and shishum trees, at
heights of from 10 to 17 feet from the ground, and were densely
built of twigs mostly of the keekur and shishum, and more or less
thickly lined with fine straw and leaves. They varied from 6 to 8
inches in diameter and from 2 to 3 inches in depth.”

Mr. A. Anderson w^rites The Indian Magpie lays from April
to July, and I have once actually seen a pair building in Pebruary.
Their eggs are of two very distinct types,—the one which, accord¬
ing to my experience, is the ordinary one, is covered all over with
reddish-brown spots or rather blotches, chiefly towards the big end,
on a pale greenish-white ground, and is rather a handsome egg;
the other is a pale green egg with/hini hroiun markings, which are
confined almost entirely to the obtuse end. I have another clutch
of eggs taken at Budaon in 1865, which presents an intermediate
i variety between the above two extremes; these are profusely
I blotched with russet-brown on a dirty-white ground.

I “ The second and third nests above referred to contained five
fcggs; but the usual complement is not more than four. On the
Knd August, 1872,1 made the following note relative to the breeding

BEKDEOCITTA.

21

of this bird :—The bird flew off immediately we approached the
tree, and never appeared again. The nest viewed from below
looked larger j this is owing to Axy hahool twigs or rather small
branches (some of them having thorns from an inch to 2 inches
long!) having been used as a foundation, and actually encircling
the nest, no doubt by way of protection against vermin; some of
these thorny twigs were a foot long, and they had to be removed
piecemeal before the nest proper could be got at. The egg-cavity
is deep, measuring 5 inches in depth by 4 in breadth inside mea¬
surement; it is well lined with khus grass.’^

Major Bingham says :—

“ Common as is this bird I have only found one nest, and that
was at Allahabad on the 9th July, and contained one half-fledged
young one and an addled egg. The nest, which was placed at the
very top of a large mango-tree, was constructed of branches and
twigs of the same lined with fine grass-roots. The egg is a yellowish
white, thickly speckled, chiefly at the large end, with rusty. Length
ITO by 0*82 in breadth.”

Colonel Butler tells us that it breeds in Sind, in the hot
weather. Mr. Doig took a nest containing three fresh eggs on the
1st May, 1878. The eggs, which seem to me to be remarkably
small for the size of the bird, are of the first type mentioned in
Eongh Draft of ‘ Nests and Eggs,’ p. 422.”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes says in his ‘ Birds of Bombay: ’—“ In Sind
they breed during May and June, always choosing babool trees,
placing the nest in a stoutish fork near the top ; they are composed
at the bottom of thorny twigs, which form a sort of foundation
upon which the true nest is built; the latter consists of fine twigs
lined with grass-roots; the nest is frequently of large size.”

Mr. G. W. Yidal, writing of the South Konkan, says :—“ Com¬
mon about all well-wooded villages from coast to Ghats. Breeds
in April.”

With regard to Cachar Mr. Inglis writes:—“This Magpie is
very common in all the neighbouring villages, but I have not often
seen it in the jungles. It remains all the year and breeds during
April and May.”

The eggs are typically somewhat elongated ovals, a good deal
pointed towards the small end. They vary extraordinarily in
colour and character, as w’ell as extent of markings, but, as remarked
when speaking of the Eaven, all the eggs out of the same nest
closely I'esemble each other, while the eggs of different nests are
almost invariably markedly distinct. There are, however, tw^o
leading types—the one in which the markings are bright red,
brownish red, or pale pinkish purple; and the other in w^hich they
are olive-brown and pale purplish brown. In the first type the
ground-colour is either pale salmon, or else very pale greenish
white, and the markings are either bold blotches, more or less con¬
fluent at the large end, where they are far most numerous, and
only a few specks and spots towards the smaller end, or they are
spots and small blotches thickly distributed over the whole surface.

22

C0EYID7E.

or they are streaky smudges forming a mottled ill-defined cap at
the large end, and running down thence in streaks and spots longi¬
tudinally ; in the other type the ground-colour is greenish white
or pale yellowish stone-colour, and the character of the markings
varies as in the preceding type- Besides these there are a few eggs
with a dingy greyish-white ground, with very faint, cloudy, ill-
defined spots of pale yellowish brown pretty uniformly distributed
over the whole surface. In nine eggs out of ten the markings are
most dense at the large end, where they form irregular, more or
less imperfect caps or zones. A few of the eggs are slightly glossy.

Of the salmon-pink t 3 ^pe some specimens in their coloration
resemble eggs of Dicriirus lomjiccnulatus and some of our Goat¬
suckers, w’hile of those with the greenish-w'hite ground-colour some
strongly recall the eggs of Lanins lalitora.

In length the eggs vary from 1*0 to. 1*3, and in breadth from
0*78 to 0*95; but the average of forty-four eggs is 1*17 by 0*87.

17. Dendrocitta leucogastra, Gould. The Southern Tree-pie,

Deiidrocitta leucogastra, Gould, Jerd. L. Lid. ii, p. 317 ) Ilvme,
Itomjh Draft N. D. no. 678.

From Travancore Mr. Bourdillon has kindly sent me an egg find
the following note on the nidification of the Southern Tree-pie :—

‘‘ Throe eggs, very hard-set, of an ashy-wlnte colour, marked with
ashy and greenish-brown blotches, 1*12 long and 0*87 broad, were
taken on 9th March, 1873, from a nest in a bush 8 or 10 feet from
the ground. The nest of twigs was built after the style of tlie
English Magpie’s nest, minus the dome. It consisted of a large
platform 6 inches deep and 8 or 10 inches broad, supporting a nest
Ijj inch deep and inches broad. The bird is not at all uncom¬
mon on the .Assaraboo Hills between the elevations of 1500 and
3000 feet above the sea, seeming to prefer the smaller jungle and
more open parts of the heavy forest.”

Later he writes :—On the 8th April I found another nest con¬
taining three half-fledged Magpies {JD, Imcor/astra). The nest w^as
entirely composed of twigs, roughly but securely put together;
interior diameter 3 inches and depth 2 inches, though there was a
good-sized base or platform, say, 5 inches in diameter. The nest
was situated on the top fork of a sapling about 12 feet from the
ground. I tried to rear the young birds, but they all died wdthin
a week,”

The egg is very like that of our other Indian Tree-pies. It is
in shape a broad and regular oval, only slightly compressed towards
one end. The shell is fine and compact and is moderately glossy.
The ground is a creamy stone-colour. It is profusely blotched and
streaked with a somewhat pale yellowish brown, these markings
being most numerous and darkest in a broad, irregular, imperfect
zone round the Inrge end, and it exhibits further a number of pale
inkj^-pnrple clouds and blotches, m hich seem to underlie the brown
markings, and which are chiefly confined to the broader half of the
egg. The latter measures 1*13 by 0*86.

DEISTDIIOCITTA.

23

18. Dendrocitta himalayensis, Bl. The Himalayan Tree-pie,

Dendrocitta sinensis (Lath.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 316.

Dendrocitta Limala 3 'ensiS; BL, Hume, Boiujh Draft N. H. no. 676.

Common as is the Himalayan Tree-pie throughout the lower
ranges of those mountains from which it derives its name, I per¬
sonally have never taken a nest.

It breeds, I know, at elevations of from 2000 to 6000 feet,
during the latter half of May, June, July, and probablj^ the first
half of August.

A nest ill my museum taken by Mr. Gaminie in Sikhim, at an
elevation of about 2500 feet, out of a small tree, on the 30th of
July, contained two fresh eggs. It was a very shallow cup, com¬
posed entirely of fine stems, apparently of some kind of creeper,
strongly but not at all compactly interwoven ; in fact, though the
nest holds together firmly, you can see through it everywhere. It
is about 6 inches in external diameter, and has an egg-cavity of
about 4 inches wide and 1*5 deep. It has no pretence for lining
of any kind.

Of another nest which he took Mr. Gammie says:—“ I found a
nest containing three fresh eggs in a bush, at a height of about 10
feet from the ground. The nest was a very loose, sliallow, saucer¬
like afeir, some 6 or 7 inches in diameter and an inch or so in
thickness, composed entirely of the dry stems and tendrils of
creepers. This was at Labdah, in Sikhim, at an elevation of
about 3000 feet, and the date the 14th May, 1873.” Later he
writes:—

“ This Magpie breeds in the Darjeeling District in May, June,
and July, most commonly at elevations between 2000 and 4000
feet. It affects clear cultivated tracts interspersed with a few
standing shrubs and bamboos, in which it builds. The nest is
generally placed from 6 to 12 feet from the ground in the inner
part of the shrubs, and is made of pieces of creeper stems inter¬
mixed with a few small twigs loosely put together without any
lining. There is scarcely any cup, merely a depression towards the
centre for the eggs to rest in. Internally it measures about 4*8 in
breadth by 1*5 in depth. The eggs are three or four in number.

This is a very common and abundant bird between 2000 and
4000 feet, but is rarely found far from cultivated fields. It seems
to be exceedingly fond of chestnuts, and, in autumn, when they
are ripe, lives almost entirely on them; but at other times is a
great pest in the grain-fields, devouring large quantities of tho
grain and being held in detestation by the natives in consequence.
Jerdon says ‘ it usually feeds on trees,’ but I have seen it quite as
frequently feeding on the ground as on trees.”

Mr. Hodgson has two notes on the nidification of this species in
Nepal:— “ May ISth. —Nest, two eggs and two youug ; nest on the
fork of a small tree, saucer-shaped, made of slender twigs twisted
circularly and without lining; cavity 3*5 in diameter by 0*5 deep;

24

COBYIDiE.

eggs yellowisli white, blotched with pale olive chiefly at the larger
end; young just born.

Jalia Powali, &li June, —Female and nest in forest on a largish
tree placed on the fork of a branch ; a mere bunch of sticks like a
Crow’s nest; three eggs, short and thick, fawny white blotched
with fawn-browm chiefly at the thick end.”

Dr. Jerdon says :—“ I have had the nest and eggs brought me at
Darjeeling Erequeutly. The nest is made of sticks and roots, and
the eggs, three or four in number, are of a pale dull greenish-fawn
colour, with a few pale reddish-brown spots and blotches, some¬
times very indistinct.”

Captain Hutton tells ns that this species “ occurs abundantly at
Mussoorie, at about 5000 feet elevation, during summer, and more
sparingly at greater elevations. In the winter it leaves the moun¬
tains for the Dhoon.

It breeds in May, on the 27th of which month I took a nest with
three eggs and another with three young ones. The nest is like
that of Urocissa ocoiintalis^ being composed externally of twigs and
lined with finer matei'ials, according to the situation; one nest,
taken in a deep glen by the side of a stream, was lined with the
long fibrous leaves of the Mare’s tail {Equisetum) which grew abun¬
dantly by the water’s edge; another, taken much higher on the
hillside and away from the water, was lined with tendrils and fine
roots. The nest is placed rather low, generally about S or 10 feet
from the ground, sometimes at the extremity of a horizontal branch,
sometimes in the forks of young bushy oaks. The eggs somewhat
resemble those of U, ocd'piialis, but are paler and less spotted, being
of a dull greenish ash with brown blotches and spots, somewhat
thickly clustered at the larger end.”

Mr. J. it. Cripps says :—On the 15th June, 1880, I found a
nest [in the Dibrugarh District] with three fresh eggs. It was
fixed in the middle branches of a sapling, about ten feet ofi the
ground, i]i dense forest, and was built of twigs, presenting a fragile
appearance ; the egg-cavity was 4| inches [in diameter] and 1 inch
deep, and lined vith fine twigs and grass-roots.”

Captain Wardlaw Eamsay writes :—“ I obtained two eggs of this
species at an elevation of 4200 feet in the Karen hills east of
Toungngoo on the 16th Apiil, 1875.”

Taking the eggs as a body they are rather regular, somewhat
elongated ovals, but broader and again more pointed varieties
occur. Thp ground-colour varies a great deal: in a few it is nearly
pure white, generally it has a dull greenish or yellowish-brown
tinge, in some it is creamy, in some it has a decided pinky tinge.
The markings are large irregular blotches and streaks, almost
always most dense at the large end, where they are often more or
less confluent, forming an irregular mottled cap, and not un-
frequently very thinly set over the rest of the surface of the egg.-
In one egg, however, the zone is about the thick end, and there
are scarcely any markings elsewhere. As a rule the markings are
of an olive-brown of one shade or another; but when the ground

CRTPSIRHIKA.

25

is at all pinkish then the markings are more or less of a reddish
brown. Besides these primary markings, all the eggs exhibit a
greater or smaller number of faint lilac or purple spots or blotches,
which chiefly occur where the other markings are most dense. In
length they vary from 1*06 to 1*22, and in breadth from 0*8 to
1*0, but the average of 34 eggs is 1-14 by 0*85.

21. Crypsirliina varians (Lath.). The BlaeJc llacJcet-tailed Magpie,
Orypsirliina varians (Lath.), Hume, Cat. no. 678 quat.

This Magpie is very common in Lower Pegu, where Mr. Oates
found many nests. He says :—

“This bird appears to lay from the 1st of Jane to the 15th
of July; most of my nests were taken in the latter month. It
selects either one of the outer branches of a very leafy thorny
bush, or perhaps more commonly a branch of a bamboo, at heights
varying from 5 to 20 feet.

“ The nest is composed of fine dead twigs firmly woven together.
The interior is lined with twisted tendrils of convolvulus and other
creepers. The uniformity with which this latter material is used
in all nests is remarkable. The inside diameter is 5 inches, and
the depth only 1, thus making the structure very flat. The ex¬
terior dimensions are not so definite, for the twigs and creepers
stick out in. all directions; but making all allowances, the outside
diameter may be put down at 7 or 8 inches, and the total depth at
1^ inches.

“ The eggs are usually three in number, but occasionally only
two well incubated eggs may be found. In a nest from which
two fresh eggs had been taken, a third was found a few days
later.

“ The eggs measure from 1*09 to *88 in length, and from *76 to
*68 in breadth. The average of 22 eggs is *98 by *72.”

In shape the eggs are typically moderately broad, rather regular
ovals, but some are distinctly compressed towai'ds the small end,
some are slightly pyriform, some even pointed, though in the great
majority of cases the egg is pretty obtuse at the small end; the
shell is compact and tolerably fine, and has a faint gloss. The
ground-colour seems to be invariably a pale yellowish stone-colour.
The markings vary a good deal: in some they are more speckly, in
others more streaky, but taking them as a whole they are inter¬
mediate between those of Dendrocitta and those of Garo'idus,
neither so bold and streaky as the former, nor so speckly as the
latter. The markings are a j^ellowish olive-brown; they consist of
spots, specks, small streaky blotches and frecklings; ’they are
always pretty densely set over the whole surface of the egg, but
they are always most dense in a zone or sometimes a cap at the
large end, where they are often, to a great extent, confluent. In
some eggs small dingy brownish-purple spots and little blotches
are intermingled in the zone. The eggs differ in general appear-

26

COEYIDJE.

ance a good deal, because in some almost all the markings are fine
grained and freckly, and in such eggs but little of the ground¬
colour is visible, while in other eggs the markings are bolder (in
comparison, for they are never really bold) and thinner set, and
leave a good deal of the groimd-colour visible.

23. Platysmurus leucopterus (Temm.). The White-unnged Jay.

Platysmurus leucopterus ( Temm.), Hume, Cat. no. 078 quint.

Mr. AV. Davison writes :—

“ I found a nest of this bird on the 8th of April at the hot
springs at Ulu Laugat. The nest was built on the frond of a
Calamus, the end of which rested in the fork of a small sapling.
d1ie nest w^as a great coarse structure like a Crow’s, but even
more coarsely and irregularly built, and with the egg-cavity
sliallower. It was composed externally of small branches aud
twigs, aud loosely lined with coarse fibres and strips of bark. It
contained two young birds about a couple of days old. The nest
was placed about 6 feet from the grouncl. The surrounding jungle
was moderately thick, with a good deal of undergrowth.’^

24. Garrulus lanceolatus, Vigors. The Blaclc-fhroated Jay.

Garrulus lanceolatus^ Viy., Jerd. B. hid. ii, p. 808; Hume, Bough
Draft N. E. no, G70.

The Elack-throated Jay breeds throughout the Himalayas, at
elevations of from 4000 to 8000 feet, from the Valley of Kepal to
Mnrree.

They lay from the middle of April until the middle of June.

They build on trees or thick bushes, never at any great height
from the ground, and often within reach of the hand. They
always, 1 think, choose a densely foliaged tree, and place the nest
sometimes in a main fork aud sometimes on some horizontal bough
supported by one or more upright shoots.

All the nests I have seen were moderately shallow cups, built
with slender twigs and sticks, some 6 inches in external diameter,
and from less than 3 inches to nearly 4 inches in height, with a
nest-cavity some 4 inches across and 2 inches deep, lined with
grass and moss-roots. Once only I found a nest almost entirely
composed of grass, and with no lining but fine grass-stems.

The eggs vary from four to six, but this latter number is rarely
met with.

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall writes :—“ This is one of the com¬
monest birds about Murree; we alw'ays found it well to the front
during our rambles, chattering about in the trees. They breed
from the middle of April till the end of June. AVe have taken
their eggs between the 20th April and the 16th June. They keep
above 5000 feet. I never observed any in the lower ranges. The
nest is not a difficult one to find, being large and of loose cou-

GAHUULTJS.

27

structioii; from 15 to 30 feet up a medium-sized tree close to the
trunk or sometimes in a large fork. They never seem to build in
the spruce firs which abound about Murree. They are by no
means shy birds, and hop about the trees close by while their nest
is being examined. Eire is the ordinary number of eggs, which
differ very much in appearance and size: the longest I have
measures 1*25 and the shortest 1*1. 8ome are paler, some darker;
some are of a uniform pale greenish-ash colour with a darl^er ring,
while others are thickly speckled and freckled with a daiher shade
of the same colour. Some lack the odd ink-scratch which is so
often to be seen on the larger end, and is the most peculiar feature
of the egg, wliile a few have it at the thinner end.

“ I should describe the average type as a loiig egg for its breadth;
ground-colour greenish ashy witli very thick sprinklings of spots
of a darker and more greenish shade of the same colour, a ring of
a darker dull olive round the lai'ge end, on which are one or two
lines that look like a haphazard scratch from a fine steel pen.”

Prom Dhurrasala Captain Cock wrote to me that this was “a
most common bird at Dhurmsala; appears in large flocks during
the winter, and often mixes with Garndus hisj)emlaris and Urocissa
jlavirostris. Pairs off about the end of April, when nidification
begins. Builds a rather rough nest of sticks, generally placed on
a tall sapling oak near the top ; sometimes among the thicker
branches of a pollard oak: outer nest small twigs roughly put
together; inner nest dry roots and fibres, rather deep cup-shaped.
Eggs number from four to five and vary in shape. I have found
them sometimes nearly round, but more generally the usual shape.
They vary in their colour, too, some being much lighter than
others, but most of them have a few hair-like streaks on the
larger end.”

Prom Mussoorie Captain Hutton tells us that ‘‘ the Black-
throated Jay breeds in May and June, placing the nest sometimes
on the branch of a tall oak tree {Quercus incana)^ at other times
in a thick bush. It is composed of a foundation of twigs, and
lined with fine roots of grass &c. mixed with the long black fibres
of ferns and mosses, which hang upon the forest trees, and have
much the appearance of black horse-hair. The nest is cup-shaped,
rather shallow, loosely put together, circular, and about 4| inches
in diameter. The eggs are sometimes three, sometimes four in
number, of a greenish stone-grey, freckled, chiefly at the larger
end, with dusky aud a few black hair-like streaks, which are not
always present; they vary also in the amount of dusky freckling
at the larger end. The nestling bird is devoid of the lanceolate
markings on the throat.”

Prom Nynee Tal Colonel Gr. P. L. Marshall writes:—“ The
Blackrthroated Jay builds a very small cup-shaped nest of black
hair-like creepers and roots, intertwined and ])laced in a rough
irregular casing of twigs. A nest found on the 2nd June con¬
taining three hard-sef eggs was placed conspicuously on the top of
a young oak sapling about 7 feet high, standing alone in an open

28

CORVIDiE.

glade, in the forest on Aja Pata, which is about 7000 feet above
the sea. Another nest, found at an elevation of about 4500 feet
on the 9th dune, contained two eggs; it was placed about 10 feet
from the ground in a small tree in a hedgerow amongst cultivated
fields.”

Mr. Hodgson notes from Jaha Po'wah:—‘‘ Pound five nests of
this species between ISth and 30th May. Builds near the tops of
moderate-sized trees in open districts, making a very shallow nest
ot thin elastic grasses sparingly used and without lining. The
nest is placed on some horizontal branch against some upright
twig, or at some horizontal fork. It is nearly round and has a
diameter of about 6 inches. They lay three or four eggs of a
sordid vernal green clouded with obscure brown.”

The eggs are somewhat lengthened ovals, very much smaller
than, though so far as coloration goes very similar to, those of
6r. glandariiis. The ground-colour in some is a brown stone colour,
in others pale greenish white, and intermediate shades occur, and
they are very minutely and feebly freckled and mottled over the
whole surface with a somewhat pale sepia-brown. This mottling
differs much in intensity ; in some few eggs indeed it is absolutely
wanting, while in others, though feeble elsewhere, it forms a dis¬
tinct, though undefined, brownish cap or zone at the large end.
The eggs generally have little or no gloss. It is not uncommon
to find a few hair-like dark brown lines, more or less zigzag, about
the larger end.

In length they vary from 1*03 to 1*23, and in breadth from 0*78
to 0*88; but the average of twenty-four eggs is 1*12 by 0*85.

25. Garrulus leucotis, Hume. The Burmese Jay,

Garrulus leucotis, Hume, Humej Cat, no. 669 bis.

The nest of this Jay has not yet been found, but Capt. Bingham
writes;—

“ Like Mr. Davison I have found this very handsome Jay
affecting only the dry DlUenia and pine-forests so common in the
Thoungyeen valley. I have seen it feeding on the ground in such
places with Gecinus nigrigenys, Ujpupa longirostris, and other birds.
I shot one specimen, a female, in April, near the Meplay river,
that must have had a nest somewhere, which, however, I failed to
find, for she had a full-formed but shell-less egg inside her.”

26. Garrulus bispecularis. Vigors. The Himalayan Jay,

Garmlus bispecnlans, Vig.y Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 307; Hume, Bough
Draft N. E. no, 669.

The Himalayan Jay breeds pretty well throughout the lower
ranges of the Himalayas. It is nowhere, that I have seen,
numerically very abundant, but it is to be met with everywhere.
It lays in March and April, and, though I have never taken the

garrulus.

29

nest myself, I have now repeatedly had it sent me. It builds at
moderate heights, rarely above 25 feet from the ground, in trees
or thick shrubs, at elevations of from 3000 to 7000 feet. The
nest is a moderate -sized one, 6 to S inches in external diameter,
composed of fine twigs and grass, and lined with finer grass and
roots.

The nest is usually placed in a fork.

The eggs are four to six in number.

Mr. Hodgson notes that he “ found a nest ” of this species “ on
the 20th April, in the forest of Shewpoori, at an elevation of 7000
feet. The nest was placed in the midst ot* a large tree in a fork.
The nest was very shallow, but regularly formed and compact. It
was composed of long seeding grasses wound round and round,
and lined with finer and more elastic grass-stems. The nest
measured about inches in diameter, but the cavity was only
about half an inch deep.’^

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall remarks:—I only took one authen¬
ticated set of eggs of this species (I found several with young), as
it is an early breeder—I say authenticated eggs, because I thinlc
we may have attributed some to Garrulus lanceolatus, as the nests
and eggs are very similar, and having a large number of the eggs
of the latter, I took some from my shikaree without verifying
them.

“ The nest I took on the 6th May, 1873, at Murree, was at an
elevation, I should say, of between 6500 and 7000 feet (as it was
near the top of the hill), in the forest. The tree selected was a
_ horse-chestnut, about 25 feet high. The nest was near the top,
which is the case with nearly all the Crows’ and Magpies’ nests
that I have taken. It was of loose construction, made of twigs
and fibres, and contained five partially incubated eggs.

“ The eggs are similar to those of G, lanceolatus. I have care¬
fully compared the five of the species which I am now describing
with twenty of the other, and find that the following differences
exist. The egg of G. bis^emlaris is more obtuse and broader,
there is a brighter gloss on it, and the speckling is more marked;
but with a large series of each I think the only perceptible dif¬
ference would be its greater breadth, which makes the egg look
larger than that of the Black-throated Jay. My lour eggs measure
IT5 by 0*85 each.

This species only breeds once in a year, and from my observa¬
tions lays in April, all the young being hatched by the ioth May.
Captain Cock and myself carefully hunted up all the forests round
Murree, where the birds were constantly to be seen, commencing
our work after the 10th May, and we found nothing but young
ones.”

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes :—“ I have found nests of this
species for the first time this year; the first on the 22nd of May^
by which time, as all recorded evidence shows it to be an early
breeder, I had given up all hopes of getting eggs. The first nest
contained two fresh eggs; it was on a horizontal limb of a large

30

C011VID.I:.

oak, at a bifurcation about eight feet from the trunk and about
the same from the ground. The nest was more substantial than
that of G. lanceolatiis^ much more moss having been used in the
outer casicg, but the lining was similar; it was a misshapen nest,
and appeared, in the distance, like an old deserted one; the bird
was sitting at the time; I took one egg, hoping more would be
laid, but the other was deserted and destroyed by vermin. Another
nest I found on the 2nd June ; it contained three eggs just so much
incubated that it is probable no more would be laid ; this nest was
much neater in construction and better concealed than the former
one; it was in a rhododendron tree, in a bend about ten feet from
the ground, between two branches upwards of a foot each in
diameter, and covered with moss and dead fern ; the tree grew out
of a precipitous bank just below a road, and though the nest was on
the level of the edge it was almost impossible to detect it; it was
a very compact thick cup of roots covered with moss outside. The
eggs w'ere larger, more elongated, and much more richly coloured
than in the first nest. Both nests were at about 7000 feet eleva¬
tion, and in both instances the bird sat very close.”

The eggs of this species are, as might be expected, very similar
to those oiG, lanceolatiis^ but they are perhaps slightly larger, and
the markings somewhat coarser. The eggs are rather broad ovals,
a good deal pointed towards one end. The ground-colour is pale
greenish white, and they are pretty finely freckled and speckled
(most densely so towards the large end, where the markings are
almost confiuent) with dull, rather pale, olive-brown, amongst
which a little speckling and clouding of pale greyish purple is
observable. The eggs are decidedly smaller than those of the
English Jay, and few of the specimens I have exhibit any of those
black hair-like lines often, noticeable in both the English Jay and
G. lanceolatus.

In length the eggs that I have measured varied from IT to 1*21,
and in breadth they only varied from 0-84 to 0-87.

27. Nucifraga hemispila, Vigors. The Himalayan Natcvaolcev,

Nucifraga hemispila, Vicj., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 304,* Hume^ Ronyh
Draft N. E. no. GG6.

The Himalayan Hutcracker is very common in the fir-clad hills
north of Simla, where it particularly affects forests of the so-called
pencil cedar, which is, I think, the Finns excelsa. I have never
been able to obtain the eggs, for they must lay in March or early
in April; but I have found the nest near Eagoo early in May with
nearly^‘nll-fiedged young ones, and my people have taken them
with young in April below the Jalouri Pass.

The tree where I found the nest is, or rather luas (for the wTole
hill-slope has been denuded for potatoe cultivation), situated on a
steeply sloping hill facing the south, at an elevation of about G500
feet. The nest was about 50 feet from the ground, and placed on

GliACULTJS.—PARUS.

31

two side branches just where, about 6 inches apart, they shot out
of the trunk. The nest was just like a Crow’s—a broad platform
of sticks, but rather more neatly built, and with a number of green
juniper twigs with a little moss and a good deal of grey lichen
intermingled. The nest was about 11 inches across and nearly
4 inches in external height. There was a broad, shallow, central
depression 5 or 6 inches in diameter and perhaps 2 inches in
depth, of which an inch was filled in with a profuse lining of
grass and fir-needles (the long ones of Pinus lonr/ifolia) and a little
moss. This was found on the 11th May, and the young, four in
number, were sufficiently advanced to hop out to the ends of the
bough and half-fly half-tumble into the neighbouring trees, when
my man with much difficulty got up to the nest.

29. Graculus eremita (Linn.). The lled-hilled Chough.

Pregilus liimalayaniis, Gotdd, Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 319.

Mr. Mandelli obtained three eggs of this species from Chumbi in
Thibet; they were taken on the 8th of May from a nest under the
eaves of a high wooden house.

Though larger than those of the European Chough, they resemble
them so closely that there can be no doubt as to their authenticity.

In shape the eggs are moderately elongated ovals, very slightly
compressed towards the small end. The shell is tolerably fine
and has a slight gloss. The ground-colour is white with a faint
creamy tinge, and the whole egg is profusely spotted and striated
with a pale, somewhat yellowish bronn and a very pale purplish
grey. The markings are most dense at the large end, and there,
too, the largest streaks of the grey occur.

One egg measures 1*74 by 1’2.

Subfamily PARINiE.

31. Parus atriceps, Horsf. The Indian Grey Tit.

Parus cinereus, VieilL, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 278.

Parus cmsiiis, Tick., Hume, Hough Draft N. E. no. G45.

The Indian Grey Tit breeds throughout the more wooded moun¬
tains of the Indian Empire, wherever these attain an altitude of
5000 feet, at elevations of from 4000 or 5000 to even (where the
hills exceed this height) 9000 feet.

In the Himalayas the breeding-season extends from the end of
March to the end of June, or even a little later, according to the
season. They have tw-o broods—the first clutch of eggs is generally
laid in the last week of March or early in April; the second towards
the end of May or during the first half of June.

In the Nilghiris they lay from Eebruary to May, and yrobahly a
second time in September or October.

32

COEVID^.

The nests are placed in holes in banks, in walls o£ buildings or
of terraced fields, in outhouses of dwellings or deserted huts and
houses, and in holes in trees, and very frequently in those cut in
some previous year for their own nests by Barbets and Wood¬
peckers.

Occasionally it builds on a branch of a tree, and my friend Sir
E. C. Buck, C.S., found a nest containing six half-set eggs thus
situated on the 19th June at Gowra. It was on a “ Banj tree
10 feet from the ground.

The only nest that I have myself seen in such a situation was a
pretty large pad of soft moss, slightly saucer-shaped, about 4 inches
in diameter, with a slight depression on the upper surface, which
was everywhere thinly coated with sheep’s wool and the fine white
silky hair of some animal. The nest is usually a shapeless mass
of downy fur, cattle-hair, and even feathers and wool, but when
on a branch is strengthened exteriorly with moss. Even when in
holes, they sometimes round the nest into a more or less regular
though shallow cup, and use a good deal of moss or a httle grass ^
or grass-roots ; but as a rule the hairs of soft and downy fur con¬
stitute the chief material, and this is picked out by the birds, I
believe, from the dung of the various cats, polecats, and ferrets so
common in all our hills.

I have never found more than six eggs, and often smaller
numbers, more or less incubated.

Mr. Brooks tells us that the Indian Grey Tit is “ coman on at
Almorah. In April and May I found the nest two or three times
in holes in terrace-walls. It was composed of grass-roots and
feathers, and contained in each case nearly fully-grown young,
five in number.”

From Ehurmsala Captain Cock wrote:—“ Parus dnereus built
in the walls of Er. C.’s stables this year. When I found the nest
it contained young ones. I watched the parents flying in and out,
but to make sure put my ear to the wall and could hear the young
ones chirrupping. The nest was found in the early part of May
1869.”

Colonel Butler writes :—“ Belgaum, 12th June, 1879. A nest
built in a hollow bamboo which supported the roof of a house in
the native infantry lines. I did not see the nest myself, as un¬
fortunately the old bird was captured on it, and the nest and eggs
destroyed ; how’ever, the hen bird Avas brought to me alive by the
man who caught her, and I saw at once, by the bare breast, that
she had been sitting, and on making enquiries the above facts w^ere
elicited. The broken egg-shells w-ere wEite thickly spotted with
rusty red.

“ Belgaum, 8th June, 1880.^—A nest in a hole of a tree about
7 feet from the ground, containing five'fresh eggs. The nest con¬
sisted of a dense pad of fur (goat-hair, cow-hair, human hair, and
hare’s fur mixed) with a few feathers intermixed? laid on the top
of a small quantity of dry grass and moss, which formed the
foundation.”

PARIJS,

33

Lieut. H. E. Barnes notes from Chaman in Afghanistan :—
“ This Tit is very common, and remains with us all the year
round. I found a nest on the lOth April, built in a hole in a tree ;
it was composed entirely of sheep’s wool, and contained three incu¬
bated eggs, white, with light red blotches, forming a zone at the
larger end. They measured *69 by *48.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitkin says:—

“ When I was in Poona, in the hot season of 1873, the Grey
Tits, which are very common there, became exceedingly busy about
the end of May, courting with all their spirit, and examining every
hole they could hnd. One was seen to disappear up the mouth of
a cannon at the arsenal. Einally, in July, tsvo nests wuth young
birds were discovered, one by myself, and one by my brother. The
nests were in the roofs of houses, and were not easily accessible,
but the parent birds were watched assiduously carrying food to
the hungry brood, which kept up a screaming almost equal to that
of a nest of minahs. On the 27th July a young one w'as picked up
that had escaped too soon from a third nest. The Indian Grey
Tit does not occur in Bombay, and I never saw it in Berar.”

Speaking of Southern India Mr. Davison remarks that ‘‘ the
Grey Tit breeds in holes either of trees or banks; when it builds in
trees it very often (whenever it can apparently) takes possession of
tlie deserted nest-hole of Megalcema viridis; when in banks a rat-
hole is not uncommonly chosen. All the nests I have ever seen or
taken were composed in every single instance of fur obtained from
the dried droppings of wild cats.”

Erom Kotagherry, Miss Cockburn sends the following interesting
note:—

“ Their nests are found in deep holes in earth-banks, and some¬
times in stone walls. Once a pair took possession of a bamboo in
one of our thatched out-houses—the safest place they could have
chosen, as no hand could get into the small hole by which they
entered. These Tits show great a:ffection and care for their young.
While hatching their eggs, if a hand or stick is put into the nest
they rise with enlarged throats, and, hissing like a snake, peck at
it till it is withdrawn. On one occasion I told my horse-keeper to
put bis hand into a hole into which I had seen one of these birds
enter. He did so, but soon drew it out with a scream, saying a
‘ snake had bit him.’ I told him to try again, but with no better
success; he would not attempt it the third time, so the nest was
left with the bold little proprietor, who no doubt rejoiced to find
she had succeeded in frightening away the unwelcome intruder.
The materials used by these birds for their nests consist of soft
hair, downy feathers, and moss, all of which they collect in large
quantities. They build in the months of February and March;
but I once found a nest of young Indian Grey Tits so late as the
10th November. They lay six eggs, white v\ ith ligh^ red spots.
On one occasion I saw a nest in a bank by the side of the road ;
when the only young bird it contained was nearly fledged the road
had to be widened, and workmen were employed in cutting down

VOL. I. ' 3

34

COEYIDiB.

tlie bank. The poor parent birds appeared to be perfectly aware
that their nest would soon be reached, and after trjdng in vain to
persuade the young oae to come out, they pushed it down into
the road but could get it no further, though they did their utmost
to take it out of the reach of danger. I placed it among the bushes
above the road, and then the parents seemed to be immediately
conscious of its safety.”

Mr. H. E. P. Carter notes that he found a nest of the Grey Tit
at Coonoor, on the Nilgiris, on the 15th May. It was placed in a
hole in a bank by the roadside. It was a flat pad, composed of
the fur of the hill-hare, hairs of cattle, &c., and was fluffy and
without consistence. It contained three half-set eggs.”

Mr. J. Darling, Jun., says:—“I have found the nests at Ooty,
Coonoor, ISTeddivattam, and Kartary, at all heights from 5000 to
nearly 8000 feet above the sea, on various dates between 17th
February and 10th May.

“ It builds in banks, or holes in trees, at all heights from the
ground, from 3 to 30 feet. It is fond of taking possession of the
old nest-holes of the Green Woodpecker. The nest is built of fur
or fur and moss, and always lined with fine fur, generally that of
hares. Its shape depends upon that of the hole in which it is
placed, but the egg-cavity or depression is about 3 inches in diameter
and an inch in depth.

“ It lays four, five, and sometimes six eggs, but I think more
commonly only four.”

Dr. Jerdon remarks :—“ I once found its nest in a deserted
bungalow at Kallia, in the corner of the house. It was made
chiefly of the down of hares (Lepus nigricollis), mixed with feathers,
and contained six eggs, white spotted with rusty red.”

The eggs resemble in their general character those of many of
our English Tits, and though, I think, typically slightly longer,
they appear to me to be very close to those of Pams palustris. In
shape they are a broad oval, but somewhat elongated and pointed
towards the small end. The ground-colour is pinkish white, and
round the large end there is a conspicuous, though irregular and
imperfect, zone of red blotches, spots, and streaks. 8pots and
specks of the same colour, or occasionally of a pale purple, are
scantily sprinkled over the rest of the surface of the egg, and are
most numerous in the neighbourhood of the zone. The eggs have
a faint gloss. Some eggs do not exhibit the zone above referred to,
but even in these the markings are much more numerous and dense
towards the large end.

In length the eggs vary from 0*65 to 0*7S, and in breadth from
0-5 to 0-58; but the average of thirty-eight is 0*71 by 0*54, so
that they are really, as indeed they look as a hody^ a shade shorter
and decidedly broader than those of P. monticola.

PAKTIS.

35

34. Parus mouticola, Yig. The Green-hacked Tit.

Parus monticolus, Vig.j Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 277 j Hurne, Rough Draft
N. ^ JS, no. 644.

Tke Green-backed Tit breeds through the Himalayas, at eleva¬
tions o£ from 4000 to 7000 or 8000 feet.

The breeding-season lasts from March to June, and some birds
at any rate must have two broods, since I found three fresh eggs
in the wall of the Pownda dak bungalow about the 20th June.
More eggs are, however, to be got in April than in any other
month.

They build in holes, in trees, bamboos, walls, and even banks,
but walls receive, I think, the preference.

The nests are loose dense masses of soft downy fur or feathers,
with more or less moss, according to the situation.

The eggs vary from six to eight, and I have repeatedly found
seven and eight young ones; but Captain Beavan has found only
five of these latter, and although I consider from six to eight the
normal complement, I believe they very often fail to complete the
full number.

Captain Beavan says :—“ At Simla, on May 4th, 1866,1 found
a nest of this species in the wall of one of my servant’s houses.
It contained five young ones, and was composed of fine grey pushm
or wool resting on an understructure of moss.”

At Murree Colonel C. H. T. Marshall notes that this species

breeds early in May in holes in walls and trees, laying white
eggs covered with red spots.”

JSpeaking of a nest he took at Dhurmsala, Captain Cock says :—

The nest was in a cavity of a rhododendron tree, and was a large
mass of down of some animal; it looked like rabbit’s fur, which of
course it was not, but it was some dark, soft, dense fur. The nest
contained seven eggs, and was found on the 28th April, 1869.
The eggs were all fresh.”

Mr. Garnmie says :—‘‘ I got one nest of this Tit here on the
14th May in the Chinchona. reserves (Sikhim), at an elevation of
about 4500 feet. It was in partially cleared country, in a natural
hole of a stump, about 5 feet from the ground. The nest was
made of moss and lined with soft matted hair; but I pulled it out
ot‘ the hole carelessly and cannot say whether it had originally
any defined shape. It contained four hard-set eggs.”

The eggs are very like those of Parus atricejps ; but they are
somew'hat longer and more slender, and as a rule are rather more
thickly and richly marked.

They are moderately broad ovals, sometimes almost perfectly
symmetrical, at times slightly pointed towards one end, and almost
entirely devoid of gloss. The ground is white, or occasionally
a delicate pinkish white, in some richly and profusely spotted and
blotched, in others more or less thickly speckled and spotted with
darker or lighter shades of blood-, brick-, slightly purplish-, or

36

CORVID vE.

brownish-red, as the case may be. The markings are much denser
towards the large end, where in some eggs they form an imperfect
and irregular cap. In size they vary from O'68 to 0*76 in length,
and from 0*49 to 0-54 in breadth; but the average of thirty-two
eggs is 0*72 by 0*52 nearly.

35. ^githaliscus erythrocephalus (Vig.). The Eecl-heacUd Tit.

.^gitlialiscus erythrocephalus ( Fiy.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 270 ; Hume,
Bough Draft N, E. no. G34.

The Eed-headed Tit breeds throughout the Himalayas from
Murree to Bhootan, at elevations of from 6000 to 9000 or perhaps
10,000 feet.

They commence breeding very early. I have known nests to be
taken quite at the beginning of March, and they continue laying
till the end of May.

The nest is, I think, most commonly placed in low stunted hill-
oak bushes, either suspended between several twigs, to all of which
it is more or less attached, or wedged into a fork. I have found
the nest in a deodar tree, laid on a horizontal bough. I have seen
them in tufts of grass, in banks and other unusual situations ; but
the great bulk build in low bushes, and of these the hill-oak is, I
think, their favourite.

The nests closely resemble those of the Long-tailed Tit (Acredtda
rosea). They are large ovoidal masses of moss, lichen, and moss-
roots, often tacked together a good deal outside with cotton-wool,
down of different descriptions, and cobwebs. They average about
4J inches in height or length, and about 3| inches in diameter.
The aperture is on one side near the top. The egg-cavity, which
may average about 2| inches in diameter and about the same in
depth below the lower edge of the aperture, is densely lined with
very soft down or feathers.

They lay from six to eight eggs, but I once found only four eggs
in a nest, and these fully incubated.

Brom Murree, Colonel 0. H. T. Marshall notes that this species

builds a globular nest of moss and hair and feathers in thorny
bushes. The eggs we found were pinkish white, with a ring of obso¬
lete brown spots at the larger end. Size 0*55 by 0*43. Lays in
May.’’

Captain Hutton tells us that the Eed-cap Tit is “ common at
Mussoorie and in the hills generally, throughout the year. It breeds
in April and May. The situation chosen is various, as one taken
in the former month at Mussoorie, at 7000 feet elevation, was
placed on the side of a bank among overhanging coarse grass, while
another taken in the latter month, at 5000 feet, was built among
some ivy twining round a tree, and at least 14 feet from the
ground. The nest is in shape a round ball with a small lateral
entrance, and is composed of green mosses warmly lined with
feathers. ' The eggs are five in number, white with a pinkish

MACHLOLOPHUS. 37

tinge, and sparingly sprinkled with lilac spots or specks, and
having a well-defined lilac ring at the larger end.”

Trom Nynee Tal, Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes :—“ This species
makes a beautifully neat nest of fine moss and lichens, globular,
with side entrance, and thickly lined with soft feathers. A nest
found on Cheena, above hTynee Tal, on the 24th May, 1873, at an
elevation of about 7000 feet, was wedged into a fork at the end of
a bough of a cypress tree, about 10 feet from the ground, the
entrance turned inwards towards the trunk of the tree. It con¬
tained one tiny egg, white, with a dark cloudy zone round the
larger end.

“About the 10th of May, at Naini Tal, I was watching one of
these little birds, which kept hanging about a small rhododendron
stump about 2 feet high, with very few leaves on it, but I could
see no nest. A few days later I saw the bird carry a big cater¬
pillar to the same stump and come away shortly without it; so I
looked more closely and found the nest, containing nearly full-
fledged young, so beautifully wedged into the stump that it ap¬
peared to be part of it, and nothing but the tiny circular entrance
revealed that the nest was there. It was the best-concealed nest
for that style of position that I have ever seen.”

These tiny eggs, almost smaller than those of any European
bird that I know, are broad ovals, sometimes almost globular, but
generally somewhat compressed towards one end, so as to assume
something of a pyriform shape. They are almost entirely glossless,
have a pinkish or at times creamy-white ground, and exhibit a
conspicuous reddish or purple zone towards the large end, com¬
posed of multitudes of minute spots almost confluent, and inter¬
spaced with a purplish cloud. Eaint traces of similar excessively
minute purple or red points extend more or less above and below
the zone. The eggs vary from 0*53 to 0*58 in length, and from
0*43 to 0*46 in breadth; but the average of twenty-five is 0*56
nearly by 0*45 nearly.

41. Machlolophus spilonotns (BL). The Blaclc-s^otted Yellow Tit.

Machlolophus spilonotus Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 281.

Mr. Mandelli found a nest of this species at Lebong in Sikhim on
the 15th June in a hole in a dead tree, about 5 feet from the ground.
The nest was a mere pad of the soft fur of some animal, in which a
little of the brown silky down from fern-stems and a little moss
was intermingled. It contained three hard-set eggs.

One of these eggs is a very regular oval, scarcely, if at all,
pointed towards the lesser end; the ground-colour is a pure dead
white, and the markings, spots, and specks of pale reddish brown,
and underlying spots of pale purple, are evenly scattered all over
the egg; it measures 0*78 by 0*5^

38

CORVID

42. MacMoloplius xanthogenys (Yig.)* The TeHow-cheelced Tit.

Machloloplius xanthogenys {Vigi), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 279; Hume,
Rough Draft N. D. no. 647.

The Yellow-cheeked Tit is one of the commonest birds in the
neighbourhood of Simla, yet curiously enough I have never found
a nest.

I have had eggs and nest sent me, and I know it breeds through¬
out the Western Himalayas, at elevations of from 4000 to 7000
feet; and that it lays during April and May (and probably other
months), making a soft pad-like nest, composed of hair and fur, in
holes in trees and walls; but I can give no further particulars.

Captain Hutton tells us that it is “common in the hills through¬
out the year. It breeds in April, in which month a nest containing
four fledged young ones was found at 5000 feet elevation ; it was
constructed of moss, hair, and feathers, and placed at the bottom
of a deep hole in a stump at the foot of an oak tree.^’

Writing from Dhurmsala, Captain Cock says:—^‘Towards the
end of April this bird made its nest in a hole of a tree just below
the terrace of my house. Before the nest was quite finished a
pair of Passer cinnamomeus bullied the old birds out of the place,
which they deserted. After they had left it 1 cut the nest out and
found it nearly ready to lay in, lined with soft goat-hair and that
same dark fur noticed in the nest of Pams monticola’"

Later he wrote to me that this species “ breeds up at Dhurmsala
in April and May. It chooses an old cleft or natural cavity in a
tree, usually the hill-oak, and makes a nest of wmol and fur at the
bottom of the cavity, upon which it lays five eggs much like the
eggs of Parus monticola. Pei'haps the blotches are a little larger,
otherwise I can see no difference. I noticed on one occasion the
male bird carry w^ool to the nest, which, when I cut it out the same
day, I found contained hard-set eggs. I used to nail a sheepskin
up in a liill-oak, and watch it with glasses, during April and May,
and many a nest have I found by its help. Parus atricegps, P. mo7iii~
cola, Machlolo'plius soanihogenys, Ahrornis alhisuperciliaris, and many
others used to visit it and pull off flocks of w'ool for their nests.
Following up a little bird with wool in its bill through jungle
requires sharp eyes and is no easy matter at first, but one soon
becomes practised at it.”

The eggs are regular, somewhat elongated ovals, in some cases
slightly compressed towards one end. The ground is white or
reddish white, and they are thickly speckled, spotted, and even
blotched with brick-dust red; they have little or no gloss.

They vary in length from 0*7 to 0*78, and in breadth from 0*52
to 0*55 ; but I have only measured six eggs.

MACHLOLOPHUS.

39

43. MacMoloplms haplonotus (Bl.). The Southern Yelloio Tit,
Maclilolophus jerdoni Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 280.

Col. E. A. Butler writes:—“ Belgaum, 12th Sept., 1879.—Found
a nest of the Southern Yellow Tit in a hole of a small tree about
10 feet from the ground. My attention was first attracted to it by
seeing the hen-bird with her wings spread and feathers erect angrily
mobbing a palm-squirrel that had incautiously ascended the tree,
and thinking there must be a nest close by, I watched the sequel,
and in- a few seconds the squirrel descended the tree and the Tit
disappeared in a small hole about halfway up. I then put
a net over the hole and tapped the bough to drive, her out, but
this was no easy matter, for although the nest was only about |
foot from the entrance, and I made as much noise as a thick stick
could well make against a hollow bough, nothing would induce her
to leave the nest until I had cut a large wedge out of the branch, with
a saw^ and chisel, close to the nest, when she flew out into the net.

“ The nest, which contained, to my great disappointment, five
young birds about a week old, was very massively built, and com¬
pletely choked up the hollow passage in which it was placed. The
foundation consisted of a quantity of dry green moss, of the kind that
natives bring in from the juiigles in the rains, and sell for ornamenting
flower vases, &c. Next came a thick layer of coir, mixed with a
few dry skeleton-leaves and some short ends of old rope and a
scrap or two of paper, and finally a substantial pad of blackish
hair, principally human, but with cow- and horse-hair interniixed,
forming a snug little bed for the young ones. The total depth of
the nest exteriorly w^as at least 7 inches.

“ The bough, about 8 inches in diameter, was partly rotten and
hollow the whole way down, having a small hole at the side above
by which the birds entered, and another rather larger about a foot
below the nest all choked up with moss that had fallen from the
base of the nest. It is strange that it should have escaped my
eye previously, as the tree overhung my gateway, through which I
passed constantly during the day. Immediately below the nest a
large black board bearing my name was nailed to the tree.

“At Belgaum, on the 10th July, 1880, I observed a pair of
Yellow Tits building in a crevice of a large banian tree about
9 feet from the ground. The two birds were flying to and from the
nest in company, the hen carrying building-materials in her beak.
I watched the nest constantly for several days, but never saw the
birds near it again until the ISth inst., when the hen flew out of
the hole as 1 passed the tree. I visited the spot on the 19th and
20th inst., tapping the tree loudly with a stick as I passed, but
without any result, as the bird did not fly oh the nest.

“ On the 21st, thinking the nest must either be forsaken or
contain eggs, I got up and looked into the hole, and to my surprise
found the hen bird comfortably seated on the nest, notwithstanding
the noise I had been making to try and put her oh. As the crevice

40

COBVIDiE.

was too small to admit my hand, I commenced to enlarge the
entrance with a chisel, the old bird sitting closer than ever the
whole time. Einding all attempts to drive her off the eggs fruitless,

I tried to poke her off with a piece of stick, whereupon she stuck
her head into one of the far corners and sulked. I then inserted
my hand with some difficulty and drew her gently out of the hole,
but as soon as she caught sight of me, she commenced fighting in
the most pugnacious manner, digging her claws and beak into my
hand, and finally breaking loose, flying, not away as might have been
expected, but straight back into the hole again, to commence sulking
once more. Again I drew her out, keeping a firm hold of one leg
until I got her well away from the hole, when I released her. I
then extracted five fresh eggs from the hole by means of a small
round net attached to the loop end of a short piece of wire. The
nest was a simple pad of human and cows’ hair, with a few horse¬
hairs interwoven, and one or two bits of snake’s skin in the lining,
having a thin layer of green moss and thin strips of inner bark
below as a foundation—in fact a regular Tit’s nest. The eggs, of
the usual parine type, were considerably larger than the eggs of
P. atriceps^ broad ovals, slightly smaller at one end than the other,
having a white ground spotted moderately thickly all over wdth
reddish chestnut; no icone or cap, but in some eggs more freely
marked at one end (either small or large end) than the other, some
of the markings almost amounting to blotches and the spots as a
rule rather large.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden remark of this bird in the
Deccan:—Specimens of this Tit were procured at Lanoli in
August and at Egutpoora in March. They certainly breed at these
places, as in September, at the latter place, W. observed two parent
birds with four young ones capable of flying out very short
distances.”

And Mr. Davidson further states that it is “common through¬
out the district of Western Kandeish. I saw a pair building in
the hole of a large mango tree at Malpur in Pimpalnir in the end
of May.”

44. Lophophanes melanolophus (Yig.). The Crested Black Tit.

Lophophanes melanolophus Jerd. B, Ind, ii, p. 273: Hume.

Rough Draft N. JS. no. 638.

The Crested Black Tit breeds throughout the Low^er Himalayas
vest of Hepal, at elevations of from 6000 to 8000 feet.

The breeding-season lasts from March to June, but the majority
have laid, I think, for the first hatch by the end of the first week
in April, unless the season has been a very backward one. They
usually rear two broods.

They build, so far as I know, always in holes, in trees, rocks,
and walls, preferentially in the latter. Their nests involve gener¬
ally two different kinds of work—the working up of the true nests

LOPHOPHAIS-ES.

41

on which the eggs repose, and the preliminary closing in and
making comfortable the cavity in which the former is placed. For
this latter work they use almost exclusively moss. Sometimes
very little filling-in is required; sometimes the mass of moss used
to level and close in an awkward-shaped recess is surprisingly
great. A pair breed every year in a terrace-wall of iny garden at
Simla; elevation about 7800 feet. One .year they selected an
opening a foot high and 6 inches wide, and they closed up the
whole of this, leaving an entrance not 2 inches in diameter. Some
years ago I disturbed them there, and found nearly half a cubic
foot of dry green inoss. JSTow they build in a cavity behind one of
the stones, the entrance to which is barely an inch wide, and in
this, as far as I can see, they have no moss at all.

The nests are nothing but larger or smaller pads of closely felted
wool and fur; sometimes a little moss, and sometimes a little
vegetable down, is mingled in the moss, but the great body of the
material is always wool and fur. They vary very much in size:
you may meet with them fully 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches
thick, comparatively loosely and coarsely massed together; and you
may meet with them shallow saucers 3 inches in diameter and
barely half an inch in thickness anywhere, as closely felted as if
manufactured by human agency.

Six to eight is considered the full complement of eggs, but the
number is very variable, and I have taken three, four, and five
well-incubated eggs.

Captain Beavan, to judge from his description, seems to have
found a regular cup-shaped nest such as I have never seen. He
says :—“ At Simla, April 20th, 1866,1 found a nest of this species
with young ones in it in an old wall in the garden. I secured the
old bird for identification, and then released her. The nest con¬
tained seven young ones, and was large in proportion. The out¬
side and bottom consists of the softest moss, the nest being carefully
built between two stones, about a foot inside the wall; the rest
of it is composed of the finest grey wool or fur. Diameter inside
2*5; outside about 5 inches. Depth inside nearly 3 inches ;
outside 3*6.”

Captain Cock told me that he ‘‘ found several nests in May and
June in Cashmere. The first nest I found was in a natural cavity
high up in a tree, containing three eggs, which I unfortunately
broke while taking them out of the nest. The interior of the
'cavity was thickly lined with fur from some small animal, such as
a hare or rat. I found my second nest close to my tent in a cleft
of a pine, quite low down, only 3 feet from the ground. I cut it
out and it contained five eggs of the usual type—broad, blunt little
eggs, white, with rusty blotches.’’

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes:—“ I have only found two
nests of this species in Haini Tal, both had young (two in one
nest, in the other I could not count) on the 25th April; they were
at about 7000 feet elevation, built in holes in walls, the entrance in
both cases being very small, having nothing to distinguish it from

42

COEYIDJS.

other tiny crevices, and nothing to lead any one to suppose that
there was a nest inside. It was only by seeing the paj-ent birds
go in that the nest was discovered.”

The eggs of this species are moderately broad ovals, with a very
slight gloss. The ground-colour is a slightly pinkish white, and
they are richly blotched and spotted, and more or less speckled
(chiefly towards the larger end), with bright, somewhat brownish
red.

The markings very commonly form a dense, almost confluent
zone or cap about the large end, and they are generally more thinly
scattered elsewhere, but the amount of the markings varies much
in diflerent eggs. In some, although they are thicker in the zone,
they are still pretty thickly set over the entire surface, while in
others they are almost confined to one end of the egg, generally the
broad end.

These eggs vary much in size and in density of marking. The
ordinary dimensions are about 0*61 by 0*47, but in a large s(‘ries
they vary in length from 0*57 to 0*72, and in breadth from 0*43
to 0*54, The very large eggs, however, indicated by these maxima
are.rare and abnormal.

47. Lophophanes rufinnchalis (Bl.). The Simla Blade Tit.

Lophopiianes rufonuchalis (BL), Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 274.

Mr. Brooks informs us that this Tit is common at Derail and
other places of similar elevation. “ I found a nest under a large
stone in the middle of a hill foot-path, up and down which people
and cattle were constantly passing; the nest contained newly-
hatched young. This was the middle of May.”

Dr. Scully, writing of the G-ilgit district, tells us that this Tit is
a denizen of the pine-forests, where it breeds.

Binally Captain Wardlaw Bamsay, writing in the ‘Ibis,’ states
that this Tit was breeding in Afghanistan in May.

Subfamily PARADOXORNITHIN^.

50. Conostoma semodium, Hodgs. The Red-Ulled Croiu-Tit.

Conostoma aemodium, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 10; Hume, Bouah^
Draft N. ^ B. no. ^

A nest of the Eed-billed Crow-Tit was sent me from Native
Sikhim, where it was found at an elevation of about 10,000 feet,
in a cluster of the small Eingal bamboo. It contained three eggs,
two of which were broken in blowing them.

The nest is a very regular and perfect hemisphere, both exter¬
nally and internally. It is very compactly made, externally of
coarse grass and strips of bamboo-leaves, and internally very thickly
lined with stiff but very fine grass-stems, about the thickness of

SCiEOSHTNCnUS.

48

an ordinary pin, very carefully curved to the shape of the nest.
The coarser exterior grass appears to have been used when dry ;
but the fine grass, with which the interior is so densely lined, is
still green. It is the most perfectly hemispherical nest J ever saw.
Exteriorly it is exactly 6 inches in diameter and 3 in height;
internally the cavity measures 4*5 in diameter and 2*25 in depth.

The egg is a regular moderately elongated oval, slightly com¬
pressed towards the smaller end. The shell is fine and thiu, and
has only a faint gloss. The ground-colour is a dull white, and it
is sparsely blotched, streaked, and smudged with pale yellowish
brown, besides which, about the large end, there are a number of
small pale inky purple spots and clouds, looking as if they were
beneath the surface of the shell.

The single egg preserved measures 1*11 by 0*S.

A nest sent me by Mr. Mandelli was found, he says, in May, in
Native Sikhim, in a cluster of Ringal (hill-bamboo) at an elevation
of nearly 10,000 feet. It is a large, rather broad and shallow cup,
the great bulk of the nest composed of extremely fine hair-lilce
grass-stems, obviously used when green, and coated thinly exteriorly
with coarse blades of grass, giving the outside a ragged and untidy
appearance. The greatest external diameter is 5*5, the height 3*2,
but the cavity is 4*5 in diameter and 2*2 in depth, so that, though
owing to the fine material used throughout except in the outer
coating the nest is extremely firm and compact, it is not at all a
massive-looking one.

60. Scseorhynclius ruficeps (Bl.). The Larger liecLheaded Crow-Tit,
Paradoxornis ruficeps, BL, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 5.

Mr. Gammie writes from Sikhim :—“ In May, at 2000 feet
elevation, I took a nest of this bird, which appears to have been
rarely, if ever, taken by any European, and is not described in your
Rough Draft of ‘ Nests and Eggs.’ It was seated among, and
fastened to, the spray of a bamboo near its top, and is a deep,
compactly built cup, measuring externally 3*5 inches wide and the
same in depth ; internally 2*7 wide by 1*9 deep. The material used
is particularly clean and new-looking, and has none of the second¬
hand appearance of nmch of the building-stufis of many birds.
The outer layer is of strips torn off large grass-stalks and a very
few cobwebs ; the lining, of fine fibrous strips, or rather threads,
of bamboo-stems. There were three eggs, which were ready for
hatchiug-off. They averaged 0*83 in. by 0*63 in. I send 3 ^ou
the nest and two of the eggs.

“ Both Jerdon and Tickell say they found this bird feeding on
grain and other seeds, but those I examined had all confined their
diet to different sorts of insects, such as would be found about
the flowers of bamboo, buckwheat, <fec. Probably they do eat a few
seeds occasionally, but their principal food is certainly insects.
Very usually, in winter especially, they feed in company with

44

commm.

GaonjosorhyncTius rufulus. Bather curious that the two Bed-heads
should affect each other’s society.”

The eggs are broad ovals, rather cylindrical, very blunt at both
ends. The shell fine, with a slight gloss. The ground is white,
and it is rather thinly and irregularly spotted, blotched, and
smeared in patches with a dingy yellowish brown, chiefly about
the larger end, to which also are nearly confined the secondary
markings, which are pale greyish lilac or purplish grey.

61. Scaeorhynchus gularis (Horsf.). The Hoary-Juacled Croiu-Tit,
Paradoxornis gularis, Jetd. B. Ind, ii, p. 5.

A nest sent me by Mr. Mandelli as belonging to this species was
found, he tells me, at an elevation of 8000 feet in Native Sikhim
on the 17th May. It was placed in a fork amongst the branches
of a medium-sized tree at a height of about 30 feet from the
gi'ound. The nest is a very massive cup, composed of soft grass-
blades, none of them much exceeding T inch in width, wound round
and round together very closely and compactly, and then tied over
exteriorly everywhere, but not thickly, with just enough wool and
wild silk to keep the nest perfectly strong and firm. Inside, the
nest is lined with extremely fine grass-stems ; the nest is bai'ely
4 inches in diameter exteriorly and 2*5 in height; the egg-cavity is
2*4 in diameter and 1*2 in depth.

Mr. Mandelli sends me an egg which he considers to belong to
this species, found near Darjeeling on the 7th May. It is a broad
- oval, very slightly compressed at one end; the shell dull and
glossless ; the ground a dead white, profusely streaked and smudged
pretty thickly all over with pale yellowish brown; the whole
bigger end of the egg clouded with dull inky purple and two or
three hair-lines of burnt sienna in different parts of the egg. The
egg measures 0*8 by 0*61.

Two eggs of this species, procured in Sikhim on the 17th May,
are very regular ovals, scarcely at all pointed towards the lesser
end. The ground-colour is creamy white, and the markings con¬
sist of large indistinct blotches of pale yellow; round the large
end is an almost confluent zone or cap of purplish grey, darker in
one egg; they have no gloss, and both measure 0*82 by 0*61.

CRATEEOPODIDiE.

45

Family CRATEROPODIDiE.

Subfamily CRATEROPODINiE.

62. Dryonastes ruficollis (J. & S.). The Rafous-nechecl Laughing-

Thrush,

Garmlax ruficollis (J. S.)f Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 38; Hume^ Rough
Draft N, ^ E. no. 410.

Of the Rufous-necked Laughing-Thrush, Mr. Blyth remarks:—
Mr. Hodgsoa figures the egg of a fine green colour.”

The egg is not figured in my collection of Mr. Hodgson’s
drawings.

Writing from near Darjeeling, in Sikhim, Mr. Gammie says :—
I have seen two nests of this bird; both were in bramble-bushes
about five feet from the ground, and exactly resembled those of
Dryonastes ccerulatus^ only they were a little smaller. One nest
had three young ones, the other three very pale blue unspotted
eggs, which I left in the nest intending to get them in another day
or two, as I wanted to see if more eggs would be laid, but when I
went back to the place the nest had been taken away by some
one. Both nests were found here in May, one at 3500 feet,
the other at 4500 feet.

“ I have taken numerous nests of this species from April to
June, from the warmest elevations up to about 4000 feet. They
are cup-shaped; composed of dry leaves and small climber-stems,
and lined with a few fibrous roots. They measure externally about
5 inches in width by 3-5 in depth; internally 3*25 across by 2*25
deep. Usually they are found in scrubby jungle, fixed in bushes,
within five or six feet of the ground. The eggs are three or four
in number.”

Many nests of this species sent me from Sikhim by my friends
Messrs. Mandelli and Gammie are all precisely of the same type—
deep and rather compact cups, varying from 5 to 6 inches in external
diameter, and 3*25 to 3*75 in height; the cavities about 3*25 in
diameter and 2*25 in depth. The nest is composed almost entirely
of dry bamboo-leaves bound together loosely with stems of creepers
or roots, and the cavity is lined with black and brown rootlets,
generally not very fine. They seem never to be placed at any very
great elevation from the ground.

The eggs of this species, of which I have received a very large
number from Mr. Gammie, are distinguishable at once from those
of all the other species of this group with which I am acquainted.
Just as the egg of Garru^ax aVbigidaris is distinguished by its very
deep tone of coloration,the egg of the present species is distinguished
by its extreme paleness. In shape the eggs are moderately broad
ovals, often, however, somewhat pyriform, often a good deal pointed
towards the small end. The shell is extremely fine and smooth,

46

CRATEROPODIDJE.

and has a very fine gloss ; they may he said to be almost white with
a delicate bluish-green tinge. In length they vary from 0*95 to
1*1, in breadth from 0*6 to 0*83 ; but the average of forty-one
eggs is 1*02 by 0*75.

65. Dryonastes caernlatus (Hodgs.). The Grey-sided Laughing-

Thrush,

GaiTLilax caerulatus {Hodgs.) ^ Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 36; Hume^ Bough
Draft N. ^ JE. no. 408.

A nest of the Grey-sided Laughing-Thrush found by Mr. Gam-
mie on the 17th June near Darjeeling, below E/ishap, at an elevation
of about 3500 feet, was placed in a shrub, at a height of about six
feet from the ground, and contained one fresh egg. It was a large,
deep, compact cup, measuring about 5*5 inches in external diameter
and about 4 in height, the egg-cavity being 4 inches in diameter
and 2| inches in depth. Externally it was entirely composed of
very broad flag-like grass-leaves firmly twisted together, and
internally of coarse black grass and moss-roots very neatly and
compactly put together. The nest had no other lining.

This year (1874) Mr. Gammie writes :—This species breeds in
Sikhim in May and June. I have found the nests in our Chinchona
reserves, at various elevations from 3500 to 5000 feet, always in
forests with a more or less dense undergrowth. The nest is placed
in trees, at heights of from 6 to 12 feet from the ground, between
and firmly attached to several slender upright shoots. It is cup¬
shaped, usually rather shallow, composed of dry bamboo-leaves
and twigs and lined with root-fibres. One I measured was 5 inches
in diameter by 2*5 in height exteriorly; the cavity was 4 inches
across and only 1*3 deep. Of course they vary slightly. As far
as my experience goes, they do not lay more than three eggs;
indeed, at times only two.’’

Dr. Jerdon remarks that “a nest and eggs, said to be of this
bird, were brought to me at Darjeeling; the nest loosely made wdth
roots and grass, and containing two pale blue eggs.”

One nest of this species taken in JN'ative Sikhim in July, was
placed in the fork of four leafy twigs, and was in shape a slightly
truncated inverted cone, nearly 7 inches in height and 5*5 in diameter
at the base of the cone, which was uppermost. The leaves attached
to the twigs almost completely enveloped it. The nest itself was
composed almost entirely of stems of creepers, several of which
were wound round the living leaves of the twigs so as to hold them
in position on the outside of the nest; a few bamboo-leaves were
intermingled with the creeper’s stems in the body of the nest. The
cavity, which is almost perfectly hemispherical, only rather deeper,
is 3*5 inches in diameter and 2*25 in depth, and is entirely and very
neatly lined with very fine black roots. Another nest, which was
taken at Eishap on the 21st May, with two fresh eggs, w^as placed
in some small bamboos at a height of about 10 feet from the

GARRULAX.

47

ground. It is composed externally entirely of dry bamboo-leaves,
loosely tied together by a few creepers and a little vegetable fibre,
and it is lined pretty thickly with fine black fibrous roots. This
nest is about 6 inches in diameter and 3*5 high exteriorly, while the
cavity measures 3‘5 by 2.

The eggs sent me by Mr. Gammie are a beautiful clear, rather
pale, greenish blue, without any spots or markings. They have
a slight gloss. In shape they ai'e typically much elongated and
somewhat pyriform ovals, very obtuse at both ends ; but moderately
broad examples are met with. In length they vary from 1*05 to
1*33, and in breadth from 0*76 to 0*86; but the average of thirty-
five eggs is 1*18 nearly by 0*82 nearly.

69. Garrulax leucolophiLS (Hardw.). The Himalayan White-crested
Laughiny-Tliriish.

CTarrulax leucolophiis {Hardtop, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 85 j Hume.

Bough Draft N. E. no. 407.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, the Himalayan White-crested
Laughing-Thrush breeds at various elevations in 8ikhim and Nepal,
from the Terai to an elevation of 5000 or 6000 feet, from April to
June. It lays from four to six eggs, which are described and figured
as pure white, very broad ovals, measuring 1*2 by 0*9. It breeds, we
are told, in small trees, constructing a rude cup-shaped nest
amongst a clump of shoots, or between a number of slender twigs,
of dry bamboo-leaves, creepers, scales of the turmeric plant, cfec.,
and lined with fine roots.

Dr. Jerdon says :—‘‘ I have hadr HlB''n0st'‘ahdr^^
more than once when at Darjeeling, the former being a large mass
of roots, moss, and grass, with a few pure white eggs.”

One nest taken in July at Darjeeling was placed on the outer
branches of a tree, at about the height of 8 feet from the ground.
It w'as a very broad shallow saucer, 8 inches in diameter, about an
inch in thickness, and with a depression of about an inch in depth.
It was composed of dead bamboo-leaves bound together with
creepers, and lined thinly with coarse roots. It contained four
fresh eggs. Other similar nests contained four or three eggs
each.

From Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes :—“ I have found this Laugh¬
ing-Thrush breeding in May and June, up to about 3500 feet; I
have rarely seen it at higher elevations, and cannot but think that
Mr. Hodgson is mistaken in stating that it breeds up to 5000 or
6000 feet. The nests are generally placed in shrubs, within reach
of the hand, among low, dense jungle, and are rather loosely built
cup-shaped structures, composed of twigs and grass, and lined with
fibrous roots. Externally they measure about 6 inches in diameter
by 3*5 in depth ; internally 4 by 2*25.

“ The eggs are usually four or five in number, but on several
occasions I have found as few as two well-set eggs.”

Numerous nests of this species have now been sent me, taken

48

CRATEROPODID^E.

in ISlsiy, June, and July, at elevations of from 2000 to fully 4000 feet,
and in one case it is said 5000. They are all very similar, large,
very shallow cups, from 6 to nearly 8 inches in external diameter,
and from 2'5 to 3*5 m height; exteriorly all are composed of coarse
grass, of bamboo-spathes, with occasionally a few dead leaves
intermingled, loosely wound round with creepers or pliant twigs,
while interiorly they are composed and lined with black, only
moderately fine roots or pliant flower-stems of some flowering-tree,
or both. Sometimes the exterior coating of grass is not very
coarse; at other times bamboo-spathes exclusively are used, and
the nest seems to be completely packed up in these.

The eggs of this species are broad ovals, pure white and glossy.
They vary from 1*05 to 1*13 in length, and from 0*86 to 0*95 in
width, but the average of eighteen eggs is a little over 1*1 by 0*9.

70. Garriilax helangeri, Less. The Burmese White-crested
Laughing-Thrush,

Garrulax belangeri, Less,y Humej Cat, no. 407 bis.

Mr. Oates, who found the nest of this bird many years ago in
Burma, has the following note:—‘‘Nest in a bush a few feet from the
ground, on the 8th June, near Pegu. In shape hemispherical, the
foundation being of small branches and leaves of the bamboo, and
the interior and sides of small branches of the coarser weeds and
fine twigs. The latter form the egg-chamber lining and are nicely
curved. Exterior and interior diameters respectively 7 and 3|
inches. Total depth 3| and interior depth 2 inches. Three eggs,
pure white and highly glossy, and they measure 1*14 by *87, 1*1
by *88, and 1*03 by *86.”

The nests of this species are large, loosely constructed cups,
much resembling those of its Himalayan congeners. The base and
sides consist chiefly of dry bamboo-leaves with a few dead tree-leaves
scantily held together by a few creepers, while the interior portion
of the nest, which has no separate lining, is composed of fine twigs
and stems of herbaceous plants and the slender flower-stems of
trees which bear their flowers in clusters. The nests vary a good
deal in exterior dimensions as the materials straggle far and wide
in some cases, and the external diameter may be said to vary from
6 to 8 inches, and the height from 3*25 to 4*5; the cavities are more
uniform in size, and are about 3*5 in diameter by 2 in depth.

The eggs are moderately broad ovals, at times somew^hat
pointed perhaps towards the small end, pure white and fairly
glossy.

Major 0. T. Bingham thus wnites of this bird :—“ It is very diffi¬
cult to either watch these birds, unseen yourself, at one of their
dancing parties, or to catch one of them actually sitting on the
nest. Twice had I in the end of March this year come across nests
with one or two of these birds in the vicinity, and yet have had to
leave the eggs in them as uncertain to what bird they belonged.

GAEUTTLAX*

49

At last, on the 2nd April, I came in for a piece of lack. I was
roaming about in the vicinity of my camp on the G-awbechoiing,
the main source of the Thoungyeen river, and moving very slowly
and silently amid the dense clumps of bamboo, wdien my ears were
saluted by the hearty laughter of a flock of these birds, evidently not
far off. Very quietly I crept up, and looking cautiously from behind
a thick bamboo-clump, saw ten or twelve of them going through a
most intricate dance, flirting their wings and tails, and every now
and then bursting into a chorus of shouts, joined in by a few others
who were seated looking on from neighbouring bushes. During
one of the pauses of the applause, and while the dancers were busy
twining in and out, a single rather squeaky ‘ bravo ’ came from a
bamboo-bush right opposite to me. Looking up I was astonished
to see a nest in a fork of the bamboo, and on the nest a Garriilacc
who, probably too busy with her maternal duties to watch the
performance going on below her attentively, came in with a solitary
shout of approbation at an unseemly time. I watched the per¬
formance a few minutes longer, and then frightened the old hen on
the nest. The terrific scare I caused by my sudden appearance is
beyond description. The dancers scattered with screeches, and the
old hen dropped fainting over the side of her nest with a feeble
remonstrance, and disappeared in the most mysterious way. After
all the nest contained only one egg, very glossy, white, and fresh.
The nest was better and stronger built, though very like that of
Garrulacc moniliger, constructed of twigs, and finely lined with
black hair-like roots; it measured some 6 inches in diameter, the
egg-cavity about inch deep. Subsequently I took three other
nests, on the 4th April and 23rd May. The first contained three,
the two latter three and four eggs respectively. A considerable
number of eggs measure from 1*22 to 1*06 in length, and from *92
to ’81 in breadth, and average 1*13 by 0-88.”

72. Garrulax pectoralis (G-ould). The Blaclc-gorgetecl
Laiigliing-Tlirusli.

Garrulax pectoralis {Gould), Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 39; Hwme^ Bough

Draft N, ^ E, no. 412.

Mr. Oates tells us that he ‘‘found the nest of the Black-
gorgeted Laughing-Thrush in the Pegu Hills, on the 27th April,
containing three fresh eggs; the bird w'as sitting. The nest was
placed in a bamboo-clump about 7 feet from the ground, made out¬
wardly of dead bamboo-leaves and coarse roots, lined wdth finer
roots and a few feathers; inside diameter 6 inches, depth 2 inches.
Two eggs measured 1*04 by 0*83 and 0*86. Colour, a beautiful clear
blue.”

One' of these eggs sent by Mr. Oates ^ seems rather small for

* I fear I may have made a mistake in identifying the nest referred to.
With this caution, however, I allow my note to stand.—En.

VOL. I.

4

50

CEATEEOPODlDiE.

the bird. It is a very broad, slightly pyriform oval, of a uniform
pale greenish-blue tint, and very fairly glossy. It measures 1*05
by 0*87.

This egg appears to me to be an abnormally small one. A nest
sent me from Sikbim, where it was found in July, contained much
larger eggs, and more in proportion to the size of the bird. The
nest I refer to was placed in a clump of bamboos about 5 feet from
the ground. It was a tolerably compact, moderately deep, saucer¬
shaped nest, between 6 and 7 inches in diameter, composed of dead
bamboo-sheaths and leaves bound together with creepers and her¬
baceous stems, and thinly lined with roots. It contained two
eggs. These are rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards
one end, of a uniform pale gi’eenish blue, and are fairly glossy.

These eggs measured 1*33 and 1*30 in length, and 0*98 in
breadth.

Mr. Mandelli sent me two nests of this species, both taken in
Native Sikhim, the one on the 4tb, the other on the 20th July.
Each contained two fresh eggs. One was placed in a small tree
in heavy jungle, at a height of about 6 feet from the ground,
the other in a clump of bamboos a foot lower. Both are large,
coarse, saucer-shaped nests, 7 to 8 inches in diameter, and 3*5 to 4
in height externally ; the cavities are about 4*5 inches in diameter,
and less than 2 in depth; the basal .portion of the nests is com¬
posed entirely of dry leaves, chiefly those of the bamboo, loosely
held together by a few stems of creepers; the sides of the nest are
stems of creepers wound round and round and loosely intertwined,
and the cavity is lined with rather coarse rootlets, and in one case
with fine twigs.

73. Garrulax moniliger (Hodgs.). The Neclclaced Lauglivug-^

Thrush.

GaiTulax moniliger {Hodgs.')^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 40; Hume^ Rough
Draft N. §* E. no. 413.

Of the Necklaced Laughhig-Thrush Br. Jerdon says:—“I pro¬
cured both this and the last (the Black-gorgeted Laughing-Thrush)
at Darjeeling, and have also seen one or both in Sylhet, Cachar,
and Upper Burmah. They both associate in large flocks, and fre¬
quent more open forest than most of the previous species. The
eggs are greenish blue.’’

ikom 8ikhim, Mr. Gammie writes :—‘‘ In the first week of June
I found a nest in low jungle, at 2000 feet, containing four greenish-
blue eggs, but, as I did not see the bird, left it until my return a
week later. I then ssbw the female, but in the interval the young
had been hatched. The nest closely resembled that of D. ccGrulatus
[p. 46], both in shape and composition, and was similarly situated
between several upright. slender shoots to which it was firmly
attached. It was, however, within five feet of the ground, which
is lower by 5 feet or so than D. ccerulatus generally builds.

“ I have found this species breeding from April to June, up to

aAREULAX.

51

elevations not inucb exceeding 2500 feet. It affects the low, dense
scrub growing in moist situations, and usuallj 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-stems, 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. Oates 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, pectoralisJ^

He subsequently remarked:—“ Breeds in Lower Pegu chiefly in
July. Average of six eggs, 1'16 by *SS; 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 Darjeeling 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-ammie, 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. Bingham says :—Be¬
tween the 25th March and 28th xlpril 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 Sikhim, Pegu, and Tenasserim are all of
precisely the same type as described by Mr. Grammie; 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. Gammie vary very much
in size and shape, and somewhat in colour. Some are considerably
elongated ovals, with a marked pyriform 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.

4*

52

ORATEEOPODIDJE.

76. Garrulax alMgularis (G-oulcl). The White-throated
Laughing-Thrush.

GaiTulax albogularis {Gould)j Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 38; Hume, Rough
Draft K E. no. 411.

The White-throated Laughing-Thrush breeds throughout the
lower southern ranges of the Himalayas from Assam to Afghanistan
at elevations of from 4000 to nearly 8000 feet. They lay from the
commencement of April to the end of June. The nest varies in
shape from a moderately deep cup to a broad shallow^ saucer, and
from 5 to 7 or even 8 inches in external diameter, and from less
than 2 to nearly 4 inches in depth internally. Coarse grass, flags,
creepers, dead leaves, moss, moss- and grass-roots, all at times enter
more or less largely into the composition of the nest, which, though
sometimes wholly unlined, is often neatly cushioned with red and
black fern and moss-roots. The nests are placed in small hushes,
shrubs, or trees, at heights of from 3 to 10 feet, sometimes in forks,
but more often, I think, on low horizontal branches, between tv’o
or three upright shoots.

Three is, I think, the regular complement of eggs, and this is the
number I have always found when the eggs w^ere much incubated.
I have not myself observed that this species breeds in company, nor
can I ever remember to have taken two nests within 100 yards of
each other.

Captain Hutton remarks :—“ This is very common in Mussoorie
at all seasons, and congregates into large and noisy flocks, turning
up the dead leaves, and screaming and chattering together in most
discoi'dant concert. It breeds in April and May, placing the nest in
the forks of young oaks and other trees, about 7 or 8 feet from the
ground, though sometimes higher, and fastening the sides of it
firmly to the supporting twigs by tendrils of climbing-plants. It is
sometimes composed externally almost entirely of such woody ten¬
drils, intermixed with a few other twigs, and lined with black hair¬
like fibres of mosses and lichens; at other times it is externally
composed of coarse dry grasses and leaves of different kinds of
orchids, and lined with fibres, the materials varying with the locality.
The eggs are of a deep and beautiful green, shining as if recently
varnished, and three in number. In shape they taper somewhat
suddenly to the smaller end, which may almost be termed obtusely
pointed. The size 1*19 by 0*87 inch. The usual number of eggs
is three, though sometimes only one or two are found ; but only
on one occasion out of more than a dozen nests have I found four
eggs. The old bird will remain on the nest until within reach of
the hand.”

Lrom Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall writes :—“ This was
the most beautiful egg taken this season, being of a rich, deep,
glossy, greenish-blue colour. The nest is composed of fresh ivy-
twigs, with the leaves attached, tightly woven together. The birds
breed on small trees, not high up, at the end of a branch. While

GARETJLAX.

53

their nests were being examined, they came round in docks to see
what was happening, chattering and making that peculiar laughing
note from wfcch this genus takes its name. They are even gre¬
garious in the breeding-season, and all the nests were found pretty
near each other about 6000 feet up.”

The nest sent me by Colonel Marshall is a broad, shallow cup,
or saucer as I should perhaps call it, some 6 inches in diameter,
with a central depression of at most 1*5 inch, below which the nest
is an inch or 1*5 in thickness. It is very loosely put together, and
composed interiorly of moderately fine dry twigs and roots, but
exteriorly it is completely wound round with slender green ivy-
twigs to which the leaves are attached. It has no lining or pre¬
tence for such.

Captain Cock says :—“ The White-throated Laughing-Thrush
lays one of the most lovely eggs with which I am acquainted. The
nest is usually low, never more than 10 feet or so from the ground;
and of some fifteen or more nests that I have taken, all were con¬
structed of long stalks of the ground-ivy, twisted round and round
into a wreath. The nest is not a deep cup; if anything it is rather
shallow, but it is very wide. I always found these nests in thick
forest, at high elevations from 6000 to 7000 feet. The birds used
to sit close, and when put off their nests would commence their
outcries, and from all parts they would assemble and flit about
almost within reach of one’s hand, making an awful noise, and in
the dark shade of the forest their white gorgets had quite a ghostly
lool?. The eggs are always three in number, of a beautiful shining
blue-green, sometimes of a very long oval type. I have found
the nests at Murree from the 3rcl May to quite the end of
June.”

Colonel G-. P. L. Marshall writing of this species says:—“ A
nest found at jN'ynee Tal on Ayar Pata, about 7000 feet above the
sea, contained two fresh eggs on the 31st May. The eggs were of
a rich deep greenish blue, unspotted. The nest was a scanty and
loosely-built structure, composed of roots and steins of grass and
creepers, cup-shaped, rather shallow, and lined with a curious black
creeper, very like coarse hair. The birds were gregarious even
though breeding, and were moving about the underwood in parties
of three to five. The nest was near the top of an oak-sapling in
a dense coppice, placed close against the stem in a bunch of leaves
at the top. The only difficulty in finding it lay in the scantiness of
the structure rather than in the concealment by the foliage. The
bird was on the nest and only moved off about 3 feet, sitting close
by and chattering indignantly during my inspection. They are
noisy birds, constantly on the move, and their notes, though rather
harsh, are very varied and quite conversational,^^

The eggs are long, and pointed at the small end, to which they
sometimes taper much. They are very glossy, and vary from a
deep dull blue (the blue of a dark oil-paint, very much deeper than
that of any other of the Crateropodinae with which I am acquainted)
to a deep intense greenish blue. Possibly other as deeply coloured

54

CRATEROPODIDylD.

eggs occur in this family, but I have seen none like them. They
are of course entirely unspotted.

In length they vary from 1T6 to 1*25, and in breadth from 0*8
to 0*86; but the average of some twenty eggs measured is 1*22
by 0*83.

78. lanthocincla oceUata (Vig.). The White-sj^otted
Laughing- Thrush,

Garrulax ocellatiis ( Vig.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 41; Hume, Rough
Draft N. (§» K no. 414.

I know nothing personally of the nidification of the White-
spotted Laughing-Thrush, which breeds nowhere, so far as I know,
west of IN’epal, but I had a nest with a couple of eggs and one of the
parent-birds sent me from Darjeeling. The nest was taken in May
in one of the low warm valleys leading to the Great Eunjeet, and
is said to have been placed close to the ground in a thick clump of
fern and grass. The nest is chiefly composed of these, intermingled
with moss and roots, and is a large loose structure some 7 inches
in diameter.

Mr. Blyth remarked in ' The Ibis ’ (1867) that this species was
“ surely a Trochaloj^^teron rather than a Oarrulaxf and the eggs
seem to confirm this view. These are long, cylindrical ovals, very
obtuse even at the smaller end. They are about the same size as
those of Garrulacc alhigidaris, with a very delicate pale blue ground
and little or no gloss. One egg is spotless; the other has a few
chocolate-brown specks or spots towards the large end. They
measure lT8 by 0*86 and 1*25 by 0*85.

80. lanthocincla rufignlaris, Gould. The Bufous-chinned
Laughing- Thrush .

Trochalopteron nifogiilare {Gould), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 47; Hume,
Rough Draft N. E. no. 421.

Common as this species is about Simla, I have never yet secured
the nest, and know nothing certain about the eggs.

Captain Hutton says *.—‘‘ This species appears usually in pairs,
sometimes in a family of four or five. It breeds in May, in \vhich
month I took a nest, at about 6500 feet elevation, in a retired
and wooded glen; it was composed of small twigs externally and
lined with the fine black fibres of lichens. The nest was placed on
a horizontal bough, about 7 feet from the ground, and contained
three pure white eggs. Size 1*12 by 0-69; shape ordinary. The
stomach of the old bird contained sand, seed, and the remains of
wasps.”

One egg that I possess of this species I owe to Captain Hutton,
and it is of the Pomatorhinus type—a long oval, slightly pointed
pure white egg, with but little gloss, measuring 1*08 by 0*75.

TROCHA.LOPTERTJM.

55

From Sikhim a nest, said to belong to this species, has been
recently sent me. It was found below Darjeeling in July, and
was placed in a double fork of the brancblets of a medium-sized
tree. It is a moderately deep cup, composed almost entirely of
dry, coarser and finer, tendrils of creepers, and is lined with a
some black moss-roots and a few scraps of dead leaves. It con¬
tained ibree fresh eggs.

Numerous nests of this species subsequently sent me from Sikhim
are all of the same type, all moderately deep cups composed entirely
of creeper-tendrils, the cavity only being lined with fine black roots.
They appear from the specimens before me to be quite sui rjeneris
and unlike those of any of its congeners. No grass, no dead leaves,
no moss seems to be employed; nothing but the tendrils of some
creeper. The nests appear to be always placed at the fork, where
three, four, or more shoots diverge, and to be generally more or
less like inverted cones, measuring say 4 to 5 inches in height, and
about the same in breadth at the top, while the cavities are about
3 inches in diameter and 1*5 to 2 in depth. The nests appear to have
been found at very varying heights from the ground from 5 to 15
feet, and at elevations of from 3000 to 5000 feet. They appear
to have contained three fresh or more or less incubated eggs.

The eggs were found in Sikhim on different dates between 25th
May and Sth September.

&ceptional as the coloration of the eggs of this species may
seem, there is no doubt that they are pure white. The shell
is thin and fragile, but has generally a decided gloss, and the
eggs are typically elongated ovals, obtuse-ended, and more or
less pyriform or cylindrical. The eggs vary from 0*02 to 1*13
in length, and from 0*75 to 0*8 in breadth, but the average of
eleven eggs is 1*06 by 0*77 nearly.

82. Trochalopterum erythrocephalum (VigO- Red-headed
Laicgliing-Tlirush .

Trochalopteron erythrocephalum (F 2 y.), Je7'd. B. Ind. ii,p. 43 j Hume,
Rough Draft N, l5* E. no. 415.

From Kumaon westwards, at any rate as far as the valley of the
Beas, the Eed-headed Laughing-Thrush is, next to T. lineatum, the
most common species of the genus. It lays in May and June, at
elevations of from 4000 to 7000 feet, building on low branches of
trees, at a height of from 3 to 10 feet from the ground.

The nests are composed chiefly of dead leaves bound round into
a deep cup with delicate fronds of ferns and coarse and fine grass,
the cavities being scantily lined with fine grass and moss-roots.
It is difficult by any description to convey an adequate idea of the
beauty of some of these nests—the deep red-brown of the withered
ferns, the black of the grass- and moss-roots, the pale yellow of the
broad flaggy grass, and the straw-yellow of some of the finer grass-
stems, all blended together into an artistic wreath, in the centre of

56

CBATEEOPOBID-^:.

which the beautiful sky-blue and maroon-spotted eggs repose.
Externally the nests may average about 6 inches in diameter, but
the egg-cavity is comparatively large and very regular, measuring
about inches across and fully 2| inches in depth. Some nests
of course are less regular and artistic in their appearance, but, as a
rule, those of this species are particularly beautiful.

The eggs vary from two to four in number.

Sir E. C. Buck sent me the following note:—

“ I found a nest of this species near Narkunda (about 30 miles
north of Simla) on the 26th June. It was placed on the branch
of a banj tree, some 8 feet from the ground, and contained two
eggs, half set. Nest and eggs forwarded.”

Dr. Jerdon says that Shore, as quoted by G-ould in his ‘ Century,’
says that it is by no means uncommon in Kumaon, where it
frequents shady ravines, building in hollows and their precipitous
sides, and making its nest of small sticks and grasses, the eggs
being five in number, of a sky-blue colour.” But Shore, as the
showman would say, is, so far as eggs and nests are concerned, a
fabulous writer,” and the eggs are always more or less spotted, and
no nest that I ever saw of this species was composed of “ small
sticks.”

Mr. Blyth says :—“ Mr. Hodgson figures a green egg, spotted
much like that of Turdiis miisiciis, as that of the present species; ”
but in all Hodgson’s drawings this green represents a greenish
blue, as I have tested in dozens of cases.

Colonel Gr. E. L. Marshall remarks :—“ I found a nest of this
species on the 15th May at Nynee Tal on the top of Ayar Bata, at an
elevation of about 7500 feet above the sea. The nest was a rather
deep cup, neatly made and placed about 5 feet from the ground
amongst the outer twigs of a thick barberry bush, the leaves of
which entirely concealed it. It was composed of a thick layer of
dead oak- and rhododendron-leaves, bound round outside with just
enough of grass-stems and moss to keep the leaves in place; it had
no lining of any description. The egg-cavity was 3^ inches broad
by nearly 2i inches deep. The eggs, two in number, were blue,
with a few spots, streaks, and scrawls of brown tending to form a
zone at the larger end. They were large for the size of the bird.
The ground-colour was hke that of the eggs of a Song-Thrush in
England.

Several more nests found subsequently with eggs up to 4th
June were similar in structure, but placed in small oak trees from
5 to 15 or 18 feet from the ground.

“ I found a nest of this species containing a single hard-set egg
on the I7th August; both parent-birds were by the nest; this is
unusually late, the chief breeding-month being June.”

The eggs are very long ovals, of a delicate pale greenish-blue
ground-colour, with a few spots, streaks, and streaky blotches of a
very rich though slightly browmish red at the large end. These
eggs, though somewhat longer in shape and less freely marked, are
exactly of the same type as those of T, cachinnans and T, variegatmn.

TROCHA.LOPTEEXJM.

57

The texture o£ the shell is very fine and compact, and they have a
slight gloss. In some eggs the spottings are more numerous, and,
besides the primary markings already mentioned, a few purple spots
and blotches, mostly very pale, are intermingled with the darker
markings. In almost all the eggs that I have seen the markings
were absolutely confined to the larger end.

In length the eggs vary from 1*15 to 1*22, and in breadth from
0*8 to 0*86; but the average is about 1*2 by 0*82.

85. Trochalopterum nigrimentum, Hodgs. The Western
Yelloiv-winffed Lauglimg'Thrnsli.

Trochalopteron chrysopterum {Goxdd), aimd JerrL B, Inch ii, p. 43 ;

Ilitmej Rough Draft N. Sf E. no. 416.

The Western Yellow-winged Laughing-Thrush breeds, so far as
is yet known, only in iSTepal, Sikhim, and Bhootau, from all which
localities w^e have q[uite young birds, but 3io eggs.

Dr. Jerdon says :—‘‘ The eggs are greenish blue, in a nest neatly
made with roots and moss.’’ This, of course, is wrong, as the eggs
are now^ w^ell knowm to be spotted.

From Sikhim, Mr. Grammie writes:—‘‘The Yellow-winged
Laughing-Thrush breeds from April to June at elevations from
5500 feet upw^ards. It prefers scrubby jungle, and places its nest
in bushes about six feet or so from the ground. It is a broad, cup-
shaped structure, neatly and strongly made of fine twn’gs and dry
grass-leaves, lined with roots and with a few strings of green moss
wound round the outside. Externally, it measures about 6 inches
wide, and 4| deep ; internally 3^ by 2|.

“ The eggs are usually three in number.”

Six nests of this species found between the 4th May and 2nd
July in Native and British Sikhim w^ere sent me by Mr. Mandelli.
They were placed in small trees or dense bushes at heights of from

3 to 8 feet, and contained in some cases tw'o, and in others three
fresh or fully incubated eggs, so that sometimes the bird only lays
two eggs. Three nests were also sent me by Mr. Gammie, taken
in the neighbourhood of the Sikhim Cinchona-Plantations. All are
precisely of the same type, all constructed with the same materials,
but owing to the different proportions in which these are used
some of the nests at first sight seem to differ widely from others.
Some also are a good deal bigger than others, but all are massive, deep
cups, varying from 5*25 to 6*5 inches in diameter, and from 3 to fully

4 in height externally; the cavities vary from 3 to 3*5 in diameter,
and from 2 to 2*5 in depth. The body of the nests is composed of
grass ; the cavity is lined first with dry leaves, and then thickly or
thinly with black fibrous roots. Externally the nest is more or less
bound together by creepers and stems of herbaceous plants. Some¬
times only a few strings of moss and a few sprays of Selaginella are
to be seen on the outside of the nest; while, on the other hand, in
some nests the entire outer surface is completely covered over with
green moss, not only on the sides, but on the upper margin, so as

58

CBATEROPODIDJE.

to conceal completely the rest of the materials of the nest, and in all
the nine nests before me the extent to which the moss is used varies.

The eggs of this species are typically somewhat elongated ovals,
some are much pointed towards the small end, others are somewhat
pyriform, and others again are subcylindrical. The shell is fine
and soft, but has only a moderate amount of gloss. The ground¬
colour, which varies very little in shade, is a delicate pale, slightly
greenish blue, almost precisely the same colour as that of TrocJia-
lo]yterum erytJirocephcduw, The eggs are sparingly (in fact, almost
exclusively about the large end) marked with deep chocolate.
These markings are in some spots and blotches, but in many assume
the form of thicker or thinner hieroglyphic lines. As a rule, three
fourths of the egg is spotless, occasionally a single speck or spot
occurs towards the small end of the egg. One or two eggs are
almost spotless. In length the eggs vary from IT to 1*23, and in
breadth from 0*73 to 0-87, but the average of sixteen eggs is
1T7 nearly by 0*82.

87. Trochalopterum phceniceum (G-ould). The Grimson-wingecl
Laughing- Thrush,

Trochalopteron phceniceum {GokIcI)^ Jerd. B, Lid. ii, p. 48 ; Hime,
Rough Draft N. cj* D. no. 422...

Mr. Gammie says:—“ I have found altogether seven nests of
the Crimson-winged Laughing-Thrush in and about Eishap, at
elevations between 4000 and 5000 feet, and on various dates be¬
tween the 4th and 23rd May. The locality chosen for the nest is
in some moist forest amongst dense undergrowth. It is placed in
shrubs, at heights of from 6 to 10 feet from the ground, and is
generally suspended between several upright stems, to which it is
firmly attached by fibres. It is chiefly composed of dry bamboo-
leaves and a few twigs, and lined with black fibres and moss-roots.
A few strings of moss are twisted round it externally to aid in
concealing it. It is a moderately deep cup, measuring externally
about 5 inches in diameter and 4 inches in height, and internally
3| inches in width and 2 inches in depth.

“ The eggs are almost always three in number, but occasionally
only two. Of tlie seven nests taken by me, five contained eggs and
two young birds.’^

The Crimson-winged Laughing-Thrush, according to Mr. Hodg¬
son’s notes, breeds in Sikhim, at elevations of from 3000 to 5000
feet, during the months of April, May, and June. The nest is
placed in the fork of some thick bush or small tree, where three or
four sprays divide, at from 2 to 5 feet above the ground. The
nest is a very deep compact cup. One measured m situ w^as 4*5 inches
in diameter and the same in height externally, while the cavity w^as
3 inches in diameter and 2*25 deep. It was very compact and was
composed of dry leaves, creepers, grass-flowers, and vegetable fibres,
more or less lined with moss-roots and coated externally with dry
bamboo-leaves. They lay, we are told, three or four eggs.

TEOCHALOPTEHTTM.

59

Dr. Jerdon says:—A nesfc and eggs said to be of this bird were
brought to me at Darjeeling; the nest made of roots and grass, and
the eggs, three in number, pale blue, with a few narrow and wavy
dusky streaks.”

The eggs are singularly lovely. In shape they are elongated
ovals, generally very obtuse at both ends, and many of them exhi¬
biting cylindrical or pyriform tendencies. The shell is very fine
and fairly glossy, and the ground-colour is a most beautiful clear
pale sea-green in some, greenish blue in others. The character of
the markings is more that of the Buntings than of this family.
There are a few strongly marked deep maroon, generally more or
less angular, spots or dashes, principally about the large end, and
there are a few spots and tiny clouds of pale soft purple, and then
there are an infinite variety of hair-line hieroglyphics, twisted and
scrawled in brownish or reddish purple, about the egg. The mark¬
ings are nowhere as a rule crowded, and towards the small end are
usually sparse and occasionally wholly w'anting. In some eggs a
bad pen seems to have been used to scribble the pattern, and every
here and there instead of a fine hair-line there is a coarse thick
one.

The eggs are pretty constant in size and colour, but here and
there an abnormally pale specimen, in w^hich the green has almost
entirely disappeared, is met with. In length they vary from 0'98
.to 1T*5, and in breadth from 0*7 to 0*82, but the average of
thirty-one eggs is 1*04 by 0*74.

88. Trochalopterum subimicolor, Hodgs. The Plain-coloured
Laucjlmxcj- Thrush.

Trochalopteron suhunicolor, Hodgs., Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 44; Hume,
Rougn Draft N. <5* B. no. 417.

The Olivaceous or Plain-coloured Laughing-Thrush breeds,
according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, in the central region of Nepal
from April to June. It nests in open forests and groves, building
its nest on some low branch of a tree, 2 or 3 feet from the ground,
between a number of twigs. The nest is large and cup-shaped:
one measured externally 5*5 inches in diameter and 3*38 in height;
internally 2*75 deep and 3*12 in diameter. The nest is composed
externally of grass and mosses lined with soft bamboo-leaves.
Three or four eggs are laid, ’ unspotted greenish blue. One is
figured as 1*07 by 0*7.

90. Trochalopterum variegatum (YigO* Eastern
Variegated Laughing-Thrush.

Trochalopteron variegatum {Vig.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 45; Hume,
Rough Draft N. E. no. 418 (part).

The Eastern Variegated Laughing-Thrush breeds only at eleva-

60

CEATEROPODIDJE.

tions of from 4000 to 7000 or 8000 feet, from Simla to Nepal,
during the latter half of April, May, and June. The nest is a
pretty compact, rather shallow cup, composed exteriorly of coarse
grass, in which a few dead leaves are intermingled; it has no lining,
but the interior is composed of rather finer and softer grass than
the exterior, and a good number of dry needle-like fir-leaves are
used towards the interior. It is from 5 to 8 inches in diameter
exteriorly, and the cavity from 3 inches to 3*5 in diameter and
about 2 inches deep. The nest is usually placed in some low,
densely-foliaged branch of a tree, at say from 3 to 8 feet from the
ground; but I receiitly obtained one placed in a thick tuft of
grass, growing at the roots of a young Deodar, not above 6 inches
from the ground. They lay four or five eggs.

The first egg that I obtained of this species, sent me by Sir E.
0. Buck, C.S., and taken by himself near Narkunda, late in June,
out of a nest containing two eggs and two young ones, was a nearly
perfect, rather long oval, and precisely the same type of egg as
those 'of T. erytliroceplialum and T. cacliinnans, hut considerably
smaller than the former. The ground-colour is a pale, rather dingy
greenish blue, and it is blotched, spotted, and speckled, almost ex¬
clusively at the larger end, and even there not very thickly, with
reddish brown. The egg appeared to have but little gloss. Other
eggs subsequently obtained by myself were very similar, but slightly
larger and rather more thickly and boldly blotched, the majority of
the markings being still at the large end.

The colour of the markings varies a good deal: a ]iver-red is
perhaps the most common, but yellowish brown, pale purple, pur¬
plish red, and browmish red also occur. Here and there an egg is
met with almost entirely devoid of markings, with perhaps only
one moderately large spot and a dozen specks, and these so deep
a red as to be all but black.

The eggs vary from 1*07 to 1T5 in length, and from 0*76 to 0*82
in breadth.

91. Trochalopterum simile, Hume. The Western Variegated
Laughing-Thrush,

Trochalopterum simile, Hume ; Hume, Cat. no. 418 bis.

Messrs. Cock and Marshall write from Murree:—“ The nidifi-
cation of this Trochalopterum was apparently unknown before. "We
found one nest on the 15th June, about twenty feet up a spruce-
fir at the extremity of the bough. Nest deep, cup-shaped, solidly
built of grass, roots, and twdgs; the bird sits close. Eggs light
greenish blue, sparingly spotted with pale purple, the same size as
those of Merida castaneaT

TROCHALOPTEEUM.

61

92. Trochalopterum squamatum (G-onld). The Blue-winged
Laughing-Thrush.

Trochalopteron squamatum (Gould), Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 46 : Hume,
Rough Draft N. c5’ B. no. 4*20.

From Sikhim my friend Mr. Grammie writes:—“ I have never as
yet found more than one nest of the Blue-winged Laughing-Thrush,
and this one was found on the 18th May at Mongphoo, at an ele¬
vation of about 3500 feet. The nest was placed in a bush (one of
the Zingiberacece), growing in a marshy place, in the midst of dense
scrub, at a height of about 4 feet from the ground, and was
firmly attached to several upright stems. It was composed of dry
bamboo-leaves, held together by the stems of delicate creepers, and
was lined with a few black fibres. It was cup-shaped, and mea¬
sured externally 5-7 in diameter by 3*6 in height, and internally 3*7
in width by 2*6 in depth. The nest contained three eggs, which
were unfortunately almost ready to hatch off, so that three is
probably the normal number of the eggs.”

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes the Blue-winged Laughing-
Thrush breeds in May and June in the central region of ISTepal in
forests, at elevations of from 2000 to 6000 feet. The nest is
placed in a fork of a branch on some small tree, and is a large
mass of dry leaves and coarse dry grass, 7 or 8 inches in diameter
externally, mortar-shaped, the cavity about 2*5 deep, and lined with
hair-like fibres. The nest, though composed of loose materials,
is very firm and compact. They lay four or five eggs, unspotted,
verditer-blue, one of which is figured as a broad regular oval, only
slightly compressed towards one end, measuring 1*2 by 0*9.

One of the eggs taken by Mr. G-ammie (the others were un¬
fortunately broken) is a long, almost cylindrical, oval, very obtuse
at both ends and slightly compressed towards the smaller end, so
that the egg has a pyriform tendency. It measures 1*25 by 0*82.
The colour is an excessively pale greenish blue, precisely the same
as that of the eggs of Bturnia malabarica ; but then this preseiit
egg was nearly ready to hatch off when taken, and the fresh eggs
are somewhat deeper coloured.

Subsequent to his letter above quoted, Mr, Gammie on the 10th
June found a second nest of this species similar to the first, con¬
taining three nearly fresh eggs. These are similar in shape to that
above described, but in colour are a beautiful clear verditer-blue,
altogether a much brighter and richer tint than that of the first.
They measure 1*2 and 1*25 by 0*88.

One nest was taken by Mr. Gammie above Mongphoo at an
elevation of about 4500 feet on the 30th of April. It was placed in
a bush at a height of about 6 feet from the ground, and contained
three fresh eggs. * It was a loosely put together, massive cup, some
7 inches in diameter and 4 in height externally. It was com¬
posed mainly of fine twigs, creeper-stems, and grass, with a few
bamboo-leaves intermingled, and the cavity was carefully lined

62

CBATEROPODIDiE.

with bamboo-leaves, and then within that thinly with black fibrous
roots; the cavity measured 3*7 inches in diameter and 2*3 in depth.

The eggs o£ this species, of which I have now received many,
appear to be typically somewhat elongated ovals, and not nnfre-
quently they are more or less pyriform or even cylindrical. As
a rule, they are fairly glossy, a bright pale, somewhat greenish
blue, quite spotless, and varying a little in tint. In length they
appear to vary from 1*11 to 1*25, and in breadth from 0*82
to 0*91; but the average of eleven eggs is 1*2 by 0*87.

93. Trochalopterum cacMnnans (Jerd.). The Nilr/ldri
Laughing-Thrush .

Troclialopteron cachinnans (Jerd?), Jerd, B, Ind, ii, p. 48: Iliune,
Bough Draft N. D, no. 423.

The Mlghiri Laughing-Thrush breeds, according to my many
informants, throughout the more elevated portions of the moun¬
tains from which it derives its trivial name, from Pebruary to the
beginning of June.

A nest of this species sent me by Mr. H. B. P. Carter, who
took it at Coonoor on April 22nd (when it contained two fresh
eggs), is externally a rather coarse clumsy structure, composed of
roots, dead leaves, small twigs, and a little lichen, about 5 inches
in diameter, and standing about 4i inches high. The egg-cavity
is, however, very regularly shaped, and neatly lined with very fine
grass-stems and a little fine tow-like vegetable fibre. It is a deep
cup, measuring 2^ inches across and fully 3| inches in depth.

A nest taken by Miss Coekburn w^as a much more compact
structure, placed between four or five twigs. It was composed of
coarse grass, dead and skeleton leaves, a very little lichen, and a
quantity of moss. The egg-cavity was lined with very fine grass.
The nest was externally about 5| inches in diameter and nearly 6
inches in height, but the egg-cavity had a diameter of only about
2g inches and was only about 2J inches deep.

It was Jerdon, I believe, who gave the name of Laughing-
Thrushes to this group, and this name is applicable enough to this
particular bird, the one with which he was most familiar, for it
does laugh —albeit, a most maniacal laugh; but the majority of
the group have not the shadow of a giggle even in them, and
should have been designated Screaming Squabblers.’’

Mr. J. Darling, Jr., says:—“This bird breeds from Pebruary
to May. I have found the nests all over the Nilghiris, at eleva¬
tions of from 4500 to 7500 feet above the sea. The nest is
placed indiscriminately in any bush or tree that happens to take
the bird’s fancy, at heights of from 3 to 12 feet from the ground.

“ In shape it is circular, a deep cup, externally some 6 inches in
diameter and 5 or 6 inches in height, and with a cavity 3 to 4 inches
wide and often fully 4 inches in depth. The nest is composed of
moss and small twigs, at times of grass mingled with some spiders’

TEOOHALOPTERUM.

63

webs : sometimes there is a foimclation of dead leaves. The cavity
is lined with fui% cotton-wool, feathers, &c.

‘‘ The eggs are two or three in number.”

Mr. Wait, writing from Coonoor, says :— T, cacJminans breeds
about May, and lays from three to five oval eggs. The ground is
bluish, with ash-coloured and brown spots and blotches, and occa¬
sionally marks.” None of my other correspondents, however,
admit that the bird ever lays more than three eggs.

Mr. Davison tells me that “ this bird breeds commonly on the
Nilghiris, just before the rains set in, in May and the earlier part
of June, but it occasionally breeds earlier (in April) or later (in
the latter end of, June). The nest is cup-shaped, composed of
dead leaves, moss, grass, &c., and lined with a few moss-roots or
fine grass. It is placed in the fork of a branch about 6 or 8 feet
from the ground. The eggs are a bluish green, mottled chiefly
towards the larger end, and sometimes also streaked with purplish
brown. The normal number of eggs is two; sometimes, however,
three are laid.”

From Kotagherry, Miss Cockburn remarks :—The name
‘ Laughing-Thrush ’ is most applicable to this bird, and its notes
are often mistaken for the sound of the human voice. This bird
is very shy, except when its nest contains eggs or young, when it
becomes extremely bold. I was quite surprised to see a pair
whose nest I was taking come so close as to induce me to put out
my hand to catch them. The Laughing-Thrush builds a pretty,
though large, nest, and generally selects the forked branches of a
thick bush, and commences its nest with a large quantity of moss,
after which there is a lining of fine grass and roots, and the
withered fibrous covering of the Peruvian Cherry (PhijsaUs peru¬
viana), the nest being finished with a few feathers, in general
belonging to the bhd. The inside of the nest is perfectly round,
and I'arely contains more than two eggs, belonging to the owner.
The eggs are of a beautiful greenish-blue colour, with a few large
and small brown blotches and streaks, mostly at the large end. I
have found the nests of these birds in February, March, and April.
Occasionally the Black-and-white Crested Cuckoo, which appears
on these hills in the month of March, deposits its eggs (two in
number) in the nest of this Thrush. They are easily distinguished,
as their colour is quite difierent from the Thrush’s eggs, being
entirely dark bluish green.’^

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan writing from South India, says, in ‘ The
Ibis It builds a very neat nest of moss, dried leaves, and the
outer husk of the fruit of the Brazil Cherry, lined with feathers,
bits of fur, and other soft substances. The nest is cup-shaped,
and generally contains three eggs, most peculiarly marked with
blotches, streaks, and wavy lines of a dark claret-colour on a light
blue ground. The markings are almost always at the larger end.”

The first specimens that I obtained of the eggs of this species
were kindly sent to me by the late Captain Mitchell and Mr. H.
E. P. Carter of Madras ; they were taken on the JNlilghiris. They

64

OEATEROPODIDiE.

are moderately broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards one end,
larger than the average eggs of T. lineatum, and about the same
size as large specimens of the eggs of Craterojnis canorus and Arcjya
malcolmi. The ground-colour is of a delicate pale blue, and
towards the large end, and sometimes over the whole surface, they
are speckled, spotted, and blotched, but only s]}aringly, with
brownish red and blackish brown, and amongst these markings a
few cloudy streaks and spots of dull faint reddish purple are
observable. The eggs have not much gloss.

Numerous other specimens subsequently received from Miss
Oockburn and others correspond well with the above description.
More or less pyriform varieties are common. In some eggs the
markings are almost entirely wanting, there being only a very
faint brownish-pink freckling at the large end; and in many eggs,
even some that are profusely spotted all over, the markings con¬
sist only of darker or lighter brownish-pink shades. Occasionally
a few, almost black, twisted lines are intermingled with the other
markings, and in these cases the lines are frequently surrounded
by a reddish-purple nimbus.

The eggs vary in length from 0*92 to 1*08, and in breadth from
0*74 to 0*8, but the average of twenty eggs measured was 1*0 by 0*76.

96. Trochalopterum fairbanki, Blanf. The Palni Laughimj-

Thricsh.

Trochalopterum fairbanki, Blanf., Hume, Cat. no. 423 bis.

The Eev. S. B. Tairbank, the discoverer of this species, found
its nest at Kodai Kanal, in the Palni Hills, in May. The nest
was placed in the crotch of a tree, at about 10 feet from the
ground, and at an elevation of nearly 6500 feet above the level of
the sea. The eggs are moderately elongated ovals, with a fine,
fairly glossy shell. The ground is pale greenish blue or bluish
green; the markings are spots, small blotches, hair-Hnes, and hiero¬
glyphic-like scrawls, rather thinly scattei*ed about the surface,
and varying in colour through several shades of brownish and
reddish purple to bright claret-colour.

The only egg I have measures 1 inch in length by 0*8 inch in
breadth.

99. Trochalopterum liueatum (Vig.). The Himalayan Streaked
Laughing-Thrush.

Trochalopteron liueatum ( Jerd. B. Inch ii, p. 50; Hmne,
Hough Draft N. E. no. 425

Next to the Common House-Sparrow, the Himalayan Streaked
Laughing-Thrush is perhaps the most familiar bird about our

* I omit the note on T. imhricatnm in the ‘ Bough Draft/ because, as I haTe
shown in the ‘ Birds of India,’ this bird was unknown to Hodgson, and his note
refers to T. lineatum. Sufficient is now known about the nidification of this
latter to render the insertion of Hodgson’s note unnecessary.— Ed.

TROCHALOPTERUM.

65

houses at all the hill-stations of the Himalayas westward of IS'epal
and throughout the lower ranges on which these stations are
situated; this species breeds at elevations of from 5000 to 8000
feet.

It lays from the end of April to the beginning of September,
and very possibly occasionally even earlier and later. I took a
nest on the 29th April near Mussoorie; Mr. Brooks obtained eggs
in May and June at Almorah j Colonel Gr. E. L. Marshall at
Mussoorie in July and August; and Colonel C. li. T. Marshall at
Murree from May to the end of July. I again took them in July
and August near Simla, and Captain Beavan found them as late
as the 6th of September near the same station.

So far as my own experience goes, the nests are always placed
in very thick bushes or in low thick branches of some tree, the
Deodar appearing to be a great favourite. Those I found averaged
about 4 feet from the ground, but I took a single one in a Deo I
tree fully 8 feet up. The bird, as a rule, conceals its nest so well
that, though a loose and, for the size of the architect, a large
structure, it is difficult to find, even when one closely examines
the bush in which it is. The nest is nearly circular, with a deep
cup-like cavity in the centre, reminding one much of that of
Crdteroims canorus, and is constructed of dry grass and the fine
steins of herbaceous plants, often intermingled with the bark of
some fibrous plant, with a considerable number of dead leaves
interwoven in the fabric, especially towards the base. The cavity
is neatly lined with fiue grass-roots, or occasionally very fine grass.
The cavity vax'ies from 3 inches to 3*5 in diameter, and from 2*25
inches to 2*75 in depth; the walls immediately surrounding the
cavity are ^•el’y compact, but the compact portion rarely exceeds
from *75 to 1 inch in thickness, beyond which the loose ends of
the material straggle more or less, so that the external diameter
varies from 5*5 inches to nearly 10.

The normal number of eggs appears to me to be three, although
Captain Beavan cites an instance of four being found.

Captain Hutton tells us (J. A. S. B. xvii.) that in the neigh¬
bourhood of Mussoorie “ this bird is met with in pairs, sometimes
in a family of four or five, and may be seen under every bush.
The nest is placed near the ground, in the midst of some thick low
bush, or on the side of a bank amidst overhanging coarse grass,
and not imfrequently in expensed and well-frequented places ; it is
loosely and rather slovenly constructed of coarse dry grasses and
stalks externally, lined sometimes with fine grass, sometimes with
fine roots. The eggs are three in number, and in shape and size
exceedingly variable, being sometimes of an ordinary oval, at others
nearly round.”

Erom Almorah and Nynee Tal my friend Mr. Brooks writes to
me ‘‘ that this bird is common everywhere. The nest is generally
placed in a low ti’ee or bush where the foliage is thick. It is com¬
posed of grass, and lined with finer grass. The eggs are three in
number, one inch and one line long by nine lines broad. They are

yox. I. 5

66

CEATEEOPOBIDiE.

of a light greeDish blue, the tint being much the same as that of
the eggs of AcridotJieres tristis. They lay from the commencement
of May to the end of June.”

Colonel G. E. L. Marshall tells me that “ the Streaked Laughing-
Thrush is very common at Mussoorie, where it is called by the
public the Lobin of India. It breeds in July and August all about
Landour. The nest is cup-shaped, rather shallow, and loosely put
together, made of grass and fibre with some moss and a few dead
leaves twisted into it; it is placed in a low bush or else on the
ground concealed among the grass-roots on the hill-side. The
eggs, three or four in number, are oval, rather large for the bird,
and of a pure light-blue colour without spots.. I took eggs on the
26th and 2Sth July and on the 16th August.’’

Sir E. C. Buck writes:—‘^At Mutianee, three marches north
of Simla, I found on the 28th June a nest in a bush on the side of a
scantily ‘ juugled ’ hill. It was 2 feet from the ground, constructed
of grass and stalks externally, and lined with fibrous roots. It con¬
tained three fresh eggs. The nest measured—exterior diameter
6 inches, height exteriorly 4 inches; the interior diameter was 3
inches, and the depth of the cavity 2 inches.”

Tlie late Captain Beavan tells us that ‘‘ on the 16th of August,
1866, 1 fouud a nest in the garden, in a rose-bush, with four pale
blue eggs in it, like those of AcridotJieres tristis. The nest is a
large structure, firmly built of dry twigs, bark,- sticks, ferns, and
roots. Another nest, with three eggs only, was found in a thick
clump of everlasting peas close to the ground on the 6th of Sep¬
tember. The female sat very close, and this may have been the
second nest of the same pair that built the nest mentioned above,
as it was built not far from the first.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes:—“ Being at Landour for a few
days in May I chanced on a nest of this bird, perhaps the com¬
monest in the hills. It was placed under an overhanging bush on
the side of Lai Tiba hill, and 07i the ground, being constructed
rather loosely of pieces of the withered stem of some creeper,
intertwined with a quantity of oak-leaves, and lined with grass¬
roots.”

The eggs, of which I must have seen some hundreds, as this is
the commonest Laughing-Thrush about both Mussoorie and Simla,
are typically regular and moderately broad ovals. ‘Abnormally elon¬
gated, spherical, and pyriform varieties occur; some are nearly
round like a Kingfisher’s, and I have seen one almost as slender
as a Swift’s, but, as a rule, the eggs vary but little either in shape
or colour. They are perfectly spotless, moderately glossy, and of
a delicate pale greenish blue, which of course varies a little in
shade and intensity of colour, but wLich is very much paler on the
average than those of any of the Grateropi, and at the same time
less glossy. I am not at all sure whether T, lineatum is rightly asso¬
ciated with species like T, cachinnans, T. variegatum, and T, ery-
ih^'ocepholum, which all have spotted eggs.

In length the eggs vary from 0*8 to 1*13, and in breadth from

GEAMMATO^TILA.

67

0*63 to 0*8 ; but the average of fifty-eight eggs carefully measured
is 1*01 by 0*73.

101. Grrammatoptila striata (Yig.)* Striated Laughing-
Thrush,

Grammatoptila striata (Vig.) Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 11; Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ E. no. 382.

The Striated Laughing-Thrush, remarks Mr. Llyth, “ builds a
compact Jay-like nest. The eggs are spotless blue, as shown by
one of Mr. Hodgson’s drawings in the British Museum.’^

A nest of this species found near Darjeeling in July was placed
on the branches of a large tree, at a height of about 12 feet.

It was a huge shallow cup, composed mainly of moss, bound
together with stems of creepers and fronds of a Selaginella^ and
lined with coarse roots and broken pieces of dry grass.. A few
dead leaves were incorporated in the body of the nest. The nest
was about 8 or 9 inches in diameter and about 2 in thickness, the
broad, s.hallow, saucer-like cavity being about an inch in depth.

The nest contained two uearly fresh eggs. The eggs appear to
be rather peculiarly shaped. They are moderately elongated ovals,
a good deal pinched out and pointed towards the small end, in the
same manner (though in a less degree) as those of some Plovers,
Snipe, &c. I do not know whether this is the typical shape of
this egg, or whether it is an abnormal peculiarity of the eggs of
this particular nest. The shell is fine, but the eggs have very
little gloss. In colour they are a very pale spotless l)lue, not much
darker than those of Zosterops palpehrosus.

The eggs measure 1*3 and 1*32 in length, and 0*89 and 0*92 in
breadth.

Prom Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes:—“ In the first week of May I
took a nest of the Striated Laughing-Thrush out of a small tree grow¬
ing in the forest at 5500 feet above the sea. It was fixed among
spray about 10 feet up. In shape it is a shallow, broad cuj), and
is built in three layers: the outer one of twining stems, which
besides holding the nest together fastened it to the spray; the
middle layer is an intermixture of green moss and fresh fern-
fronds, and the inner a thick lining of roots. Externally it mea¬
sured 7*5 inches broad by 5*25 inches deep; internally 4 inches
by 2*75 inches.

“ It contained tw*o hard-set eggs.”

Several nests of this species that I have now seen have all been
of the same type, large nests 9 or 10 inches in diameter, and 4 to
5 in height, the body of the nest composed mainly of green moss
interwoven with and bound round about with the stems of creepers
and a few pliant twigs, many of which straggle away a good deal
outside the limits which I have assigned in stating the dimensions
above. The cavities are not quite hemispherical, a little shallower,
say 4*5 inches in diameter and 2 inches in depth, closely lined

GS

CRATEROPOUlDaE.

w ith line black roots. They liave all been placed iu the branches
of trees at heights of from 8 to 20 feet.

Eggs of this species obtained by Mr. Gamniie in May, and Mr.
Mandelli in July, are of precisely the same type. They are rather
elongated ovals, a good deal pointed tov\'ards the small end, near
which they are not unfrequently a good deal compressed, so as to
render the egg slightly pyriform. The shell is line and smooth, but
has little gloss. The ground-colour is a very pale greenish blue or
bluish green, iu some almost white ; some of them are absolutely
spotless, none of them are at all well marked, but some bear from
half a dozen to a dozen tiny specks of a dark colour. On one only
there is a triangular spot about 0*05 each way, which proves on
examination with a microscope to be a deep brownish red. On
the other eggs the markings are mere specks.

The eggs vary from 1*25 to 1*35 in length, and from 0*89 to
0*92 in breadth.

104. Argya earlii (Blyth). The Striated Bahbler,

Chatarrhsea earlii {Blyth), Jerd. B. Bid. ii, p. 68; Hume, Rough
Draft N. c5* E. no. 439.

The Striated Babbler breeds in suitable localities throughout
Continental India, from Sindh to Tipperah and Assam, as also in
Burmah. Eeedy-margined lakes, canals and perennial streams
are its favourite haunts, and wherever within the limits above
indicated these abound, and the locality is moist and warm. A,
earlii is pretty sure to be met with.

They lay twice during the year, between the latter end of Mai'ch
and the early part of Septembex', building a neat, compact, and
rather massive cup-shaped nest, either between the close*growing
I'eeds, to tliree or more of which it is firmly bound, or in some
little bush or shrub more or less suiTOunded by high reed-grass.
The broad leaves and stinngy roots of the reed, common grass, and
grass-i'oots are the materials of which it generally constructs its
nest, which varies much in size, according to the situation and
fineness of the material used. I have seen them composed almost
wholly of reed-leaves, fully 7 inches in diameter and 5 in height,
and again built entirely of fine grass-stems not moi'e than 4 inches
across and 3 inches in height. When semi-suspended between
reeds, they are always smaller and more compact, while when
placed in a fork of a low bush they are lai-ger and more straggling.
The cavity (always neatly finished off, but very rarely regularly
lined, and then only with very fine grass-stems or roots) is usually
about 3 inches in diameter by 2 inches in depth.

Colonel G. E, L. Marshall remarks:—“ In the Sabaimnpoor
District A. earlii commences building about the middle of March,
and the young are hatched towards the middle of April. The nest
is usually placed in the middle of a tuft of Sarkerx'y ^rass, and
sometimes in a bush or small tree, generally 3 or 4 feet from the
ground. It is a deep cup-shaped structure, rather neatly made of

AEGYA.

69

grass without liuiug, and woven in with the steins i£ in a clump
of grass, or firmly lixed in a fork if in a bush or low tree. The
interior diameter is about 3 inches, and the depth nearly 2 inches.
The eggs, four in number, are of a clear blue colour without spots
of any kind. In shape they are oval, rather thinner at one end; the
shell is smooth and thin. The eggs are of the same colour, but
considerably larger than those of Argya caiidcita. Argya earlii
breeds commonly in the Sub-Siwalik District of the Doab ; it
seems fond of water, as most of the nests I have found were
close to the canal bank. It is gregarious even in the breeding-
season ; small flocks of seven or eight' keeping together, fluttering
ill and out of the low bushes, but seldom alighting on the ground,
and occasionally making a noisy chattering cry, especially when
disturbed.”

From the Pegu District Mr. Oates writes :—“ I found two nests
on the 24th May, one quite empty though finished, the other con¬
taining three eggs.

“ The nests were placed a few feet apart in an immensely thick
patch of elephant-grass, the undergrowth being fine, o-ncetall, but
now dead, grass. It was upon this dead stuff, which in May is
much flattened down, that I found the nests. They were not
attached to anything, but simply laid in a depi'essed platform about
a foot above the ground, in among the thickest of the stalks of
elephant-grass.

The nest is a bulky structure, some 6 or S inches in external
diameter, and 4 inches in height, composed chiefly of coarse reeds,
becoming finer interiorly till the egg-cup is reached, where the
grasses employed are tolerably fine and neatly inter\i'Oven. The
cavity itself is more than a hemisphere, the diameter being 3
inches and the depth about 2 inches.

The eggs are of a beautiful blue colour, rather pointed at one
end.”

Colonel Tiekell has the following note on the nidification of this
species in the Asiatic Society Journal, 1S4S, p. 301:—

Burra plienga. —IS’est hemispherical, of grasses rather loosely
interwoven ; generally on bushes in jungle. Eggs two to four;
rather lengthened shape ; clear, full, verditer blue.—June.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps writes of this bird in Eastern Bengal:—“ Very
common, and a permanent resident, keeping to grnss-helds in small
parties of seven to ten. Very noisy. On the 2nd December,
1877, I found a nest with three slightly-incubated eggs in a small
bahool bush which stood in a ^sone’ grass-held. The nest was a
deep cup, whose foundation was a few leaves over which sone-grass
was woven rather loosely. Lining of fine grass-roots. The nCvSt
was placed in amongst some coarse grass which grew up in the
centre of the bush, aud was three feet from the ground. External
height 4, diameter 4^, internal diameter 2|, depth 2i inches. Both
Messrs. Marshall and Hume in their works on ‘ Birds’jVesting ’
give March and September as the two periods for these birds to
lay, but the clutch I found were exceptionally late.”

70

CEATEUOPOMDiE.

Mr. J. Inglis writes from Cachar;—“ The Striated E-eed-Babbler
is exceedingly common daring the whole year. It breeds froin
March onwards, making its nest in longish grass.”

The eggs closely resemble those of A. cauclata both in colour
and shape, but they are conspicuously larger. To judge from
Hewitson’s figure, for I have never seen the egg, they in shape,
size, and colour closely resemble the eggs of Accentor aljoioiiis, some

1 have being very slightly larger, and others exactly the same size
as the figure referred to.

In length the eggs vary from 0*78 to 1*01, and in breadth from
0 65 to 0*75, but the average of a large series is 0*88 by 0*7.

105. Argya caudata (Dumeril). The Common Babbler.

Chatairhsea caudata (Bnm.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 67; Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ B. no. 438.

The Common Babbler breeds throughout India, not, however,
ascending any of our many mountain-ranges to any great elevation.

They lay pretty well all the year round; at any rate from early
ill March to early in September their eggs are common. Mr. W.
Blewitt took a nest at Hansie on the 3rd January, and single nests
are recorded by others as found in October, December, and
February. They certainly have two broods a year, and perhaps
more, the first being hatched from M.arch to May, the second from
June to August.

They build in low thorny bushes, and occasionally in clumps of
high grass, the nest being rarely more than 3 feet from the ground.
The nest itself is cup-shaped, and composed of grass and roots,
often unlined, at times lined with very fine grass-stems or horse-hair.
As a rule, it is neatly and compactly built, with a deep cavity some

2 to 3 inches in diameter, and 1*75 to 2*25 in depth, but I have
seen straggling, ragged, and comparatively shallow nests of this
species, having an external diameter of fully 7 inches. Three is
the normal number of the eggs, but four are occasionally met with.

Mr. Brooks says :—“ This species builds in much the same sort
of places as A. malcolmi, but it chooses a low thick bush, the nest
not being more than 3 feet from the ground. Nest neatly built of
grass, roots, hair, &c., and the eggs bright bluish green, very glossy,
and much resembling those of Accentor modularise

Mr. E. M. Adam remarks :—“ I took a nest of this bird in Oudh
on the 22nd April. It contained a young bird and one unhatched
egg. The nest was made of grass not well worked together, and
had a lining of finer grass. The ground-work was composed of
twigs and stems of creepers interlaced. The exterior diameter of
the nest measured 5 inches, and the egg-cavity was 2 inches deep.
In one case this bird did not lay till the fifth day after the nest was
finished. About Agra this bird breeds during July and August.

This Bush-Babbler is very common about the Sambhur lake. I
have noted it breeding from the beginning of March till the begin¬
ning of July. Although this species generally prefers building in

ARGYA. 71

the hedges of prickly-pear, I have taken the nests in orange-trees,
the karouuda, the babool,

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden state that in the Deccan it is
very common and breeds.”

Major C. T. Bingham says :—“ This bird, uncommon at Alla¬
habad, is plentiful here at Delhi. I found several nests between
March and June, all of the Babbler type, deep cups, rather more
firmly built than those of the preceding bird, but constructed
like them of coarse roots of grass, with finer ones for the inside.
They are never placed at any great height from the ground,
and generally in some thorny bush. I have found mostly three,
rarel}^ four eggs in any one nest.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitkin writes:—‘‘ I never saw the Common
Babbler in Poona, and it certainly does not occur in Bombay.
But it is very abundant on the arid plains of Berar, breeding in
the low babool-bushes, where large numbers ot its eggs are destroyed
by lizards. I have found four eggs in a nest ot’teiier than three.”

Colonel Butler writes :—“ The Common Babbler breeds in the
neighbourhood of Deesa principally during the monsoon; but I
have found nests occasionally at other seasons of the year, as the
following table of dates will show:—

“April 29, 1876. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs.

“May 16, 1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

“May 21, 1876. • „ ,, 2 fresh eggs.

“Nov. 15, 1876. „ „ 4 young birds.

“1 found numerous nests from the middle of July to the begin¬
ning of September. On the 2()th July, 1876, I saw upwards of a
dozen nests, some containing fresh eggs, and others incubated. In
many instances they contained eggs of Cooc.jfstes jacohmus. The
nest is usually placed 3 or 4 feet from the ground in low thorny
bushes (Zizyphus jitjiiha preferred) or in a tussock of sarpat grass.
It is built of twigs, roots, grass, &c., loosely put together exteriorly
but closely woven interiorly, the lining being composed of fine roots
and grass-stems. The eggs vary in number from three to five.”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes, writing of Eajputana, says:—“ The Striated
Bush-Babbler breeds from March to July. The nest is usually
placed in a low thorny bush, and is composed of grass-roots and
stems; it is deep cup-shaped, neatly and compactly built.”

The eggs are typically of a moderately elongated oval shape,
slightly compressed towards one end, but more or less spherical
and pyriform varieties occur; and I have one specimen, a very
long pointed egg, which, so far as size and shape go, might pass
for an egg of Gijpseliis ajjfims\ and though this is a peculiarly
abnormal shape, I have others which somewhat approach it in
form. The eggs are glossy, often brilliantly so, and of a delicate,
pure, spotless, somewhat pale blue. The shade of colour in this
egg varies very little, and I have never met with either the very
pale or very dark varieties common amongst the eggs of (7.
canorus and occasionally found amongst those of jL maloohni. In
colour, size, and shape they are not very unlike those of our English

72

CRATEHOPODIDiE.

Hedge-Sparrow, whose early eggs formed the prize of our first
boyish nesting-expeditions, but they are slightly larger and typically
somewhat more elongated.

In length they vary from 0*75 to 0*92, and in breadth from 0*6
to 0*7 ; but the average of one hundred and fifteen eggs measured
was 0*82 by 0*64,

107. Argya malcolmi (Sykes). The Lcmje Grey Bahhler,

Malacocercus malcolmi {Syhes), Jerd, B, Bid. ii, p. 64.

Argya malcolmi {Bykei)^ Rough Draft N. E. no. 436.

The Large Grey Babbler breeds throughout the central portions
of both the Peninsula and Continent of India frotri the IShlghiris
to the Dhoon. It does not extend westwards to Sindh or the
North-West Punjab, or eastwards far into Bengal Proper. In
the Central and North-West Provinces it lays from early in March
well into September, having at least two and, as I believe, often
three broods.

It builds on low branches of small trees or in thick shrubs, at
no great elevation from the ground, say at heights of from 4 to 10
feet, a somewhat loosely woven, but yet generally neat, cup-shaped
nest, composed, as a rule, chiefly of grass-roots, but often with an
admixture of thin sticks and grass. Generally there is no lining,
but I have found nests scantily lined with very fine grass and even
horse-hair. Even when, as is the rule, entirely unlined, the inside
is finished off very nicely and smoothly. I have often seen ragged
and untidy nests, but these are the exception. Externally the nest
is some 5 or 6 inches in diameter and 3 or 4 inches in height; the
cavity is from 3 to 4. inches across and from 2 to nearly 3 inches
in depth.

Pour is the normal number of the eggs laid, but I have several
notes of finding five.

Mr. Brooks says:—This species breeds in waste lands over¬
grown with scanty jungle. The nest is made of sticks, roots, grass,
&c., is rather bulky, and is placed in some moderate-sized bush
about 7 or 8 feet from the ground. The eggs are greenish blue,
bluer and not so brightly coloured as those of C. terricolorT

Mr. E. M. Adam remarks:—‘‘ Near Muttra, on the 31st Octo¬
ber, I found a pair of birds busy lining the interior of a nest which
they had built in a plum-tree. At the Sambhur lake it is very
common, and commences to breed about the end of March.”

Writing from Kotagherry (Nilghiris), Miss Cockburn remarks:—
“ Their nests are built of a few twigs and roots, very loosely put
together (on some low branch of a tree), and so few of even these
zxs hardly to keep the eggs from falling through. These Babblers
lay four oval eggs of a greenish-blue colour, but I once saw a nest
with eight, and as there were several of these birds close to it, I
have no doubt two or three shared it together, perhaps to avoid
the necessity of each pair building for itself. Their nests are
found in the months of March and April.

ARGYA.

73

“It is in the nests of this species and oar Common Langhing-
Thrash (T. cacJiinnans) that 1 have chiefly found the eggs of the
Pied Crested Cuckoo.”

Of this species Colonel G-. F. L. Marshall remarks :—“ I have
taken eggs on the 20th JimeinCawnpoor, the 3ist July in Eoliind-
shuhur, and the 25th August in Allyghur. The nest is almost
always in a keekur tree in a fork about halfway up, and near the
end of a branch. It is composed of keekar-twigs and lined with
roots. It is thinner in structure than that of i/. ierricolor^ ])ut
has an outer casing of thorns which the latter wants. They lay
four blue eggs, larger and paler than those of M. canoms”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes writes that in Eajputana the Large G rey
Babbler is “ very common. I have found nests in each month from
January to December. They have, I believe, several broods in the
vear : and even when nestins: associate in small parties of seven or
eight.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden say :—“ Common, and breeds in
the Deccan.”

Major C. T. Bingham says:—“Breeds both at Allahabad and
at Delhi from March to quite the end of August, placing its loosely
constructed (rarely firmly built) nest of twigs and fine grass-roots
generally at no great height in babool-trees. Twice only I have
found them in dense mango-trees at about thirty feet from the
ground. The nests are not, I think, as a rule, so deep as those of
Crateropus terricolor ; once or twice 1 have found the soft down of
the Madar {Gatatroipes hamiltonii) incorporated into the lining of
grass-roots. The eggs are generally three or four in number.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes:—“ All the nests which I have
seen of the Large Grey Babbler have been on babool-trees. At
Akola (Berar) in 1870, a great many had their nests during the
month of July. I have recorded two instances of nests placed at
a height above the ground of 15 feet and 20 feet. These were at
Poona, one on the 21st April, and the other on the 10th May. 1
could not go up to the nests, but the birds in both cases were sitting
closely. I have twice found nests with only three newly-hatched
young ones.”

Colonel Butler informs us that “ the Large Grey Babbler breeds
in the neighbourhood of Deesa during the rains. Both the nest
and eggs closely resemble those of 0. terricolor, but the latter
differ slightly in being less elongated, not so pointed at the small
end, rounder at the large end, and someA\ hat paler in colour. I
have taken nests on the following dates :—

“July 19, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

“ June 30,1876. ,, „ 4 fresh eggs.

“July 15, 1876. ,, „ 4 fresh eggs.

“July 20, 1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs. -

“ The nest in every instance was similar to that described by
Jerdon, viz. a loose structure of dend roots, twigs, and grass, the
interior being neatly lined with closely-woven roots of ‘ khus-khus.’
The old bh'ds generally select some thorny tree {Mimosa &c.) to

74

CRATBROPODIDiE.

build on, and the nest is usually from 8 feefc to 20 feet from the
ground.

Even in the nesting-season these birds are gregarious, joining
a flock generally as soon as they leave the nest.”

The eggs of this species do not appear to me to differ perceptibly
from those of Crateropus canorus. When one first takes a nest or
two of each of them, one is apt to draw distinctions and fancy that
the eggs of the two species can be discriminated ; but after taking
forty or fifty nests of each species, it becomes obvious that there
is no variety of the one in either colour, shape, or size that cannot
be paralleled in the other. All I have said of the eggs of C. canorxis
is applicable to the eggs of this species, and the only differ¬
ence that, with a huge series of each before me, I can discover is
that, as a body, there is less variation in the colour of the eggs of
Argya malcolmi than in those of (7. canorus.

In length they vary from 0*88 to 1*1, and in breadth from 0*73
to 0*85; but the average of fifty eggs measured is 0*99 by 0*77.

108. Argya subrufa (herd.) The Large Rufous Babhler.

Layardia subrufa {Jerd.), Hume, Cat. no. 437.

The nest is a deep massive cup placed in the fork of twigs,
coarsely and roughly but still strongly built. The body of the
nest is chieHy composed of leaves, some of which must have been
green when used. Outside, the leaves are held in position by
blades of grass, creepers, and stems of herbaceous plants, carelessly
and roughly wound about the e.vterior. The cavity is rather more
neatly lined with tolerably fine grass-bents. Exteriorly the nest
is about 7 inches in height and 5 in diameter. The cavity is about
34 inches deep by 3 in diameter.

The eggs are precisely like those of the several species of Argya,
moderately broad ovals rather obtuse at both ends, often wdth a
pyriform tendency. The colour is a uniform spotless clear blue
w*ith a faint greenish tinge, and the eggs have usually a fine gloss.
The eggs measure 0*98 by 0*75.

110. Crateropus canorus (Linn.) f. The Jungle Balhler.

Malacocerciis terricolor (Hodgs.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 59; Hime, Rough
Draft N. 4* B. no. 482.

Malacocercus nialabaricus, Jerd., Jerd. t. c. p. 62; Hume, t. c. no. 434.

0. terricolor.

The Eengal Eabbler breeds throughout the plains of the Bengal

^ Tie accompanying incomplete account of the niclification of this bird is
all I can find among ]VIr. Hume’s notes. I cannot ascertain who was the dis¬
coverer of the nest and eggs described.—E d.

t In the‘Birds of India,’I have united C. Tnalaharieus and C. terricolor.
Mr. Hume probably still considers these two races distinct, and others may agree
with him. To avoid confusion, therefore, I have kept the notes appertaining to
these two race.s distinct from each, other.—E d.

CBATEUOPUS.

75'

Presidency (including Bengal, North-Western Provinces, Central
Provinces, Oudh, and the Punjab), and I may add in the less desert
portions of Siudh, although the race found in that province is not
exactly identical with the Bengal bird, and in some respects closely
approaches the Malabar race. In Northern Eajpootana it is rare,
and further south in the quasi-desert tracts of Central and
Western Eajpootana it disappears according to my experience.

Eastward in Cachar and Assam it appears to occur as a mere
straggler, but I have no record of its having^ bred there. It lays
from the latter half of March until the close of July, but the great
majority lay during the first week after the setting in of the rains,
which varies according to locality and season, from the 1st of June
to the 15th of July.

They build very commonly in gardens, in thick orange-, citron-, or
liiiie-shrubs, but'their nests maybe found almost anywhere, in
thick shrubs or small trees of any kind, or in thick hedges, at
heights of from 4 to 10 feet from the ground, always placed in
some fork towards the centre of the shrub or hedge. The nests
are rather loosely-put-together cups, composed of grass-stems and
roots varying in fineness, and often lined with horse-hair. Some
are deep and neatly constructed, others loose, straggling, and
shallow, the cavity varying from 3 to more than 4 inches in dia¬
meter and from less than 2 to nearly 3 inches in depth.

Three is the normal number of the eggs, but I have repeatedly
found four.

Captain Hutton writes to me;—“ A nest of this bird was taken
in the Dehra Dhoon on the 14th May, and was composed entirely
of fine roots, the thinnest being placed within as a lining. Sub-
sequently three others wmre procured, one of which was externally
composed of coarse dry grasses and leaves, with a scanty lining of
fine roots; the other two were constructed of the fine woody tendrils
of climbing-plants and lined like the others with fine roots. These
latter had a strong resemblance to some of the nests of Gamdax
alhognlaris, wdiile the difference exhibited in the nature of the
materials used arises from the various character of the localities in
which the bird may choose to build. Each nest contained four
beautiful eggs of a full bright turquoise-green, shining as if var¬
nished. The eggs were nearly all hard-set. This species does not
ascend the hills, but appears to be confined to the Dhoon, where it
may be seen in small parties in gardens, hedgerows, and low brush¬
wood, turning over the dead leaves in search of seeds and insects.
Its flight is low, short, and apparently laboured, from the vshortness
and rounded form of the wing, but on the ground it bops along with
speed. The note is clamorous and chuckling and uttered iu concert.”

The late Mr. A. Anderson remarked :—“ Although one of the
most common birds in the North-West Provinces, and in fact
verging on a nuisance, its nidification is interesting, inasmuch as its
nest (in common with that of A. malcolmi) is used as a nursery
for the young of Hierococcyx variits and Coccystes melanoleucus,

‘^Tbis Babbler builds, as a general rule, during the early part of

76

CRATEROPODIDiE.

the rains (June to August), laying usually three or four eggs of a
bright greenish-blue colour. The nest itself recalls that of the
Blackbird, but it is frequently very clumsily made. On the 21st
June last a boy brought me a nest of this species containing eight
eggs. Two, if not three, of this clutch are easily separable from
the others, being more oval and somewhat smaller, and are unques¬
tionably parasitical eggs ; but it is quite impossible to say whether
they belong to H, varivs or C. melanoleums.

‘‘ Again, on the 9th July, I took a nest in person, which also
contained eight eggs. Seven of these are all alike and ave well
incubated, while the eighth is quite fresh, and doubtless owes its
parentage to one of the above-mentioned Cuckoos.

Strange to say I have now another nest marked down, which
in like manner contains the same number of callow young. It is
just possible that the foster-parents may have to perform double
duty in this case.

“ Erom the foregoing it may be inferred that M, canorus does
occasionally lay more than four eggs, or as the birds are gregarious
even during the breeding-season, it is possible enough that two
birds may occasionally deposit eggs in the same nest.

‘‘ I should not think that H, varius (the Brain-fever and Be-
lirium-tremens Bird” as it is frequently called) had much difficulty
in depositing her eggs in the nest of the Malacocerci, for I have
frequently noticed that all the Babblers in the neighbourhood make
a clean bolt of it immediately this Cuckoo puts in an appearance,
no doubt owing to its great similarity. to the Indian Sparrow-
Hawk (3/. hadiiis),

‘‘ During the months of September and October I have observed
several Babblers in the act of feeding one young H. varius, follow¬
ing the bird from tree to tree, and being most assiduous in their
attentions to the young interloper.”

Mr. B. M. Adam remarks:—‘‘ I took a nest of this bird in Agra
on the 17th July. It contained five eggs, all of which were nearly
hatched. Again on the 21st I took another nest containing only
one hard-set egg.”

Writing from Calcufta, Mr. J. C. Parker says:—“I found a
nest of this bird, near my house in Garden Beach, on the 23rd
June. It contained four fresh eggs.”

Colonel Butler observes :—“The Bengal Babbler breeds in the
neighbourhood of Deesa as a rule, I think, during the rains and in
the cold weather, but I have found nests as late as March. The
nest is usually placed on the outside branch of some moderate¬
sized tree (neem &c.). It is a somewhat solidly built structure
composed almost entirely of dead twigs, stems of dead leaves, and
stalks of coarse dry grass, being lined with a few fine fibrous roots
or steins of grass. I found nests on the following dates :—

“ July 16, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

“ March 20,1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“ May 29, 1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

“ June 17, 1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

CEATHEOPUS.

77

“June 17,1876. A nest containing 4 young birds.

“ Oct. 15,1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“JMoy. 3,1876. „ „ 4 slightly incubated.

“ In some nests I have noticed a breach upon one side of the
nest as if intended for the convenience of the bird's tail. It is
not unusual to find an egg of C\ jacobinus in the nest.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes :—“ Common both at Allahabad
and at Delhi; I have found this bird breeding from April to the end
of July. All nests that I have found have, vsdth the exception of
one, been placed in low babool bushes; once only I found a nest
near Delhi in the fork of a low bough of a mango-tree, this v as
on the 31st July. The nests are more or less loosely constructed
cups of slender twigs and grass-roots and inclined.”

Mr. J. B. Cripps writing from Eastern Bengal says :—“ On the
15th April I found a nest on the very top of a mango-tree about
30 feet ofi the ground, shooting the male as it flew ol: the nest.”

The eggs of this species are very variable in coloui', shape, and
size. Typically they are rather broad ovals, somewhat compressed
tow^ards one end, and much the shape of, though a good deal
smaller than, those of our English Song-Thrush. Some are, how¬
ever, long and cylindrical; others more or less spherical. The
colour varies from a pale blue, like that of Troohalopierum lineatum^
to a deep dull blue, recalling, but yet not so dark as, that of
Garralax alhlgularis. The eggs are typically glossy, but it is re¬
markable that in a large series the deepest coloured are always far
the most glossy. Some deep blue eggs of this species are most
intensely glossy, more so than almost any other of our Indian
eggs, except those of Meto})idius indicus. 1 need scarcely say that
the eggs are entirely spotless and devoid of all markings, but I may
note that each egg is invariably the same colour throughout, and
that I have never met with a specimen in which the shade of colour
varied in the same egg.

In length the eggs vary from 0'S8 to 1*15, and in breadth from
0‘75 to 0*82; but the average of fifty-one eggs measured is 1*01
by 0*78.

G. malabariciis.

The Jungle Babbler, like the White-headed one, breeds pretty
well over the whole of Southern India, but while the latter is
chiefly confined to the more open plain country, the former is the
bird of the uplands, hills, and forests. Still the Jungle Babbler
is found at times in the same localities as the White-headed one,
and what is more, specimens occur, as in Cochin, which partake
of the distinctive characters of both. A great deal still remains to
be done in working out properly this group ; both in Sindh on the
west and the Tributary Mehals on the east, and again in some
parts of the Nilghiris, races occur quite intermediate between
typical O, terricolor and typical C. malabaricus, while in the south,
as already mentioned, forms intermediate between this latter and
(7. griseits seem common. Three distinguishable races again of

78

CEATEROPODIDiE.

C, grisem are raet with, but running the one into the other, while
intermediate forms between this species and C, somervillii (Wylies)
are also met with.

Mr. Davison remarks :—“ This bird seems to be very irregular
in its time of breeding. I have taken the nest in May, June,
October, and December. The nest is rather a loose structure of
dry grass and leaves, lined with fine dry grass ; it is generally
placed in the middle of some thick thorny bush, and cannot gene¬
rally be got at without paying the penalty of w'ell scratched hands.
The eggs, generally five in number, are of a very deep blue with a
tinge of green, but of not so decided a tinge as in the eggs of
M, griscus. It breeds on the slopes of the hsilghiris, not ascending
to more than about 6000 feet.’’

Mr. "Wait, writing from Coonoor, says :—“ O. malaharicus builds
a cup-shaped nest in small trees and bushes, and lays from three
to five very round oval verditer-blue eggs.”

Captain Horace Terry says of this species:—‘‘ Eather rare at
Pidungi, but very common lower dowm on the slopes and in the
Pittur valley. I got a nest on April 5th at Pulungi with three
incubated eggs, and on the 6th one with tw^o incubated eggs, in
the Pittur valley. The last w'as built in a hollow in the top of a
stump of a tree that had been broken ofi some ten feet from the
ground.”

Mr. I. Macpherson writes from Mysore:—“This bird is occasion¬
ally found with C, griseus in the bigger scrub forests, but its chief
habitat is the larger forests. Its breeding-season is much the same
as C. griseus^ but unlike it, it does not select thorny bushes for
building in, its nests being generally found in small trees or
bamboo-clumps. Pour is the usual number of eggs laid, but five are
often found, and the fifth I expect is frequently that of //. varius.^^

Three eggs sent me by Mr. Carter from Coonoor, in the Nilghi-
ries, are absolutely undistinguishable from those of Argya malcdmi.
Like these they are a uniform, rather deep greenish blue, devoid
of spots or markings, and very glossy. I do not think that, if the
eggs of A, malcolmi, C. malaharicus^ and C. terricolor w^ere once
mixed, it would be possible to separate them wdth certainty. Other
eggs taken by Mr. Davison are similar but slightly smaller, and,
taking them as a whole, I think they average rather daiher than
those of the two species just mentioned.

The eggs vary in length from 0*93 to 1*02, and in breadth from
0*71 to 0*82; but the average of nine eggs is 0*97 by nearly 0*77.

111. Crateropus griseus (G-m.). The White-headed Bahhler.

Malacocercus griseus (G7n.).Jerd, B. Bid, ii, p. 60; IIu7ne, Rough
Draft N, l^' B. no. 433.

I should say that the White-headed Babbler breeds all over the
plain country of Southern India, not ascending the hiUs to any
great elevation. At the same time, many people w’ould very likely

OBATEKOPUS.

79

separate the Madras, Mangalore, and Anjango birds, and insist on
their being different species ; but for my part, seeing how the
birds vary in each locality and what a perfect and unbroken chain
of intermediate forms connects the most different-looking examples,
and that all the several races are separable from the other species
of this group by their more or less conspicuously pale heads, I
prefer'to keep them all as 0. griseus.

This species, thus considered, breeds apparently twice a year
from April to June, and again in October and even later.

About Madras the nest is commonly placed in thick thorny
hedges of a shrub locally known as “ Kurka-puli,” said by Balfour
to be Garcinia cambogia, but which does not look like a Garcinict
at all. The nest is a loosely-made cup, composed of grass-stems
and roots, and the eggs vary from three to five in number.

Dr. Jerdon says :—‘‘ 1 have often found the nest of this bird,
which is- composed of small twigs and roots, carelessly and loosely
put together, in general at no great height from the ground. It
lays three or four blue eggs.’^

Colonel Butler writes :—“ A nest containing four fresh eggs
apparently of this species (it being the common Babbler in this
district) was brought to me by some wood-cutters on the 18th
March, 1880. It was taken in the jungles about six miles from
Belgaura, and measured about 2| inches in diameter and about
2 inches deep interiorly, and was of the usual Babbler type,
consisting of dry stems loosely but neatly constructed. The eggs
were highly glossed and deep bluish green, some people might say
greenish blue.'’

Mr. Iver Macphersoii writes of this bird from Mysore:—“ I
have found their nests in every month between March and August,
and they possibly breed both earlier and later. The nests are
generally fixed in thorny bushes and at no great height off the
ground. Dour is the usual number of eggs laid, but very often
five are found, and I feel much inclined to think that the fifth egg
is often that of H. varius/^

The eggs of this species that I possess were taken by Mr. Davi¬
son in May, in the immediate neighbourhood of Madras. They
are all pretty regular, somewhat cylindrical ovals, excessively
glossy, spotless, and of a deep greenish blue, much deeper than
the eggs of any of the other Craterojpi are as a rule; in fact,
they approach in colouring to the eggs of Garrulax albigularis.

They vary in length from 0*9 to 1*0, and in breadth from 0*62
to 0’74; but 1 have seen too few eggs to be able to strike any
reliable average.

112. Crateropus striatus (Sw.). The Bouthern-Inclian Babbler,
Malacocercus striatus {Sio^^ Hume, Cat. no. 432 bis.

Colonel Legge, writing of this bird’s nidification in Ceylon,
says:—“ The breeding-season of the ‘ Seven Brothers ’ lasts from

80

CUATEROPODlDiE.

March until July. The nest is placed in a cinnamon-bush, shri
or bramble, at about four feet from the ground, and is a compU'
cup-shaped structure, usually fixed in a fork and made of stc
grasses and plant-stalks and lined with fine grass, which, in soi
instances I have observed, was plucked green. The inten
measures 2^ inches in depth by about 3 in width. The eggs a
two or three in number, small for the size of the bird, glossy
texture, and of a uniform opaque greenish blue. They measu
from 0-91 to 1*0 in length, by 0*7 to 0-74 in breadth.”

113. Crateropus somervillii (Sjdms). The Mufous-iailed
Babbler,

Malacocercus somerviilei {Syhes)^ Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 63 j Hm
Bough Draft N, B, no. 435.

Of the nidificatiou of the E,ufous-tailed Babbler (which, so ;
as I yet know, is confined to the narrow sti-ip of country lyi
beneath the Grhats for about 60 miles north and south of Bombj
and to the hills or ghats overlooking this), all I yet know is cc
tained in the following brief note by Mr. E. Aitken ; he says:—

“ I once found a nest of the Bufous-tailed Babbler at Khandal
I cannot tell the level precisely, but it cannot liave been far fr(
2000 feet above the sea. It was at the end of May or the vc
beginning of June. The nest was in a small spreading tree
level, open forest country. The situation was just such a one
A. malcolmi generally chooses—the end of a horizontal bran
with no other branches underneath it ; but it was not so high
those of A, malcolmi usually are, for I could reach it from 1
ground. The nest was rather flat and contained three eggs, alm<
hatched, of an intense greenish-blue colour.

‘^In Bombay, where it is far more common, I once, on i
1st October, saw a pair followed by one young one and a you
Coccystes melanoleucus. This was on a hill, and indeed these hi]
seem to confine themselves pretty much to hilly ground.’’

Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes :—“ With reference to your reim
that, as far as you know% the Bufous-tailed Babbler is confir
to the strip of country beneath the Grhats, I can certainly say tl
they are plentiful on the slopes of Poorundhur hill, eighth
miles south of Poona. It would be interesting to learn on wh
other of the Deccan hills it is found. This species is decidedly fc
of hilly country. It is common on the two ranges of low hills t.'
run along the east and west shores of the island of Bombay, 1
never shows a feather in the gardens and groves on the le
ground. I spent the greater part of two days, when I could
spare the time, in searching for the nests, but the birds breed
the date-trees, and it would be hopeless to think of finding a n
without cutting away many^f the branches or fronds. Moreo^
the bird is extremely wary, and it is by no means easy to gu
on which particular tree it has its nest.”

P03a:AT0BHI]S-US.

81

114. Crateropus rnfescens (Bljtli). The Ceylonese Babbler,
Layardia rufescens {Blyth), Hume, Cat. no. 437 bis.

Colonel Legge writes regarding the nidification of this bird in
Ceylon:—“ This bird breeds in the Western Province in March,
April, and May, and constructs a nest similar to the last \_M. stri--
atus'], of grass and small twigs, mixed perhaps with a few leaves,
and placed among creepers surroimding the trunks of trees or in
a low fork of a tree. It conceals its habitation, acccording to
Layard, with great care; and I am aware myself that very few
nests have beeii found. It lays two or three eggs, very similar to
those of the last species, of a deep greenish blue, and pointed ovals
in shape—-two which were taken by Mr. MacYicar at Bolgodde
measuring 0-95 by 0*75, and 0*92 by 0*74 inch.”

115. Crateropus cinereifrons (Blyth). The Ashy-headed- Babbler.

Garnilax cinereifrons {BlytJi), Hume, Cat. wo. 409 bis.

Colonel Legge, in his work on the birds of Ceylon, says:—
“ The breeding-season of this bird is from April to July. Full-
fledged nestlings may be found abroad with the parent birds
in August; and from this I base my supposition, for I have never
found the nest myself. Intelligent native woodmen, in the western
forests, who are well acquainted with the bird, have informed me
that it nests in April, building a large, cup-shaped nest in the
fork of a bush-branch, and laying three or four dark blue eggs.
Whether this account be correct or not, future investigation must
decide.”

116. PomatorMnus scMsticeps, Ilodgs. The Blaty-headed
Bcimitar Babbler,

Pomatorhinus schisticeps, B. I. ii,p-. 29; Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ JE. no. 402.

Speaking of the Slaty-headed Scimitar Babbler, Dr. Jerdon
says :—A nest made of moss and some fibres, and with four
pure white eggs, was brought to me at Darjeeling as belonging to
this bird.”

Two nests were sent me by Mr. Mandelh as belonging to this
species,the one found near Namtchu on the 3rd April containing four
fresh eggs, the other near Tendong on the 15th June, containing
three. Another nest which he found on the 22nd April, near the
same place as tlie first, contained four fresh eggs. All were placed
on or very near to the ground in brushwood and grass ; all appear
to have been large, rather saucer-like nests, from 5*5 to 6*5 inches in
diameter externally, and 2*5 to 3 in height. Outside and below
they are composed chiefly of coarse grass, dead leaves, especially fern-
leaves, while interiorly they are composed of and Uned with finer—

VOL. I. 6

82

CHATEEOPOMDJE.

in some cases very fine—grass. The cavities average, I should guess,
3*75 inches in diameter, and 1-5, or a little more peihaps, in depth.

Mr. J. E. Cripps has the following note on the breeding of this
bird in Assam :—“ A nest I got was situated at the roots of a
clump of bushes, overhanging a small river. A bridge spanning
this river was within ten yards, the intervening space being open ;
and for such a shy bird to have chosen such an exposed situation
to build in astonished me.’’

Trom Sikhini Mr. Grammie writes :—“A nest of this Babbler
taken on the 20th May much resembled that of P. ferniginosus,
both in size and structure. The egg-cavity had, however, a lining
of at least half an inch in thickness of soft, fibrous material ex¬
tracted from the bark of some tree, and a little fine grass for the
eggs to lie on. It was on the ground, among low jungle, in the
Eyeng Valley, at 2000 feet of elevation, and contained four eggs,
two of them hatching off and tw-o addled. According to my
experience, nests containing so large a proportion of addled eggs
are unusual.”

Eggs sent by Mr. Mandelli as belonging to this species closely
resemble those of Pomatoi'liimis feromginosus^ but are somewhat
smaller; they are oval eggs a good deal pointed towards one end,
pure white, and with a high gloss. They were obtained on the
5th and 22nd of April in the neighbourhood of Darjeeling, and
measure from 0*95 to 1*04 in length, and 0*72 to 0*73 in breadth.
Eggs sent by Mr. Gammie are precisely similar.

Two other eggs of this species subsequently obtained were slightly
shorter and broader, and measured 0*95 by 0-77, and 0-98 by 0*78.

118. Pomatorhinus olivaceus, Blyth. The Tenasserim Scimitar

Bahhler.

Pomatorhinus olivaceus, Bhjthj Hime, Cat. no. 403 bis.

Mr. Davison writes :—‘‘ I found a nest of this bird on the
morning of the 21st January, 1875, at Pakchan, Tenasserim Province,
Burma. It was placed on the ground at the foot of a small screw
pine, growing in thick bamboo-jungle; it Was a large globular
structure, composed externally of dry bamboo-leaves, and w^ell
secreted by the mass of dry bamboo-leaves that surrounded it; it
was in fact buried in these, and if I had not seen the bird leave it, it
would most undoubtedly have remained undiscovered. Externally
it w'as about a foot in length by 9 inches in height, but it was
impossible to take any accurate measurement, as the nest really
had no marked external definition. Internally was a lining about
half an inch thick, composed of thin strips of dry bark, fibres, &c.
The entrance was to one side, circular, and measuring 2*5 inches
in diameter; the egg-cavity measured 4 inches deep by about 3 in
height.

‘‘ In the nest were three pure white ovato-pyriform eggs, but so
far incubated that they would probably have hatched off fefore the
day was put.

POMATORHINUS.

83

“ The measurements of two were 1*1 and 1*09 in length by 0*75
in breadth.’’

Major 0. T. Bingham says:—“ This is the Fomatorhinus of
the Thoungyeen valley, being found from the sources to the mouth
of that river. A note recorded two years ago of a nest that I
found is given below :— AiiJi March. —Having to go over the ground
along the southern boundary of the proposed Meplay reserve I had
to cut my way through dense bamboo, to go through a long belt of
which is hard work. To make it worse in this case several clumps
had been burnt by fire and blown down. As I was slowly pro¬
gressing along, bent almost double, out of a little hollow at my
feet a bird flew with a suddenness that nearly knocked me
down. I looked into the hollow, and there under the ledge of the
sheltering bank w^as a nest of dry bamboo-leaves lined with strips
of the same, shredded flue. It was cup-shaped, loosely made,
about inches in diameter, and the same in depth, containing
three pure white eggs, perfectly fresh (measured afterwards two
proved respectively, 0*98 x 0*71, 0*99 x 0*73 inch) ; and gun in hand
I watched, hiding myself behind a clump of bamboos about thirty
yards off. For an hour I watched, but the bird did not return, so
I marked the spot and went on. Eeturning back the same way
just before dusk, I managed to start her again, and to get a hurried
shot; she fell and I secured and recognized her as P. olivaceiisJ^

The eggs, which seem small for the size of the bird, are rather
broad ovals, some fairly regular,* some a good deal compressed just
to\vards the small end, which is, however, always obtuse, never
pointed; the shell is fine, compact, and thin, smooth and satiny to
the touch, but with scarcely any perceptible gloss. The colour is
pure spotless white.

119. Pomatorhinus melanurus, Blyth. The Ceylonese Scimitar

Babbler.

Pomatorhinus melanurus, Blyth, RuonCj Cat. no. 404 bis.

Colonel Legge writes of the nidificatiou of this bird in Ceylon :—
“ This Babbler breeds from December until February. I have
observed one collecting materials for a nest in the former month,
and at the same period Mr. MacYicar had the eggs brought to
him ; they were taken from a nest made of leaves and grass, and
placed on a bank in jungle. Mr. Bligh has found the nest in
crevices in trees, between a projecting piece of bark and the trunk,
also in a jungle-path cutting and on a ledge of rock; it is usually
composed of moss, grass-roots, fibre, and a few dead leaves, and the
structure is rather a slovenly one. The eggs vary from three to
five, and are pure white, the shell thin and transparent, and they
measure 0*96 to 0*98 in length, by 0*7 in breadth.”

6*

84

CEATEROPODIDiE.

120. Pomatorhiuus horsfieldii, Sykes. The Southern Scimitar

Bahhler,

Pomatorkinus korsfieldii, Sykes^ Jerd. B, Ind. p. 31; Hume,
Bough Draft N. §• E, no. 404.

The Southern Scimitar Babbler breeds throughout the hilly
tracts of Southern India, up to an elevation of fully 7000 feet.
They are common in Ootacamund, and even on Dodabet as high
up as it is wooded. They seem to breed less plentifully about
Kotagherry than they do at Ootacamund itself, Ooonoor, Heddi-
vattam, &c.

They lay from Pebruary to May, building a largish globular nest
of grass, moss, and roots, placed on or very near to the ground in
some bush or clump of fern or grass. They lay five eggs.

A nest of this species which I owe to Mr. Carter, and which was
found at Coonoor on the 7th April, 1869, is a huge globular mass
of moss and fine moss-roots some 7 inches in diameter, \\ith, on
the upper side, an entrance to a small egg-cavity some inches
in diameter, and 2 inches in depth. It is a most singular nest,
a great compact ball of soft feathery moss and very fine moss-
roots, which latter predominate in the interior of the cavity, and
so form a sort of lining to it. The great body of the nest is below
the cavity, the overhanging dome-like covering of the cavity being
comparatively thin.

Mr. Davison remarks:—The nest of this bird is very peculiar
in structure, more hke the nest of a field-mouse than of a bird,
being in fact merely a ball of grass rather loosely put together, the
grass on the exterior being intermingled with dry leaves and other
rubbish. The nest is generally placed either in a clump of fern,
or at the roots of some grass-grown bush. The eggs are pure
white, very elongated, and with a remarkably thin and delicate
shell. The normal number appears to be five. The breeding-
season is, I think, the latter end of April and May.’’

Later, he writes :—“ It must, I think, breed twice, as I found a
nest on the 10th March with fully-fledged young, and late in April
another nest with perfectly fresh eggs.^’

Writing of this species Dr. Jerdon says :—I procured its nest
near Neddivattam on the Nilghiris, on a bank on the roadside,
made with moss and roots, and containing four white eggs of a
very elongated form.”

Miss Cockburn, of Kotagherry, furnishes me with the following
note on the nidification of this species :—“ These birds build rather
large nests, among the roots of bushes, and generally prefer those
which grow on the slopes of steep hills. Their nests are composed
of coarse grass, a few roots of the same, and the bark of a bush,
which cracks when dry and is very easily pulled off. These
materials are put together into a round nest, and also form a
covering above, which makes the inside look very snug indeed.
But if any attempts are made to remove the nest, it generally falls
to pieces, the materials having no tenacity. This bird commonly

POMATOEHIlfUS.

85

uses no lining to its nest, but lays its eggs (three to five in number)
on the coarse grass of which the inside is composed. The eggs are
pure white, particularly thin-shelled, and consequently perfectly
translucent. They are found during the months of Pebruary and
Mar eh.

Messrs, Davidson and Wen den, writing from the Deccan,
remark:—“ Veiy common along tops of ghats. D. got a nest with
two eggs in Mareh.’^

Mr. T. Pulton Bourdillon writes froin Travancore:—‘‘I have
been so fortunate as to obtain two nests of this bird lately, though
I have never found any before. The first contained three fresh
eggs on the 5th December last, and was situated in a bank on the
roadside at an elevation of about 3000 feet.above sea-level. The
nest was very loosely made of grass, with finer kinds of grass for
the lining. I endeavoured to preserve it, but it fell to pieces on
being taken from its position, and I only succeeded in saving the
eggs. As the bird, usually a very shy one, flew off on my approach
and remained close by while I was examining the nest, I have
no doubt of its identity. Whether she would have laid more eggs
I cannot say, but I fancy not; three seems to be the usual number
judging from the two clutches taken. The other nest I found on
the 8th of this month just completed. It was in much the same
position as the last, viz. a bank by the roadside, and as it w^as near
my bungalow I watched to see how the eggs were deposited. The
bird laid one egg each day on the 11th, 12th and 13th, and then
began to sit, so on the 15th I took the nest. When fresh the
eggs are beautifully pink from the thinness of the shell.’^

Mr. J. Darling, junior, remarks :—

Mr. Davison makes a very good remark on the nest of this bird,
but I found one once under the roots of a tree at Neddivattam,
and it was a most beautiful nest, built entirely of the fibrous bark
of the Mlghiri nettle, in the shape of an oven, with a hole to go in
at one side. It contained four pure white delicate eggs. Another
one found near the same place was of the same nature, only resting
on some fern-leaves and under a rock, and contained five eggs.

^ “ I found a nest down at Yythery, Wynaad, in a hole in the bank
of a road, in December 1874, made entirely of broad grass, very
untidy, and containing three eggs.”

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan writing from South India, says:—
‘‘ Breeds in April, constructing a neat domed nest of leaves on the
ground, at the foot of a bush. The nest is lined with fine grasses,
and almost always contains three eggs, which, when fresh, are of
a beautiful pink colour, owing to the yelk shining through the
shell, which is exceedingly fragile- The egg, when blown, is of a
very beautiful glossy white. If suddenly approached whilst on its
nest, this bird runs out like a rat, and flies when at a distance
from the nest. An egg in my collection measures 1'04 by *7
inch.”

The eggs sent me from the Mghiris by Miss Cockburn and Mr.
Carter are nearly perfect ovals, usually much elongated, but some-

86

CEATEKOPODIDjE.

times moderately broad, and very sliglitly compressed towards one
end. They are very fragile, and perfectly pure spotless white in
colour. Typically, although smooth and satiny in texture, they
have but little gloss, but occasionally a fairly glossy egg is to be
met with.

In length they vary from 0*98 to 1*12, and in breadth from 0*75
to 0*79 ; but the average seems to be about 1*08 by 0*77.

122. Pomatorhinus ferruginosus, Elyth. The Coml-Ulled
Scimitar Babhler,

Pomatorhinus ferruginosus, Blytli, Jercl. JB. Ind. ii, p. 29; Hume,
Rough Draft N. ^ E. no. 401.

The Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, according to Mr. Hodgson’s
notes, breeds in Sikhim, at an elevation of 5000 or 6000 feet. Its
nest is placed about a foot or 2 feet above the ground, in a bamboo-
clump or some thick bush, and is firmly wedged in between the
twigs‘and shoots. It is composed internally of dried bamboo-
leaves, grass, and vegetable fibres, outside which bamboo-sheaths
are bound on witli creepers and fibres of different kinds. The
nest is more or less egg-shaped, with the longer diameter hori¬
zontal, some 7 inches or so in length and 5 inches in height, and
vdth the entrance at one end, measuring some 3 inches in diameter.
Four or five eggs are laid, elongated ovals, somewhat pointed
towards the small end, pure white, and measuring about 1*08 by 0*7.

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie wTites ;—“ I took a nest of this bird
on the 19th May, at an elevation of about 5000 feet. It was
placed on the ground, among low scrub, near the outskirts of a
large forest, and was neatlj made, for a Pomatorliiniis, of bamboo-
leaves and long grass, with a thin lining of fibry strips torn from
old bamboo-stems. In shape it was a cone laid on its side. Ex¬
ternally it measured 9 inches in length by the same in height at
front, while the egg-cavity measured 3*5 inches across, and 1*75
in depth. The entrance, which was at the end, measured 3 inches
in diameter.

“ 'Next to the lining was a layer of broadish grass-blades, placed
lengthways, i. e, from base to apex of the cone, then came a cross
layer of broad bamboo-leaves succeeded by a second layer of bamboo-
leaves placed lengthw’ays. By this arrangement the nest was kept
perfectly water-tight. So nicely were these simple materials put
together that they held each other in their places without the assis¬
tance of a single fibre.

“ The nest contained four partially incubated eggs : three of them
pointed and exactly alike, but the fourth rounded, and apparently
of a difierent texture, so that it may have been introduced by a
Cuckoo.”

Two eggs sent by Mr. Gammie . are moderately elongated ovals,
somewhat obtuse even at the smaller end. The shell is very
fine, pure white, and has a fine gloss. They measure 1*1 by 0*83,
and 1*06 by 0*78.

POMATOEHINUS.

87

125. Pomatorhiiius ruflcollis, Hodgs. The Rufous-neched' Scimitar

Bahhler,

PomatorMnus ruficollis, Hodgs.^ Jerd, J3. Ind. ii, p. 29 j Hicme,
Rough Draft N. D. no. 400.

The Eufous-uecked Scimitar Babbler breeds in Nepal, the
Himalayas eastward of that State, and in the various ranges
running down from Assam to Burmali.

The breeding-season appears to be April and May. They lay
five, or sometimes only four, eggs.

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes ;—This species breeds, I
think, from the middle of April to the middle of May; but I have
only as yet taken a single nest, and this I found at Eishap on the
5th May, at an elevation of about 4500 feet. The iiest was
placed on the ground in open country, but partially concealed by
overhanging grass and weeds, and immediately adjoining a deep
humid ravine filled with a dense undergrowth. The nest was
composed of dry grass, fern, bamboo, and other dry leaves put
loosely together and lined with a few fibres. In shape it was
domed or hooded, and exteriorly it measured 5*7 inches in height
and 5 in diameter. Interiorly the cavity was 2-6 in diameter, and
had a total depth of 3*8 measured from the roof, but of only 2
inches below the lower margin of the aperture. This nest con¬
tained five eggs, much incubated; indeed,they would have hatched
oS in one or two days.^’

The Eufous-necked Scimitar Babbler breeds, according to Mr.
Hodgson, in the central portion of Nepal in April and May,
building a large, coarse, globular nest of dry gTass and bamboo-
leaves on the ground in some thick bush or bamboo-clump. The
opening of the nest is at the side. They lay four or five white
eggs, measuring as figured 0*9 by 0*68.

The eggs sent me by Mr. Gammie are rather elongated ovals, a
good deal pointed towards one end, pure white, the shells very
fine and fragile, and with a fair amount of gloss.

Ten eggs varied from 0*85 to 1-02 in length, and from 0-62 to
0*74 in breadth, but the average was 0*95 by 0*68.

129. PomatorMnus erythrogenys, Vigors. The Rusty-clieelced
Scimitar Bahhler,

Pomatorhinus erythrogenys, Vig,, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 31; Hume,
Rough Draft H. JE. no. 405.

The Eusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler breeds from April to June
in the Himalayas, at any rate from Darjeeling to the Valley of the
Beas, at elevations of from 2000 to 6000 feet. It may be met
with at double this latter altitude, but I doubt if it nests higher.

As a rule, the nest is placed on the ground, in some thick clump
of dry fern or coarse grass, amongst dead leaves and moss, but at
times I have seen it placed in a thick bush 2 or 3 feet from the

88

CHATEROPODIDiE.

ground. It is very common near Kotegurh and below ISTarkunda,
where we found nearly a dozen nests, almost all, however, con¬
taining yoiiug ones. Typically the nest is domed, and is loosely
constructed of the materials at hand—coarse grass, dry fern, dead
leaves, moss-roots, and the like, some 6 or 7 inches in diameter
and 5 or 6 inches high, with a broad entrance on one side, a good
deal above the middle. In some cases, however, w^here a dense
bunch of grass or fern completely curves over the spot selected for
the nest, the latter is a mere broad, shallow saucer. There is no
regular lining to the nests, but a good many fine roots are at times
incorporated in the interior of the cavity. All the nests that I
have seen were placed near the edges of clumps of brushwood or
scrubby jungle.

I ought here to mention that I am by no means certain that the
Nepalese and Sikhim, in fact the eastern race of this species
(P. ferrugilatiis^ Hodgs.), will not have to be separated from the
more western P. erythrogenys of Gould. Long ago Elyth remarked
(‘Journal Asiatic Society,^ 1845, p. 598) that “there seems to be
tw’o marked varieties of P. erythrogenys, one having white under¬
parts, with merel}’- faint traces of darker spots, the other with the
throat and breast densely mottled with greenish olive,” or, as I
should call it, dingy olive-grey. This is j^erfectly true, and, as far
as I can make out, the latter variety is not one of sex or age, but
is local and confined to Ivumaon (wLere the other form also occurs)
and the hills eastward of this province. My own remarks above
given refer to the true P. erythrogenys, and so do Hutton’s; but
Hodgson’s and Mr. Gammie’s birds both appear to have been, and
the latter’s certainly were, grey-throated examples. The eggs are
imdistinguishable, as, indeed, though they vary somewhat in shape
and size, are those of most of the Fomatorhini,

Captain Hutton says that this species is “ common from 3500
feet up to 10,000 or 12,000 feet, always in pairs, turning up the
dead leaves on copsewood covered banks, uttering a loud wListle,
answering and calling each other. It breeds in April, constructing
its nest on the ground of coarse dry grasses and leaf-stalks of
walnut-trees, and is covered with a dome-shaped roof, so nicely
blended with the fallen leaves and withered grasses, among which
it is placed, as to be almost undistinguisbable from them. The
eggs are three in number, and pure w-hite ; diameter 1-12 by 0-81
inches, of an ordinary oval shape. When disturbed, the bird sprung
along the ground with long bounding hops, so quickly that, from
its motions and the appearance of the nest, I was led to believe it
a species of rat. The nest is placed in a slight hollow, probably
formed by the bird itself.”

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, this species wnuld appear to
breed at lieights of from 2000 to 8000 feet. It lays in May and
June. On the 20th May, and again on the 6th June, Mr. Hodg¬
son found nests of this species in thick bushes 3 or 4 feet above
the ground. They w^ere broad saucer-sha])ed nests of coarse
vegetable fibres, grass, and grass-roots, 7 inches‘or so in diameter,

XIPHORHAMPHUS.

89

and the cavity, which had no lining, was about 4 inches in dia¬
meter by 2 inches in depth. They contained three and four white
eggs respectively. One figured measures 0*98 by 0*73. On
June 8th he found two more nests at Jaha Powah, on the ground,
on edges of brushy slopes close to grassy open plains, the nest a
large mass of grass, oven-shaped, open at one and in one case at
both ends, protected by the root of a tree. There were two and
three white eggs in the nests respectively. The eggs of these nests
are figured as measuring 1*08 by 0*73.

Mr. Gammie remarks :—I found a nest of this species below
Eungbee, at an elevation of about 2000 feet, on the 17th June. It
was placed on, and partially in a hole in a bank, and contained two
hard-set eggs. It was a large, loose pad of fine grass and dead
fern, with a few broad fiag-like grass-leaves incorporated towards
the base, and overhung by a sort of canopy of similar materials.
The basal portion was some 6 inches long and 5 inches broad, and
about 2 inches thick in the thickest part, with a broad shallow
depression for the eggs of about half that de 2 )th.”

Writing again this year (1874) he says:—I have only found
two more nests this year, and both in the last week of April; the
one contained three partially incubated eggs, the other three young
birds. These nests were at Gielle, at an elevation of about 2500
feet. As a rule, these birds nest in open country, immediately
adjoining moist thickly wooded ravines, in which they feed, and
take refuge if disturbed from the nest. The nest is usually placed
on sloping ground, more or less concealed by overhanging herbage,
and is composed, according to my experience, of dry grass sparingly
lined with fibres. It is large; one I measured in situ was S inches
in height and 7 inches in diameter; the vertical diameter of the
cavity was 4 inches and the horizontal 3| inches. I have not yet
found more than three eggs or young ones in any nest.’’

Dr. Scully remarks of this bird in IN’ipal:—“ It lays in May and
June ; two nests, taken on the 30th May and 6th June, were large
loosely-made pads, not domed, and with the egg-cav ity saucer¬
shaped, each nest contained three pure white eggs.”

The eggs of this species are long, and at times narrow, ovals,
pure white and fairly glossy, but occasionally almost glossless,
without any marks or spottings.

In length they vary from 1*0 to 1*2, and in breadth from 0*73
to 0*85, but the average of twenty eggs is about 1*11 by nearly
0 * 8 .

133. Xiphorhamphus superciliaris (Blyth). The Slender-UUed
Scimitar Bahhler.

Xiphorhamphns superciliaris (Blyth), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 33 ; Hume,
Rough Draft N. B. no. 406.

The Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, according to Mr. Hodgson’s
notes, breeds in Sikhim, at elevations of 3000 to 6000 feet, during

90

ORATEEOPODIDJE.

the months of May and June. The nest is a large globular one,
composed of dry bamboo-leaves and green grass, intermingled and
lined with line roots and fibres. The entrance, which is about 2 to
2*5 inches in diameter, is at one end. A nest containing four eggs,
obtained on the 12th Jane, measured about 7 inches in diameter
externally, and it was placed in the crown of a stump from 2 to 3
feet from the ground. Sometimes the nests are placed in tufts of
high grass or in thick bushes, but never at any great elevation
above the ground. They lay three or four eggs, which are pure
white, and one of which is figured as a broad oval, measuring 0*95
by 0*7.

From Sikhiin Mr. Qammie writes :—‘‘ I took a nest of this
Scimitar Babbler on the 29th May, in the middle of the large
forest on the top of the Mahalderam ridge, at about 7000 feet
elevation. It was built on the ground, on top of a dry bank by
the side of a path, and was overhung by a few grassy weeds. In
shape it was a blunt cone laid on its side, with the entrance at the
wide end. It was loosely made of the dead leaves of a deciduous
orchid {Pleione lucdlicJiiana)^ small bamboo, chestnut, and grass,
intermixed with decaying stems of small climbing-plants. It
measured externally 6 inches long, with a diameter of 5*5 at front,
and of 1*75 at back. The cavity was quite devoid of lining and
measured 3*5 in length by 2*5 wide at entrance, slightly contracting
inwards. It contained three partially incubated eggs.’^

Two eggs of this species, obtained by Mr. Gammie are elongated
ovals, pure white, and with only a faint gloss. They measure 0*99
and 1*05 in length, by 0*68 and 0*75 in breadth respectively.

Subfamily TIMELIINiE.

134. Timelia pileata, Horsf. The Recl-caj^ipecl Bahhler,

Timalia pileata, Jerd. B, Ind, ii, p. 24; Hume, Rough Draft

N, ^ R, no. 396.

Mr. Eugene Oates records that he ‘‘ found the nest of this bird at
Thayetmyo on the 2iid June with young ones a few days old. The
nest was placed on. the ground in the centre of a low but very thick
thorny bush.’’

Subsequently he wrote from Pegu, further south :—“ The nest
is placed in the fork of a shrub, very near to, or quite on, the
ground, and is surrounded in every case by long grass. A nest
found on the 4th July, on which the female was sitting closely,
contained three eggs slightly incubated. The breeding-season
seems to be in June and July.

“ The nest is made entirely of bamboo-leaves and is lined
sparingly with fine grass. No other material enters into its com-
])osition. It is oval, about 7 inches in height and 4 in diameter.

TIMELIA.

91

with a large entrance at the side, its lower edge being about the
middle o£ the nest.

‘‘ When the bird frequents elephant-grass, where there are no
shrubs, it builds on the ground at the edge of a clump of grass,
and I have found two nests in such a situation, only a few feet
from each other. .

“ In looking for the nest a good deal of grass is necessarily
trodden down; the consequance is that if you do not find eggs,
there is little chance of their being laid later on. I have found
some ten nests, more or less completed, but only three eggs.”

And again, later on:—“ This bird would appear to have two
broods a year, for I procured two sittings of three eggs each this
year in April, former nests having been found in June and July.
With many eggs before me I find that the density of the markings
varies considerably. The size is very constant; for the leiigth of
numeroiLS eggs varies only from *75 to *72, and the breadth from
*6 to *54 inchJ^

I was, I believe, myself the first to obtain the eggs of this
species, but the first of my contributors who sent me eggs, nest,
and a note on the nidification of this species was Mr. J. 0. Parker.
Writing to me in September 1875, he said:—

“ On the 14th August I took a nest of Timelia jyileata on my
old ground in the Salt Lakes. I discovered this by a mere acci¬
dent, for I happened to see a female Prbiia Jlaviventris (whose eggs
I was in quest of for you) perched on the top of a bush inland
about 10 feet from the bank of the canal, and from her movements
I thought she must have a nest near at hand.

‘‘ Accordingly I landed, although not in trim for wading through
a bog. Sure enough I was not mistaken ; the Prinia had a nest,
but it contained only one egg. Close by, however, I saw a nest,
from out of which a bird fiew, and although I did not shoot it I
am quite sure it was Timelia jpileata. The jungle was particularly
thick just about where I stood, indeed impenetrable, and I could
not follow the bird, but I soon heard the male bird talking to his
mate in that extraordinary way which these birds have, and which
once heard cannot be mistaken.

“ The nest was placed on the spikes growing from the joints of
a species of grass very thick and stiff, and forming a secure founda¬
tion for the nest. This latter is 6 inches high and 4 inches broad.
Egg-cavity 2 inches, entrance-hole 1| by 2. The nest itself is
very loosely put together with the dead leaves of the tiger-grass
twisted round and round, and lined roughly with coarse grass.
The nest w^as quite open to view and about three feet from the
ground. I suppose the birds never expected that such a wild
swampy spot as they had selected w=^ould be invaded by any
oologist.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps writing from Eastern Bengal says:—“ Pretty
common. Permanent resident. Oftener found in the patches of
cane brushwood jungle found in and around villages than in un¬
frequented jungle and thickets as Dr. Jerdon says. I have, how-

92

OEATEBOPODIDiE.

ever, once seen it in a field of jute, wbicli was alongside a village.
Its well-known note can be beard a long way off. I have several
times found nests in course of construction, but only once secured
a clutch of eggs. When the nests are being built, if the bush is at
all disturbed the nest is deserted. The earliest date on which I
found a nest was the 1st April, 1878 ; it was half finished, and as
I palled the cane-leaves asunder to see if there were eggs, the birds
deserted it. After this I found four nests in cane-clumps on the
sides of roads, but they were empty, and as the birds abandoned
them in due course I despaired of getting any eggs : but on the
loth June, while going along a road, the edges of which were
bounded by the small embankments natives throw up round their
holdings, and which are always overgrown with ‘ sone ’ grass, I
saw one of these birds with a straw in its bill disappear at the
root of a small date-tree. The nest could be discerned from the
road. On the 20th June I returned and found two fresh eggs ;
the nest was placed at the junction of the frond and the stem of
the date-tree about five inches from the ground, and was an oval
deep cup and measured externally 5 inches deep by 3| broad. Egg-
cavity 2 broad and If deep, composed exclusively of ‘ sone^ grass
with no lining.’^

The eggs of this species are broad ovals with a tolerably fine
gloss. The ground-colour is pure white. The whole of the larger
end of the egg is pretty thickly speckled and spotted with brown,
varying from an olive to a burnt sienna intermingled with little
spots and clouds of pale inky purple, and similar spots and specks
chiefly of the former colour, but smaller in size, scattered thinly
over the rest of the egg. In size they vary from 0*69 to 0*75 in
length, and from 0*55 to 0*6 in breadth.

135. Dumetia hyperythra (Erankl.). The Bufous-belUed
Babbler,

Dumetia hyperythra {FrankL)^ Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 26; Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ JS. no. 397.

The Eufous-bellied Babbler breeds throughout the Central
Provinces, Chota Nagpoor, Upper Bengal, the eastern portions of
the North-West Provinces, parts of Oudh, and even in the low
valleys of Kumaon.

It lays from the middle of ^ June to the middle of August,
building a globular nest of broad grass-blades or bamboo-leaves
some 4 or 5 inches in diameter, sparingly lined with fine grass¬
roots or a little hair, or sometimes entirely unlined. The nest is
placed sometimes on the ground amongst dead leaves, some of
which are not unfrequently incorporated in the structure; some¬
times in coarse grass or some little shrub a foot or two from the
ground, but by preference, according to my experience, in amongst
the roots of a bamboo-clump.

Pour is the usual number of eggs laid.

DUMBTIA.

93

Mr. Brooks writes :—“ On the 26th June, 1867, in the broken
ground above Chunar, I took two nests iu the foot of a thick
bamboo'bush about 2 feet from the ground. The nests were made
of bamboo-leaves rolled into a ball with the entrance at the side,
and no lining except a few hairs. There were two eggs in one
nest and three in the other. They were all fresh. The eggs in
the two nests varied somewhat: the ground of the one was nearly
pure white, and it was finely speckled with reddish brown, which
at the large end was partly confluent: the other nest had the eggs
with a pinkish-white ground, the spots larger and less neatly
defined, and with a rather large conflueiit spot at the large end.”

Writing from Tloshungabad, Mr. E. 0. Nunn remarks:—‘‘ I
found two nests of this species, each containing two eggs, on the
20th July and 6th August, 1868. Both nests were ball-shaped,
of coarse grass very firmly and compactly twisted together, and
with numerous dead leaves incorporated in the body of the nest
and towards the base, forming the major portion of the material.
They were thinly lined inside with fine grass-roots. One w^as
placed at the root of a small thorny bush : the other on the ground
in a thick clump of rank grass.” The nest Mr. Nunn sent to me
was peculiarly solidly made. The cavity was small, about 2*25
inches in depth and 1*5 in diameter. The bottom of the nest was
some 2 inches and the sides 1*25 inch thick.

Eroui Eaipoor Mr. E. E. Blewitt tells us that “in July and
August four nests of this Babbler were taken; in two there were
four eggs each, in the third, three, and in the fourth, two—thirteen
in all. The nests were carefully made on the ground, at the base
of clumps of lo]ig grass growing very near to bamboo thickets.
Three are made exclusively of the dry leaves of the bamboo ; the
fourth of coarse grass. They were nearly globular, about 4 inches
in diameter, and without any regular lining, although in the
interior of the cavity a good deal of fine grass-stems had been
incorporated in the nest. They were well hidden in the grass.”

Mr. Henry Wenden writes :—“ On July 18th, about 15 miles
from Bombay, on the line of railway, I found a nest and eggs of
the following description: nest, a rough loose ball of soft flat
grasses, lined with hard but fine grass-stems, entrance at side near
top ; situated in a thorny bush in cactus-hedge, by a narrow lane,
not 4 feet wide, through which numerous people passed. The
nest, about 3 feet from the ground, was in no way concealed. On
the 18th there were two eggs, and on the 20th, when there were
four eggs, the bird was snared and nest taken.”

The eggs are short, broad ovals, very slightly compressed towards
one end. The ground-colour is white or pinkish white, and it is
streaked, spotted, and speckled most thickly at the large end (where
there is a tendency to form an irregular confluent cap or zone),
and thinly towards the small end, with shades of red, brownish
red, and reddish purple, varying much in different examples. In
some the markings are pretty bold and blotchy, in others they are
small and speckly; in some they are smudgy and ill-defined, in

94

CRATEEOPODIDJE.

others they are clear and distinct. Some of the eggs are miniatures
of some types of Pyctorliis sinensis, but many recall the eggs of the
Titmouse. They are much about the size ot those of Parus cceruleus
and P. paliistris, but a trifle less broad than either of these. The
eggs have a faint gloss.

In length they vary from 0*63 to 0*7, and in breadth from 0*5
to 0*56; but the average of twenty-four eggs now before me is
0*67 by 0*53.

136. Dumetia albigularis (Blyth). The Small White-thvoated

Bahhler,

Dumetia albogularis (Blyth), Jercl. B. Ind. ii, p. 26 ,* Ilitme, liouyh
Draft N. P. no. 398. •

Miss M. B. Cockburii, writbig from Kotagheny, tells me that

the White-throated Babbler builds its nest in the month of
June. One was found by my nest-seekers on the 17th of that
month in the year 1873. It was constructed on a coffee-tree, and
contained three eggs, which were white, profusely covered with
reddish sp)ots of all sizes. The bird was very shy, and would not
return to the nest for some hours after it had been discovered;
when, however, she did so, she was shot. This year (1874) I
found another similar nest on the 9th of June, also containing
three eggs.'’

The nest with which she favoured me was small and nearly
globular (say at most 4 inches in external diameter), composed
entirely of broad flaggy grass without any lining or any admixture
whatsoever of other material. The nest was loosely put together,
and had a comparatively narrow circular entrance near the top.

From Mysore Mr. Iver Macpherson writes :—“ This is an ex¬
ceedingly common bird in parts of this district, and their nests are
so plentiful that I never now take them.

‘‘ I send you all the eggs I have at present, but can procure you
any number more next season.

“ The birds are to be found in all kinds of wooded country ex¬
cept the heavy forests, and appear to breed from the middle of
April to the end of July, and possibly later.

“ The 2 iest is a largish globular structure loosely made of either
bamboo-leaves or blades of grass, and all that I have ever seen
have been lined inside v^ith a few fine fibres.

Four appears to be the usual number of eggs, but very often
there are only three.

“ The nests are always built near the ground, sometimes almost
touching it, and are fixed in either small bushes, tufts of grass, or
young bamboo-clumps."

Mr. J. L. Darling, Jun., states that this bird is very common
in Culputty in the Wynaad, at an elevation of about *3000 feet,
and that he has found the nests from the end of May to the middle
of October. The nest is built in high grass nearly on the ground,

PTOTOUHIS.

95

or in date-palms, or in arrowroot in the jnngle up to heights of
3 feet. The nest is built entirely of grass, lined with finer grass ;
a nearly round ball 6 inches in diameter outside and 5 inside, with
a hole on the side. The eggs are laid at the rate of one a day, and
three are usually found in one nest, occasionally only two. On
one occasion after securing the female bird, he found the coclv bird
sitting on the eggs and he continued to sit there for three days.

Mr. J. Davidson tells us that he found a nest of this bird on the
15th July at Kondabhari with four fresh eggs.

Colonel Legge writes in his ‘ Birds of Ceylon ’:—The breeding-
season lasts from March until July, the nest being built in a low
bush sometimes only a few inches from the ground.’’

In shape the eggs are moderately elongated ovals. The shell is
very fine and smooth, and has in some a rather bright, in some
only a very slight gloss. The ground is a China-white. The
markings consist of a profusion of specks and spots of a very bright
red, which, though spread over the whole surface, are gathered
most densely into an imperfect, more or less confluent, cap or zone
at the larger end, where also a few purplish-grey spots and specks
not usually found on any other part of the egg, are noticeable.

In length the eggs vary from 0*66 to 0*78, and in breadth from
0*5 to 0*55, The average of 28 eggs is 0*72 by 0*53.

139. PyctorMs sinensis (G-m.). The Telloiu-eyed Babbler,

Pyctorhis sinensis (Gm,), Jercl. B. Incl. ii, p. 15; Hume, Bovah
Draft N, E, no. 385.

The Yellow-eyed Babbler breeds throughout the plains of India, as
also in the Nilghiris, to an elevation of 5000 feet, and in the Hima¬
layas to perhaps 4000 feet. It lays in the latter part of June, in
July, August, and September. Grardens are the favourite localities
and in these the little bird makes its compact and solid nest, some¬
times in a fork of the fine twigs of a lime-bush, sometimes in a mangoe-,
orange-, or apple-tree, occasionally suspended between three stout
grass-stems, or even attached to a single stem of the huge grass
from which the native pens are made. I have taken a nest, hung
between three reeds, exactly resembling in shape and position the
Deed-Warbler’s nest (Salicaria arundinacea)^ figured in Mr. Yar-
rell’s vignette at page 313, vol. i. 3rd edition.

The nest is typically cone-shaped (the apex downwards), from 5
to 6 inches in depth, and 3 or 4 in diameter at the base; but it
varies of course according to situation, the cone being often broadly
truncated. In the base of the cone (which is uppermost) is the egg-
cavity, measuring from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, and from 2 to 2*5
inches in depth. The nest is vo'y compactly and solidly woven, of
rather broad blades of grass, and long strips of fine fibrous bark,,
exteriorly more or less coated with cobwebs and gossamer-threads.
Interiorly, fine grass-stems and roots are neatly and closely inter¬
woven. I once found some horse-hair along with the grass-roots,
but this is unusual.

96

CBATEEOPODTDJE.

The full number of eggs is, I believe, five. I have repeatedly
taken nests containing this number, and have comparatively seldom
met with a smaller number of eggs at all incubated.

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall says :—“ I found a nest of this species
at Eoorkee in the early part of July. It contained three eggs and
was beautifully made, a deep cup fixed on to an artichoke-stock,
and at a little distance much resembled an artichoke.”

Mr. E. C. Nunn, writing from near Agra on the 2Gth September
1867, says :—“I got a nest yesterday, suspended between

two stalks of jowar {BoIgus sorglmm\ the nest firmly bound with
strips of fibrous bark, at two opposite points of its circumference,
to the two stems. This is, I imagine, something out of the usual
order of things with these birds. The nests which I have hitherto
found have been situated in young inangoe-trees, rose-bushes, or
peach- and orange-trees.”

Erom EMttehgurh the late Mr. A. A. Anderson sent me the
following note:—

The nest and eggs of this bird are very beautiful. A pair once
built in a pumplenose-tree {Citrus cleGumana) in my garden, laying
five long eggs. The nest, still in my collection, was placed in the
fork oifour small upright twigs; it was composed entirely of dry
grass-stems (no soft material inside), and laced outwardly, in and
out of the twigs, with dry fibre belonging to the plantain-tree.

The eggs are suiall for the size of the bird, and scarcely so
large as those of the Hedge-Sparrow.”

Captain Hutton remarks :—“This likewise is a Dhoon bird; its
nest was found there on the 1st July, when it contained four eggs
of a dull white colour, thickly speckled and blotched all o\'er with
ferruginous spots, forming also an open darker coloured ring at
the large end, and intermixed with brown.

“ The nest is a deep cup, placed in the trifurcation of the slender
upright branch of a low shrub, and is constructed externally of
coarse grass-blades held together by cobw'ebs and seed-down, the
lining being fine grass-seed stalks. Diameter of the top inches;
depth within 2 inches; externally inches.”

Mr. F. E. Blewitt tells us that “the Yellow-eyed Babbler
breeds from July to September', or, I should say, up to the middle
of September. Its selection of a tree for its nest is not confined
to any one species, but by preference the bird selects those of small
growth, and even frequently high-growing brushw^ood. The nests
are very neatly made, and wFat is singular is that, as regards build
and shape, they are ahvays almost exactly alike. If I have seen
one, I must have seen at least fifty this year, all with the same
exterior material of closely interlaced vegetable fibre over grass,
and the inner lining of fine grass, deep cup-shaped, and in dia¬
meter, outer and mner, varying but little. Where it could be
effected, the nest w^as. suspended to, or rather fastened between,
two forks ; or where these w^ere not available, between three twigs.
The outer diameters of the nests were from 2*7 to 2*9 inches, mner
from 2*3 to 2*5. Four is the regular number of eggs, though
occasionally five in one nest have been obtained.”

PYCTORHIS.

97

Mr. E. M. Adam remarks :—“ This species builds about Agra
in May, June, and July. The nest is a beautiful deep cup-shaped
structure, almost always fastened to a branch of a low bush. The
normal number of eggs appears to be four.”

Erom Kotagherry, near Ootacamund, Miss Cockburn records that

this bird builds a neat cup-shaped nest, generally choosing a
branch consisting of three upright sprigs, at the bottom of which
the building is placed. The nests (one of which is now before me)
are begun with broad grass-leaves, and the inside compactly lined
with fine fibres of the same material: to render the whole firm,
a few cobwebs are added to the outside, thus fixing the nest securely
to the sprigs. These birds build in the months of June and July,
and, as far as I have observed, lay only three eggs.”

Mr. Philipps, quoted by Dr. Jerdon, says that this bird gene¬
rally builds on banyan-trees.” This is clearly a mistake. I have
known of the taking, or have myself taken, altogether upwards of
fifty nests in the North-Western Provinces, whence Mr. Philipps
was writing, and never yet heard of or saw a nest of this species on
a banyan.

Mr. PI. Wenden writes :—“ At Egatpoora, the top of the Thidl
Grhat incline, I noticed, on 30th vSeptember, a partly-built nest of
this species. Watching for some time, I ascertained that both birds
shared in the labour of construction. It was situated in the tri¬
furcated stalk of that plant which bears a clover-like blossom (called
Kessara-Hind and Koordoo-Mhar), about 3 feet above the gTOund,
the stalks passing through the side-walls of the nest, which cannot
have a better description than that given by Mr. Hume (page 23S,
‘Eough Draft’). The first egg was laid on 2nd October, and
another each succeeding day until there were five. On the 10th
the hen-bird was shot and the nest taken.

‘‘ On 30th October, in a garden near the same place, another
nest was found, on the twigs of a pangra tree, containing three
young birds and one egg.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden say:—“Tolerably common in
the Sholapoor District; more so in the better-wooded parts, and
breeds.”

Einally, Colonel Butler sends me the following note:—

“ Belgaum, 14th September, 1880.—A nest in sugar-cane about
2 feet from the ground, containing five fresh eggs. 17th September :
another nest in a sugar-cane field, containing five eggs about to
hatch. In both instances the nest was built, not on the blades of
sugar-cane, but on a solitary green-leaved weedy-looking plant
growing amongst the sugar-cane.

“ The Yellow-eyed Babbler breeds during the rains. I have
taken nests on the following dates:—

“July 26, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

July 30, 1875. „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 14, 1875. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 21, 1875.
“July 18, 1876.

5?

4 fresh eggs.
4 fresh eggs.

VOL. 1.

>5

7

98

CRATEROPODIDiE.

July 20, 1876. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs.

‘‘July 28, 1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“ Trom this date to the end of August I found any number of
nests containing eggs of both types. The nest is usually built in
the fork of some low thorny tree from 3 to 7 feet from the ground.
The outside of the nest is usually smeared over with cobwebs, re¬
minding one of the nest of a Rhi^idumJ'

Mr. Oates writes :—“ Breeds abundantly throughout Pegu in
June, and probably in the other months of the rains up to Sep¬
tember.’"

The eggs vary a good deal in size and shape, and very much in
colouring. They are mostly of a very broad oval shape, very ob¬
tuse at the smaller end. Some are, however, slightly pyriform,
and some a little elongated. There are two very distinct types of
coloration: one has a pinkish-white ground, thickly and finely
mottled and streaked over the whole surface with more or less
bright and deep brick-dust red, so that the ground-colour only
faintly shows through, here and thei'e, as a sort of pale mottling ;
in the other type the ground-colour is pinkish white, somewhat
i!i])arin(ihj^ but boldly, blotched with irregidar patches and eccentric
hierogiyphic-like streaks, often Bunting-like in their character, of
bright blood- or brick-dust red. The eggs of this type, besides
these primary markings, generally exhibit towards the large end
a number of pale inky-purple blotches or clouds. There is a third
type somewhat intermediate between these, in which the ground¬
colour, instead of being finely freckled all over as in the former, or
sparingly blotched as in the latter, is very coarsely mottled and
clouded, as if clumsily daubed over by a child, with a red inter¬
mediate in intensity between that usually observable in the two
first-described types. Combinations of these different types of
course occur, but fully two tliirds can be separated distinctly under
the first and second varieties. Though much smaller, many of the
eggs recall those of the English Eobin. The eggs have often a fine
gloss. I have one or two ' specimens so uniformly coloured that,
though perhaps slightly shorter and broader in form, they might
almost pass for the eggs of Cetti’s Warbler.

In length they vary from 0’65 to 0*8, and in breadth from 0*53
to 0*68; but the average of seventy-seven eggs measured is 0*73
by 0-59.

140. Pyctorhis nasalis, Legge. The Ceylon Telloiu-eyed Babbler.

Pyctorhis nasalis, Legge^ Hume^ Cat. no. 385 bis.

Colonel Legge writes in his ‘Birds of Ceylon’:—“In the
Western Province this Babbler commences to breed in Eebruary;
but in May I found several nests in the Uva district near Port
Macdonald; and that month would thus seem to be the nesting-
season in the Central Province. The nest is placed in the fork of
a shrub, or in a huge tuft of maana-grass, without any attempt at
concealment, about 3 or 4 feet from the ground. It is a neatly-

PELLORNEUM.

99

made compact cup, well finislied o:ff about the top and exterior,
and constructed of dry grass, adorned with cobwebs or lichens,
and lined with fine grass or roots. The exterior is about 2^ inches
in diameter by about 2 in depth. The eggs are usually three in
number, fleshy white, boldly spotted, chiefly about the larger end,
with brownish sienna; in some these markings are inclined to be¬
come confluent, and are at times overlaid with dark spots of brick-
red. They are rather broad ovals, measuring, on the average,
from 0*76 to 0*79 inch in length, by 0*56 to 0*59 in breadth.”

142. Pellorneum mandellii, Blanf. IlandelWs S^pottecl Bahhler.

Pellorneimi nipalensis {Hodgs.)^ Rough Draft N. R.

no. 399 bis.

This species, originally described by Hodgson as HemijpUron
nipalensis, was confounded by G-ray and others with P. rnjkcps,
Swainson, and subsequently rediscriminated and described by
Blanford as P. mandelUL

Mandelli’s Spotted Babbler, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes,
begins to lay in April, the young being ready to fly in July.
They build a large, more or less oval, globular nest, laid lengthwise'
on the ground in some bush or clump of rush or reed, composed of
moss, dry leaves, and vegetable fibres, and lined with moss-roots.
The entrance, which is circular, is at one end. A nest measured
by Mr. Hodgson was 6*75 inches in length and 5 in height. The
aperture, at one end of the egg-shaped nest, was about 2 inches in
diameter, and the cavity was aboid 2*5 in diameter and nearly 4
inches deep. The eggs are three or four in number, and are figured
as broad ovals pointed towards the small end, measuring about 0*86
by 0*65, and having a greyish-white ground, thickly speckled and
spotted with more or less bright red or brownish red, and most
thickly so at the large end, where the markings are nearly con¬
fluent.

A nest said to belong to this species, and found near Darjeeling
in July, at an elevation of about 4000 feet, was placed on the
ground on the side of a bank—a very dirty untidy nest, more or
less cylindrical in shape, composed of dead leaves, including a good
many of those of the bamboo, dead twigs, and old roots, and very
sparsely lined with black moss-roots. The nest is about 4 inches
in diameter externally, and the cavity about 2-5 in diameter.

It contained three fresh eggs, very regular, moderately broad,
ovals; the shell fine and compact, with a slight gloss. The ground¬
colour is white, and the egg everywhere very finely speckled with
chocolate- or purplish brown, the markings being by far most dense
at the large end, where they form a more or less irregular, and
more or less conspicuous, speckly cap.

Two eggs measure 0*86 and 0*9 in length, and 0*65 and 0*66 in
breadth.

Another nest, found on the 5th June in Native Sikhim, con-

7 ^

100

CRATEROPODIDiE.

tained four fresh eggs. It was placed on the ground, and precisely
resembled that obtained near Darjeeling in July.

In some eggs the markings are rather bolder and coarser, and in
these there are generally some few pale lilac or inky-purple spots
intermingled where the markings are densest. Closely looked into,
many of the spots in some eggs are rather a pale yellowish brown.

The eggs are clearly all of the same type, and vary very little.

Tour eggs varied from 0*84 to 0*9 in length, and from 0*65 to
0*68 in breadth.

144. Pellorneum ruficeps, Swains. The Sjpotted Babbler.

Peilorneum ruficeps, Sioains.^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 27; Hume, Rowjh
Draft JSf. ^ E. no. 399.

AVriting from Kotagherry Miss Cockburn says:—“ Spotted
Babblers are exceedingly shy. They associate in small flocks
except during the breeding-season, when they go about in pairs.
I have only known them, to frequent small woods and brushwood,
a little higher than the elevation of the col^ee-plantations.

Three nests of these birds were found in the months of March
and April 1871. The first was placed on the ground, close against
a bush. The nest, consisting of dry leaves and grass, appeared to
be merely a canopy for the eggs, which were almost on the bare
ground, having only a very few pieces of straw under them. The
eggs were three in number, and covered profusely with innumer¬
able small dark spots, making it difficult to say what the ground¬
colour really was. The nest was not easily found. The bird left
it so quietly as not to be heard, and dropped down the hill lil^e a
ball. When the eggs were discovered the bird did not return to
them for fully three hours, after which she came very cautiously,
but only to meet her doom, poor thing, as she was then shot. The
second nest was built in the same way under a bush, and contained
three eggs, which were put into my egg-box lined with cotton, but
were hatched on the way home. The third nest was constructed
under a large stone and with the same materials, and contained
two young ones.”

An egg of this species, received from Miss Cockburn, is a mode¬
rately broad and very regular oval. The ground-colour is a slightly
greenish white, and the whole surface of the egg is excessively
finely freckled and speckled with lilac or pale purplish gi*ey and a
more or less rufous brown. The egg has a slight gloss.

It measures 0*88 by 0*65.

145. Pellorneum subochraceum, Swinh. The Burmese 8;poUed

Babbler.

Pellorneum subochraceum, Sioinh., Hume, Cat. no. 399 sex.

The Burmese Spotted Babbler breeds pretty well over the whole
of Pegu and Tenasserim. Mr. Oates writes On the 3rd May

PELLORNEUM.

101

I found a nest on the ground near Pegu. A good many bamboo-
leaves bad fallen and the nest was imbedded in these. It was
formed entirely of these leaves loosely put together, the interior
only being sparingly lined with fine grass. The structure in situ
was tolerably firm, but it would not stand removal. In height it
was about 7 inches, and in breadth about 5, the longer axis being
vertical. Shape cylindrical with rounded top. Entrance 2^ inches
by 1|, placed about the centre. The interior of the nest was a
rough sphere of 4 inches diameter.

“ There w^ere three eggs, slightly incubated. The ground-colour
is pure white, and the whole surface is minutely and thickly
speckled with reddish-brown and greyish-purple spots, more closely
placed at the thick end, where they coalesce in places and form
bold patches.

‘‘ On the 29th June, I found another nest of similar construc¬
tion, placed on the ground in thick forest, at the root of a shrub.”

Mr. W. Davison in 1875 gave me the following note :—“ On the
morning of the 25th March I took at Bankasoon a nest of this
species in thick forest; it was placed on the ground and was com¬
posed externally of dead leaves, with a scanty lining of fine roots
and fibres. It measured externally about 5 inches high by about
4 wide. The ’ egg-cavity was hardly 3 inches in diameter. The
nest w^as only partially domed, and was very loosely and carelessly
put together.

“ The nest contained three eggs, but these were so far incubated
that it was impossible to blow two of them.”

The single egg of this species obtained by Mr. Davison is in
shape a moderately broad oval, a little pointed towards the small
end; the shell is fine, but has little gloss. The ground-colour, so
far as this is visible through the thickly-set markings, is w^hite,
and it is very finely but densely stippled and freckled (most densely
at the large end, where the markings are not unfreqiiently con¬
fluent or nearly so) with dull to bright reddish bro\^■n ; here and
there, especially about the large end, more or less faint grey or red
specks, spots, or tiny clouds may be traced underlying as it were
the brown or purplish markings.

The egg sent me from Pegu by Mr. Oates is of precisely the
same size and type, but the markings are much less dense and are
brighter coloured, The ground-colour is w^hite, and the egg is
pretty thickly speckled with a reddish-chocolate browm. Here and
there a moderately large irregularly-shaped spot is intermingled
with the finer specklings. The markings are rather most dense
at the large end, where there is a tendency to form a zone, and
here a number of pale purplish-grey streaks and specks are also
intermingled.

Major C. T. Bingham says;—“ Early on the morning of the 7th
April, moving camp from the sources of the Thoungyeen, on the
side of a hill at the foot of a bamboo-bush not two feet from the
road, I flushed and shot a female of the above species o:fi her nest ;
a little loosely-put-together round ball of dry bamboo-leaves, tin-

102

CEATEEOPOBIDiE.

lined, thongli 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
nest behind the zayat or rest-house at Meeawuddy. This was
similar to the nest above described, and contained three similar
eggs.”

The eggs measure from *78 to *88 in length, and from *58 to *65
in breadth; but the average of twelve eggs is *82 by *62.

147. Pellorneum fuscicapiUum (Bl.). The Brown-ca];>];>ed Babbler,
Pellorneum fuscocapilliim (BL), Hume, Cat. no. 399 quint.

Ca]3tain Legge writes, in his ‘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 w’as 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 nigricapitatiis (Eyton). The Blaolc-cap^ped

Babbler.

Drymocataphus nigricapitatiis (Eyton), Hume, Cat. no. 896 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 frooi 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, w^as composed of a mass of dried twigs, leaves,*<fec.; 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 tw’o 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. Pirst, 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.

DEYJMOCATAPHirS.-TUE-DINUS.

103

151. Drymocataplius tickelli. TiokelVs Babbler.

Trichastoma minus, Hume \ Hume, Cat. no. 387 bis.

Major C. T. Bingham found the nest of this bird in the valle}"
of the Meplay river, Tenasserim, and he says :—“ On the 15 ih
March I found a little domed nest made of dried bamboo-leaves,
and lined with fine roots, placed in a cane-bush a foot or so above
the ground. It contained three tiny white eggs, with minute pink
dottings chiefly at the larger end; one egg, however, is nearly iDure
white.’’

One of these eggs taken by Major Bingham on the 15th March
is a very regular, somewhat elongated oval. The shell very fine and
delicate, and fairly glossy. The ground is china-w bite, and it is
everywhere speckled and spotted, nowhere very thickly, but most
so in a zone near one end, with pale ferruginous. It measured
0*67 by 0*51.

160. Turdinus abbotti (BL). Abbott^s Babbler.

Trichastoma abbotti {Bl.), Jercl. B. Ind. ii, p. 17.

Abbott’s Babbler breeds throughout Burma in suitable localities.
Writing from Kyeikpadein, in Southern Pegu, Mr. Oates says;—

On the 22nd May I found a nest with two eggs nearly hatched,
and on 23rd of same month another with two eggs, one of which
was fresh and the other incubated. This bird builds in thick
undergrowth, and the nest is built at a height of about 2 feet from
the ground. I have found very many of their nests, but, with the
above exceptions, the young had flown. It is generally attached
to a stout weed or two, and consists of two portions. First, a
platform of dead leaves about 6 inches in diameter and 1 deep,
placed loosely, and on this the nest proper is built. This consists
of a small cup, the interior diameter of wdiich is 2 inches, and
depth 1|. It is formed entirely of fine black fern-roots well woven
together. Stout weeds appear favourite sites, but I have found old
nests in dwarf palm-trees at the junction of the frond with the trunk,
and in one instance I found an old nest on the ground, undoubtedly
belonging to this bird. Three eggs measured -84 by *66, *82 by
•67, and *87 by *65. They are very glossy and smooth. The
ground-colour is a pale pinkish white. At the cap there are a few
spots and short lines of inky-purple sunk into the shell, and over
the whole egg, very sparingly distributed, there are spots and irre¬
gular fine scrawls of reddish brown. A few of the marks are
neither spots nor scrawds, but something like knots. The cap is
sufiused wdth a darker tinge of pink than are the other parts of
the shell.

“ A third nest, found on the 10th June, contained three eggs,
and difiered from those above described in being very massive. It
was composed of dead leaves and fern-roots, and measured abou
5 inches in exterior diameter, with the egg-cup about 2^ inches
broad and 2 inches deep. It was placed on some entangled small

104

CRATEEOPODIDiE.

plants about 2 feet from tbe ground. Of these eggs I noted that
before being blown the shell was of a ruddy salmon colour. The
marks are much as in the others described above.”

The eggs are moderately broad ovals, somewhat pointed at times
towards the small end, and occasionally slightly pyriform. The
shell is fine and glossy; the ground-colour is pinky white, with a
redder shade about the large end. A few streaks, spots, and hiero¬
glyphics of a deep brownish red, each more or less surrounded by a
reddish nimbus, are scattered very thinly about the surface of the
egg, while, besides these, a few small greyish-purple subsurface¬
looking spots may be observed about the larger end. The average
size of the seven eggs I possess is 0*82 by 0*64.

163. Alcippe nepalensis (Hodgs.). The Nepal Bahhler.

Alcippe nipalensis (Hodgs.), Jerd. B, Bid. ii, p. 18 ,* Hume, Bough
Bough Draft N. (§’ B. no. 388.

The Nepal Babbler, according to Mr. Hodgsons notes, breeds
from March to May, building a deep, massive, cup-shaped nest,
firmly fastened between two or three upright shoots, and laying
three or four eggs, w’hich are figured as measuring 0*7 by 0*55.
He has the following note :—

‘‘ Valley, April 1,<?25.—A pair and nest. Nest is round,’4 inches
deep on the outside and 2 inches within, and the same wide, being
of the usual soup-basin shape and open at the top, made of dry
leaves bound together with hair-like grass-fibres and moss-roots,
which also form the lining, further compacted by spiders’ webs,
which, being also twisted round three adjacent twigs, form the
suspenders of the nest, the bottom of which does not rest upon
anything ; attached to a low^ bush 1| foot from the ground. The
nest contained three eggs of a pinkish-white ground thickly spotted
with chestnut, the spots being almost entirely confiuent at the
large end.”

Hr. Jerd on ssljs :—“ I had the nest and eggs brought me by the
Lepchas. The nest was loosely made with grass and bamboo-
leaves, and the eggs w’ere white with a few reddish-brown spots.”

A nest of this species was'found near Darjeeling in July, at an
elevation of between 3000 and 4000 feet. It w^as situated in a small
bush, in low brushwood, and placed only about 2 feet from theground.
The nest is a compactly made and moderately deep cup. The ex¬
terior portion of the nest is composed of bamboo-leaves, more or
less held in their places by fine horsehair-like black roots, with
which also the cavity is very thickly and neatly lined. Exteriorly
the nest is about 3*75 inches in diameter, and nearly 3 in height.
The cavity is 2*25 in diameter and 1*6 in depth.

The nest contained three nearly fresh eggs. The eggs are mode¬
rately elongated ovals, very regular and slightly pointed towards
the small end. The shell is fine and exhibits a slight gloss. The
ground-colour is white or pinkish white, and they are very minutely
speckled all over with purplish red. The specklings exhibit a

ALCIPPE.

105

decided tendency to form a more or less perfect, and more or less
confluent, cap or zone at the large end.

Two of the eggs measure 0*72 and 0*71 in length, and 0*54 and
0*52 in breadth.

Ifrom Sikhim, Mr. Grammie writes:—“I have only found this
Babbler breeding in May at elevations about 5000 feet, but it
doubtless breeds also at much lower elevations, probably down
to 2000 feet. The nests are placed within 2 or 3 feet of the
ground, between several slender upright shoots, to which they are
flrmly attached. They are exceedingly neat and compact-built
cups, measuring externally about 4 inches across by 2*75 deep,
internally 2T5 wide by 1*6 deep. They are composed of dry
bamboo-leaves held together by a little grass and very fine, hair¬
like fern-roots. The egg-cavity is lined with fern-roots.

‘‘ The eggs are three or four in number.”

Numerous nests of this species kindly sent me by Messrs.
Grammie, Mandelli, and others, taken during the months of May
and June in British and Native Sikhim, at elevations of from 3000
to 5500 feet, were all of the same type and placed in the same situ¬
ations, namely amongst low scrub and brushwood, at heights of
from 18 inches to 3 feet from the ground. The interior and, in
fact, the main body of the nests appear to be in all cases chiefly
composed of flne black hair-like roots, with which, in some cases,
especially about the upper margin, a little fine grass is inter¬
mingled. The cavities are generally much about the same size, say
^2 inches in diameter by 1*25 in depth : but the size of the nests as
a whole varies very much. The nest is always coated exteriorly
with dry leaves of trees and feims, broad blades of grass, and the
like, fixed together sometimes by mere pressure, but generally here
and there held together by fine fibrous roots, and this coating varies
so much that one nest before me measures 5*5 in external diameter,
and another barely 4, the external covering of fern-leaves, flags,
and dry and dead leaves being very abundant in the former, while in
the other the covering consists entirely of broad dry blades of grass
very neatly laid together. Two, three, and four fresh eggs were
found in these several nests, but in no case were more than four
eggs found.

Two nests taken by Mr. Gammie contained three and two fresh
eggs respectively. The eggs had a delicate pink ground, and were
richly blotched, in one egg exclusively, in the others chiefly about the
larger end, with chestnut, or almost maroon-red, here and there
almost deepening in spots to black, and elsev^here paling off into a
rufous haze. The markings are confluent about the large end, and
there in places intermingled with a purplish tinge. The other
eggs had a china-white ground, with more gloss than the specimens
previously described, with numerous small, blackish brownish-red
spots and specks, almost exclusively confined to the large end,
where they are more or less enveloped in a pinky-red nimbus.

These eggs varied from 0*75 to 0*79 in length, and from 0*56
to 0*6 in breadth.

106

CBATEROPODIDiE.

Other eggs, again, with the same pinky-white ground are thickly
but minutely freclded and speckled with rather pale brownish red,
most thickly towards and about the large end, where they become
confluent in patches, and where tiny purple clouds and spots are
dimly traceable.

164. Alcippe phseocephala (Jerd.). The Nilghiri Bahhler.

Alcippe poiocephala {Jerd.), Jerd. B. hid. ii, p. 18 ; Hume, Bough
Draft N. B. uo. 389.

The Nilghiri Babbler breeds, apparently, throughout the hilly
regions of Southern India. It lays from January to June. A
nest taken near Neddivattam by Mr. Davison on the 5th April
w'as placed between the foi'k of three twigs of a bush, at the height
of 5 or 6 feet from the ground. It was a deep cup, massive enough
out very loosely put together, and composed of green moss, dead
leaves, a little grass and moss-roots. It was entirely lined with
rather coarse black moss-roots. In shape it was nearly an inverted
cone, some 3| inches in diameter at top, and fully 5 inches in
height. The cavity w^as over 2 inches in diameter and nearly 2
inches in depth. A few cobwebs are here and there intermingled
in the external surface, but the grass-roots appear to have been
chiefly relied on for holding the nest together.

Another nest found by Miss Cockburn on the 5th June on a
small bush, about 7 or 8 feet in height, standing on the banks of a
stream, was somew^hat di:Eerent. It was placed in the midst of a
clump of leaves, at the tips of three or four little twigs, between
which the nest -was partly suspended and partly wedged in. It
was composed of fine grass-stems, with a few grass- and moss-roots
as a lining interiorly, and with several dead leaves and a good deal
of wool incorporated in the outer surface, the greater portion of
which, however, was concealed by the leaves of the twigs amongst
which it was built. It was only about 3| inches in diameter, and
the egg-cavity was less than 2| inches across, and not above
inch in depth.

Mr. Davison writes “ This bird breeds on the slopes of the
Nilghiris in the latter end of March and April. The nest is un¬
commonly like that of TrocJialopterum ccuihinnans, but is of course
smaller; it is deep and cup-shaped, composed externally of moss
and dead leaves, and is lined with moss and fern-roots. It is
always (as far as I have observed) fastened to a thin branch about
6 feet from the ground. AJl the nests I have ever observed were
on small trees in the shadiest parts of the jungle, far in, and never
near the edge of the jungle or in the open. The eggs are very
handsome, and are, I think, the prettiest of the eggs to be found
on the Nilghiris and their slopes. The ground-colour is of a
beautiful reddish pink (especially when fresh), blotched and streaked
with purplish carmine.”

Mr. J. Darling, junior, says:—“ The Nilghiri Quaker-Thrush
breeds on the slopes of the Nilghiri hills, generally in the depths

ALCIPPE.

107

of the forest. I have, however, taken nests in scrub-jungle. I
have also found the nest at Neddivattam in April.

In October I found a nest of this bird at Culpiitty, S. Wynaad,
about 2800 feet above the sea, built at the end of a branch 4 feet
from the ground.’’

Mr, T. F. Bourdillon writes from Travancore:—“This bird breeds
commonly with us, and its nest is more often met with than that
of any other. The nest is cup-shaped and made of lichen, leaves,
and grass. It is usually placed 4 to S feet from the ground in the
middle of jungle, and is about 2 inches in diameter by l|-2 in
depth. The full number of eggs is two, and I have obtained on

“ April, 1871. 2 fresh eggs.

“ Mar. 21, 1873. 2 fresh eggs.

“Feb. 10, 1874. 2 fresh eggs.

“ Ainil 11,1874. 2 young birds, aud many nests just vacated.”

As in the case of Fyctorliis sinensis^ the eggs differ much in colour
and markings. The two eggs of this species sent me by Miss
Cockburn from Kotagherry are moderately broad ovals, very obtuse
at the larger end aud somewhat compressed towards the smaller.
The shell is fine and somewhat glossy. The ground-colour is white
or pinkish white, and they are thickly mottled and freckled, most
thickly at the larger end, where the markings form a more or less
confluent mottled cap, with two shades of pinkish-, and in some
spots slightly brownish, red, and towards the large end, wliere the
markings are dense, traces of pale purple clouds underlying the
primary markings are observable. In general appearance these
eggs not a little resemble those of some of the Bulbuls, and it seems
difficult to believe that they are eggs of birds of the same genus as
Alcippe atriceps^\ the eggs of which are so much smaller and of
such a totally different type. Two eggs of the same species taken
by Mr. Davison are moderately broad ovals, somewhat compressed
towards one end; have a fine and slightly glossy shell. The
ground-colour is a delicate pink. There are a few pretty large and
conspicuous spots and hairlines of deep brownish red, almost black,
and there are a few large pinkish-brown smears and clouds, gene¬
rally lying round or about the dark spots; and then towards the
large end there are several small clouds and patches o^ faint inky
purple, which appear to underlie the other markings. The cha¬
racter of the markings on some of these eggs reminds one strongly
of those of the Chaffinch. Other eggs taken later by Miss Cock-
burn at Kotagherry on the 21st January are just intermediate be¬
tween the two types above described.

All the eggs are very nearly the same size, and only vary in
length from 0*75 to 0*86, and in breadth from 0*58 to 0*65.

Alci 2 ype atriceps and Alcippc plimocephala, as they have hitherto been styled
by all Indian ornithologists, are not in the least congeneric, as I have pointed
out in my ‘ Birds of India.’ I am glad to see my views corroborated by Mr.
Hume’s remarks on the eggs. There isjio reason why these two birds should
be considered congeneric, except a general similarity in colour and habits.
Their structure dinars much.— Ed.

108

CRATEEOPODID^.

165. Alcippe phayrii, EL The Burmese Babbler,

Alcippe phayrii, Hume, Cat. no. 388 bis.

Major C. T. Bingham writes from Tenasserim “ In the
half-dry bed of one of the many streams that one has to cross be¬
tween Kaukarit and Meeawiiddy, I found on the 23rd Eebruary
a nest of the above species. A firm little cup, borne up some 2
feet above the ground on the fronds of a strong-growing fern, to
three of the leaf-stems of which it was attached. It was made of
vegetable fibres and roots, and lined interiorly with fine black hair¬
like roots, on which rested three fresh eggs, in colour pinky white,
blotched and streaked with dull reddish pink, and with faint clouds
and spots of purple. The eggs measure *79 x *58, *78 x *58, and
•76x*59.’^

Mr. I. Darling, junior, informs us that on the 9th April he
“ took three fresh eggs of Aleipj>e phayrii, in heavy jungle, at a very
low elevation, at the foot of Nwalabo in Tenasserim. The nest was
built in a small bush 4 feet from the ground (hanging between
two forked twigs), of bamboo and other leaves, moss, and a few
fine twigs, and lined with moss and fern-roots, 2 inches in diameter,
1^ deep. It was exactly like very many nests of A. phceocepluda,
taken on the Nilghiri Hills, though some of the latter are much
more compact and pretty

Mr. AV, Davison, also writing of Tenasserim, says:—‘‘ On the 1st
March, in a little bush about 2 feet above the ground, I found the
above-mentioned bird seated on a little moss-made nest, and utterly
refusing to move off until 1 almost touched her, when she hopped
on to a branch a few feet ofi, and disclosed three little naked fledg¬
lings struggling or just struggled out of their shells. I retired a
little way oh, and she immediately reseated herself. The eggs, to
judge by the fragments, were of a vinous claret tinge, spotted and
streaked with a darker shade of the same.’’

These eggs closely resemble those of A. nepalensis. They are
neither broad nor elongated ovals, often with a slight pyriform
tendency, always apparently very blunt at both ends.

The groimd-colour, of which but little is visible, in some eggs
varies from pinky white to pale reddish pink, and the egg is pro¬
fusely smeared and clouded with pinky or purplish red, varying
much in shade and tint. Here and there, in most eggs, are a few
spots, or occasionally short, crooked or curved lines, where the
colour has been laid on so thick that it is almost black, and such
spots are generally, though not always, more or less surrounded
with a haze of a rather deeper tint than the rest of the smear in
which they occur. The markings are often deepest coloured, or
most conspicuous, about the large end, where occasionally a recog¬
nizable cap is formed and there a decided purplish tinge may be
noticed in patches. The general character of the eggs is very uni¬
form ; but the eggs vary to such a“ degree inter se, that it is hopeless
to attempt to describe all the variations. They vary in length

BHOPOCICHLA,

109

from 0*68 to 0*78 and in breadth from 0*53 to 0*59, but the average
of nine eggs is 0*75 by 0*58.

166. Ehopocichla atriceps (Jerd.) The Blade-headed BahUer,

Alcippe atriceps {Jey'd.), Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 19; Himie, Rough
Draft N. ^ B. no. 390.

Writing from Coonoor in the Nilghiris, Mr. Wait tells me
that the Black-headed Babbler breeds in his neighbourhood in
June and July:—“It builds in weeds and grass beside the banks
of old roads, at elevations of from 5000 to 5500 feet. The nest is
placed at a height of from a foot to 2 feet from the ground, is
domed and loosely built, composed almost entirely of dry blades of
the lemon-grass, and lined with the same or a few softer grass-
blades. In shape it is more or less ovate, the longer axis vertical,
and the external diameters 4 and 8 inches. They lay two or
three rather broad oval eggs, which have a white ground, speckled
and spotted, chiefly at the lai’ge end, with reddish brown.’’

Miss Cockburn sends me a nest of this species which she found
on the I7th June amongst reeds on the edge of a stream, about 2
or 3 feet above the water’s edge. It appears to have been a glo¬
bular mass very loosely put together, of broad reed-leaves, between
3 or 4 inches in diameter, and with a central unlined cavity,

Mr, Iver Maepherson, writing from Mysore, says :—“ I have
only met with this bird in heavy bamboo-forest, and have only
found two nests, viz., on the 25Lh May and 2nd July, 1879. Both
nests were fixed low down (2 to 3 feet) in bamboo-clumps, and
each contained two eggs, which, for the size of the bird, I con¬
sidered very large. Neat globular, and very loosely constructed of
bamboo-leaves and blades of grass.”

An egg sent me from Coonoor by Mr. Wait is a moderately
broad, very regular oval, only slightly compressed towards the
smaller end. The shell is very fine and satiny, but has only a slight
gloss. The ground-colour is white or slightly greyish white, and
towards the large end it is profusely specMed with minute dots of
brownish and purplish red, a few specks of the same colour being
scattered about the rest of the surface of the eggs.

Another egg sent me from Kotagherry by Miss Cockburn exactly
corresponds with the above description.

Both are precisely the same in size, and measure 0*75 by 0*55.
Other eggs measure from 0*75 to 0*79 in length by 0*53 to 0*58 in
breadth^.

Mr. T. Fulton Boiirdillon (S. F. ix, p. 300) gives an interesting account of
the nest and eggs of a species of Ehopocichla which he failed to identify satisfac¬
torily. It may have been E. atriceps or E. hourdillom. Most probably, judging
from the locality, it was the latter. As, however, there is a doubt about it, I do
not insert the note.— Ed.

110

CEATEROPODIDiE.

167. Eliopocichla nigrifrons (Bl.). The Blach-fronted Bahhler.

Alcippe nigi’ifrous^ BL, Hume, Cat. no. 390 ter.

Colonel Legge writes regarding the nidification of the Black-
fronted Babbler in Ceylon:—“ After finding hundreds of the curious
dry-leaf structures, mentioned in ‘ The Ibis,’ 1874, p. 19, entirely
void of contents, and having come almost to the conclusion that
they were built as roosting-places, I at last came on a newly-con-
strncted one containing two eggs, on the 5th of January last; the
bird was in the nest at the time, so that my identification of the
eggs was certain. The nest of this Babbler is generally placed in
a bramble or straggling piece of undergrowth near a path in the
jungle or other open spot; it is about 3 or 4 feet from the ground,
and is entirely made of dead leaves and a few twigs ; the leaves are
laid one over another horizontally, forming a smooth bottom or
interior. In external form it is a shapeless ball about 8 or 10
inches in diameter, and has an unfinished opening at the side.
The birds build with astonishing quickness, picking up the leaves
one after another from the ground just beneath the nest. When
fresh the eggs are fleshy white, becoming pure white when emptied;
they are large for the size of the bird, rather stumpy ovals, of a
smooth texture, and spotted openly and sparingly with brownish
red, over bluish-grey specks ; in one specimen the darker markings
are redder than in the other, and run mostly in the direction of
the axis. Dimensions : 0*74 by 0*56 and 0-74 by 0-55.”

169. Stachyrhis nigriceps, Hodgs. The Blade-throated Bahhler.

Stachjnis nigriceps, Hodgs.., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 21; Hume, Rough
Draft N. E. no. 391.

I have never taken a nest of this species, the Black-throated
Babbler, but Mr. Gammie, a careful observer, in whose neighbour¬
hood (Bungbee, near Darjeeling) this bird is very abundant, has
taken many nests, two of which he has sent me, with many eggs.

One nest, found at Eishap, on the 14th May, at an elevation of
about 4000 feet, contained four nearly fresh eggs. It was a very
loose structure, a shallow cup of about 3| inches in diameter, com¬
posed of fine grass-stems without any lining, and coated externally
with broad coarse grass-blades.

Another nest taken low down in the valley, at about an elevation
of 2000 feet, on the 17th June, contained three fresh eggs. It was
placed in a bank at the foot of a shrub. Like the previous one,
it was a loose but rather deeper cup, interiorly composed of mode¬
rately fine grass, exteriorly of dead leaves. The egg-cavity mea¬
sured about 2 inches in diameter, and 1| inch in depth. In situ,
both probably were more or less domed, the cups more or less over¬
hung by a hood or canopy.

Mr. Gammie remarks ;—“ I have seen numerous nests of this

STACHYRHIS.

Ill

species in former years, and have found two this season, but have
never seen eggs with ‘ faint darker spots ’ as mentioned by Jerdon.
Hodgson’s description is quite correct. The eggs area ‘ pale fawn-
colour ’ before they are hloiun, the shells being so translucent that
the yolk shows through partiall}^ The shell is pure white in itself.
The cavity of the cup-shaped part of one nest beside me is 2 inches
deep by 2 inches wide; outer dimensions 5| inches deep (from top
of hood) by 4 inches wide across the face of entrance. It is loosely
though neatly made of bamboo-leaves and fern, lined with dry
grass. The bird breeds in May and June, and lays four or five
eggs.’’

Mr. Eugene Oates tells us that he “ procured only one specimen
of this bird, and that was in the evergreen forests of the Pegu Hills.
1 shot it off the nest on the 29tli April. The nest was ou a bank
of a nullah well concealed among dead leaves, about 2 feet above
the bottom of the bank. The nest is domed, about 7 inches in
height and 5 inches in diameter externally, with the entrance at
the side near the top. The outside is a mass of bamboo-leaves
very loose, being in no way bound together; each leaf is curled to
the shape of the nest. The inside, a thin lining only of vegetable
fibres. There were thi^ee eggs, ]ust on the point of hatching;
colour, pure white.”

The Black-throated Babbler breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson,
in April and May, and builds a large deep cup-shaped nest, either
upon the ground in the midst of grass, or at a short distance above
the groundbetweenfive or six thin twigs ; a nest which he measured
was externally 4*5 inches in diameter and 3*5 in height, while the
cavity was 2*5 in diameter and 2 in depth. The nest is composed of
dry bamboo- and other leaves wound together with grass and moss-
roots, and lined with these, and is a very firm compact structure,
considering the materials. They lay four or five eggs, which are
figured as very regular rather broad ovals, of a nearly uniform, very
pale cafe-au-lait colour (these were the unhlown eggs), measuring
about 0*75 by 0-58.

Dr. Jerdon remarks :—A nest and eggs were brought to me at
Darjeeling, and said to be of this species. The nest was rather
large, very loosely made of bamboo-leaves and fibres, and the eggs
were of a pale salmon-colour, with some faint darker spots.”

There is no doubt that these must have been the eggs of some
other species.

Major C. T. Bingham tells us:—“ This little bird, though not
at all common, breeds in the Sinzaway Reserve, in Tenasserim. I
took five hard-set eggs, placed in a beautiful little domed nest, at
the foot of a clump of bamboos, on the bank of a dry choung or
nullah. This was on the 20th March. The nest was composed
exteriorly of dry bamboo-leaves, and interiorly of fine grass-roots,
the entrance being on one side. I shot the female as she crept off
the nest.”

It does not seem that in the Himalayas this species domes its
nest. Numerous other nests that have been sent me from Sikhim,

112

CEATEROPODIDiB.

takeu in May, Jline, and J uly, were all of the same type—shallow
or deeper cups loosely put together, exteriorly composed of coarse
blades of grass, dead leaves, baiiiboo-spathes and the like, held
together with a little vegetable fibre or fibrous roots, and interiorly
of fine grass generally more or less mingled with blackish roots,
which in some nests greatly predominate over the grass.

The eggs are broad ovals, somewhat compressed towards one
end, in some cases slightly pyriform. They are pure white, spot¬
less, and fairly glossy.

They vary from 0*68 to 0*84 in length, and from 0*55 to 0*61
in breadth, but the average of thirty-four eggs is 0*76 by somewhat
over 0*58.

170. StachyrMs chrysaea, Hodgs. The Goldoi-luailed Babbler.

Stachyris chrysasa, Hodgs.j Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 22; Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ E. no. 394.

Mr. Blyth remarks :—“ The egg, as figured by Mr. Hodgson, is
pinkish white, and the nest domed and placed on the summit of a
sedge. jgrcBoognita lays a blue egg.*’ (Ibis, 1866, p. 309.)

There is no figure of either the nest or eggs ot‘ the G-olden-
headed Babbler amongst the drawings of Mr. Hodgson that I
possess.

Erom Sikliim Mr. Gammie writes :—‘‘ I took a nest of this bird
out of a large forest, at 5000 feet elevation, on the 15th May. It
is of an oval shape, neatly made of small bamboo-leaves only,
devoid of lining, and was fixed vertically between a few upright
sprays, within two feet of the ground. It measures externally 5*25
inches in height by 4 in diameter; internally 1*5 in depth, from
lip of egg-cavity, by 1*75 in diameter. The entrance is also 1*75
across.

“ The eggs were four in number; three of them well set and the
fourth quite fresh. The set eggs were altogether pure white, but
the fresh egg, unblown, was of a pinky-white colour with a pure
white cap; when blown it exactly resembled the others.”

The eggs sent as pertaining to this species by Mr. Gammie are
very regular ovals, pure white, and somewhat glossy, but they are
so small that I can scarcely credit their really belonging to this
species. Their cubit contents are not half tliose of the average
eggs of nigriceps. They measure 0*63 by 0*48.

172. Stachyrhidopsis ruficeps, BL The Eed-headed Babbler.

Stachyri^ ruficeps, BL, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 22; Hume, Rough Draft

The Eed-headed Babbler breeds in Nepal, according to Mr. Hodg¬
son, from April to June, building a large massive cup-shaped nest
amongst bamboos, as a rule, at heights of from 7 to 10 feet from
the ground. The nest is wedged in between half a dozen or more

STACHTRHIDOPSIS.

113

creepers and shoots, and is composed almost exclusively o£ dry
bamboo-leaves neatly, but rather loosely, interwoven, and lined
also with these leaves. One which he measured was rather oval in
shape, 5*25 inches in diameter one way, by 4 the other, and 3-6 in
height. The leaves used in the rim of the cup were projected a
little inwards, so as to make the mouth of the cavity a little smaller
than the diameter of this latter within. The diameter of the mouth
was 2 inches, that of the cavity 2*5, and the latter is about 1-5
deep. Tour eggs are laid, a sort of bi'ownish white, speckled and
spotted with brown or reddish brown. The egg figured measures
0*7 by 0*52, and is a moderately broad, regular oval.

Tr. Jerdon says :—‘‘ A nest and eggs, said to be of this species,
were brought to me at Darjeeling. The nest was a loose structure
of grass and fibres, and contained two eggs of a greenish-white
colour with some rusty spots.”

Trom Sikhim Mr. G-ammie writes :—I took two nests of this
Babbler in April; one of them at an elevation of 3500 feet, the
other at 5000 feet, but it no doubt breeds also both lower and
higher. They are of a neat egg-shape, with entrance at side, and
were fixed vertically between a few upright sprays, within three feet
of the ground, in open situations near large trees. Mr. Hodgson
evidently did not take the one he describes with his own hands,
for he places it horizontally, which gives a height of 3*6 inches
only. The external dimensions are about 5*5 inches in height and
4 in diameter. Internally the diameter is 2 inches, and the depth,
from roof, 3*25. The entrance is 2 across. They are composed of
dry bamboo-leaves only, put neatly and firmly together, and are
lined with a very few grassy fibres. They each contained four
well-set eggs.’’

Mr. Mandelli, however, took a nest of this species at Lebong on
the 23rd June, in the middle of a tea-bush which grew at the side
of a small ravine, which w'as neither hooded nor domed. The nest
w'as about 18 inches from the ground and completely sheltered from
above by tea-leaves. It was a deep cup composed externally chieHy
of bamboo-leaves, but with a good many dead leaves of trees in¬
corporated in the base, and lined wdth very fine grass-stems. It
contained four fresh eggs. It is quite clear that this species, like
S. nigrice^s, only domes its nest in certain situations.

The eggs obtained by Mr. Gainmie and Mr. Mandelli are very
regular, slightly elongated ovals. The shell is very fine and com¬
pact, but has only a faint gloss. The ground is white and round
the larger end is a zone or imperfect cap of specks and spots of
browmish red, generally intermingled with tiny spots, usually very
faint, of pale purple. A few specks and spots brown, yellowish,
or reddish browm, and sometimes also pale purple, are scattered
about the rest of the egg.

In length the eggs vary from 0*64 to 0*72, and in breadth from
0*50 to 0*53, but the average of eight eggs was 0*68 by 0*52
nearly.

VOL. I.

8

114

CEATEROPODIDiE.

174. Stachyrliidopsis pyrrhops, Hocigs. The Eed-UlUd Balhler.

Stachyris pyrrhops, Ilodgs., Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 21; Hume, Bough
Draft E. no. 892.

Accounts differ somewhat as to the eggs o£ the E,ed-billed
Babbler.

From Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall writes : —‘‘ Nest found
in low ground, about 100 yards from the Eiver Jheeluin, situated
in a low bush externally composed o£ broad dry reed-leaves, and
interiorly of fine grass, cup-shaped. Eggs, four in number, long-
oval, white, with a few reddish specks at the larger end. Length
*7, breadth *5. Lays in the latter end of June, 4000 feet up.”

The nest, which he kindly sent me, is a deep cup, coarsely made
interiorly of grass-stems, externally of broad blades of grass, in
which a few dead leaves are incorporated; there is no lining.
Exteriorly the nest is about 3*5 inches in diameter, and about 3 in
depth; the egg-cavity is a little more than 2 inches in diameter,
and fully 1-75 in depth.

Mr.Hodgson found the nest’’ of this species in Nepal, “ at an
elevation of about 6000 feet, in shrubby upland.” It was “ placed in
a small shrub about 2 feet from the ground.” It was “ a very deep
cup, about 4 inches in length, and 2*5 in diameter externally,
placed obliquely endwise upon cross-stems of the shrub, and
opening, as it were obliquely, upwards at one end,” the cavity
being about 1*5 in diameter. The nest was made of “ dry leaves
and grass pretty compactly woven.” The nest “ contained four
eggs,” which are described as whitish, with spare and faint
fawn-coloured spots,” and are figured as measuring 0*65 by 0*47.

Captain Hutton says :—‘‘ This is a common species both in the
Dhoon and in the hills, and may be found at all seasons, making
known its presence among the brushwood by the utterance of a
clear and musical note like the ringing of a tiny bell. In the
winter time it is often mixed up with flocks composed of Biva
sirigula and Liothrix luteus, creeping among the bushes like the
Pari and Phylloscogn. It constructs its nest at the base of bushes,
the eggs being three in number, of a faint greenish grey, thickly
irrorated with small reddish-brown specks. The nest is composed
of dry grass-blades externally, within which is a layer of fine
woody stalks and fibres, and lined mth black hair. It is cup¬
shaped, and placed upon a thick bed of dried leaves, which are
most probably accumulated beneath the bush by the wind. One
nest was taken at Dehra, in a garden, on the 30th July, and others
at Mussoorie about the same time.”

But the eggs sent by Captain Hutton clearly do not, I think,
pertain to this species. Those taken by Colonel Marshall are
certainly genuine, and are considerably larger and very differently
coloured eggs.

In shape they are moderately broad ovals, some of them slightly
compressed towards the small end. The shell is very fine and
smooth, but with scarcely any gloss ; the ground is pure white,

CYAjS-ODERMA.-MIXOBNIS.

115

and they are thinly speckled and spotted, the markings being
much more numerous about the large en(l, where they have a
tendency to form an ill-defined cap or zone with brownish red or
pinky brown.

In length they vary from 0*62 to 0*69, and in breadth from 0*5
to 0*52.

175. Cyanoderma erytliropterxim (Blyth). The lied-wuirjed
Bahhler,

Cyanoderma erjthropteriim, i?/., Humey Cat. no. 39G bis.

Mr. W. Davison found the nest of the Bed-winged Babbler at
Bankasoon on the 23rd April, just when he w*as leaving the place.
Unfortunately the birds had not yet laid. The nest was a ball
composed of dry reed-leaves, about 6 inches in diameter. Extern¬
ally, with a circular aperture on one side, very like that of Mixoniis
ruhricainlltis and of Diimeticty and again not at all unlike that of
Ochromela nigrorufa-y but placed in a bush about 4 feet high and
pot on the ground.

176. Mixornis rubricapillus (Tick.). The Yellow-breasted Bahhler.

Mixornis rubricapilla {Tick.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 23 j Hume, Rough
Draft N, j&. no. 39o.

This, though said, to occur also in Central India, is a purely
Indo-Burmese form, found chiefly in the Eastern sub-Hi mal ay an
jungles, Assam, Cachar, Burma, and Tenasserim.

It is only from this latter province that I have any information
as to the nidification of the Yellow-breasted Babbler.

Mr. Davison writes to me:—‘‘ At a small village, called Shy-
mootee or Tsinmokehtee, about 7 miles from the town of Tavoy,
and very slightly above the sea-level, say 50 feet, I found on the
6th of May, 1874, a nest of this species. The nest was placed in a
dense clump of a very thorny plant (somewhat like a pineapple
bush) about a foot from the ground; it was not particularly well
concealed. The nest w^as built of bamboo-leaves, and in general
appearance was not at all unlike that of Ochromela nigromfa ; but
the egg-cavity was very shallow, so that by moving aside an over¬
hanging leaf the eggs were distinctly visible. There were three
partially incubated eggs in the nest, a somewhat dull white, spotted
with pinkish dots.’’

The nest is more or less egg-shaped, the longer axis vertical,
with a circular aperture on one side near the top.

The exterior diameters are 5 and nearly 4 inches. The aperture
about 1*5 in diameter. The cavity is barely 2 inches in diameter,
and only 1*25 deep below the lower edge of the entrance.

Both nest and eggs strongly recall those oL’ Damctia hyperijthra.
The former is composed of the broad, grass-like leaves of the

8 ^

116

CRATEROPODIDjE.

bamboo, and with only a few stems of grass here and there inter¬
mingled as if by accident. In the sides of the cavity the leaf-
blades are so neatly laid together, side by side, that the interior
seems as if planked, and at the bottom of the cavity there is a
very scanty lining of very fine grass-stems.

Mr. Oates says :—I found a nest on the 2nd June near Pegu,
with three eggs. Pailing to snare the bird at once, I left the nest
for a short time, and on my return found the eggs gone. I am
satisfied, however, that the nest belonged to the present species;
for I caught a glimpse of the sitting bird. The nest was built on
the top of a stump, well concealed by leafy twigs, except the
entrance, which was open to view. It was a ball of grass with the
opening at the side.

28i/i June .—ISTest in a shrub about 10 feet from the ground.
A domed structure with an opening at the side 3 inches high by
2 broad. Height of nest about 6 and outside width 4. Made
entirely of bamboo-leaves and lined sparingly with grass. Eggs 3.

‘‘ I have found numerous nests of this species, but always after
the young had flown. They appear almost always to be placed in
shrubs at heights of 2 to 10 feet from the ground. One nest,
however, on which I watched the birds at work, was in a pine¬
apple plant between the stalk of the fruit and one of the leaves,
almost on the ground.^’

The eggs are regular ovals, moderately elongated, only very
slightly compressed towards the smaller end, which is only just
appreciably smaller.

The shell is very fine and delicate, excessively smooth and
fragile, but with only a faint gloss. The ground is a dead white,
with perhaps the least possible pinkish tinge. The markings con¬
sist of tiny specks of brownish or purplish red and pale yellowish
brown, thinly scattered over the rest of the surface, but compara¬
tively densely clustered round the larger end, where they form a
rather conspicuous though irregular and imperfect zone, apparent
enough in all, but much more strongly marked in one egg than in
the others.

In some eggs the markings are all rather bright red and dull
purplish grey ; some have a very fair amount of gloss, and a very
pure china-white ground.

The eggs vary in length from 0*65 to 0*71, and in breadth from
0*5 to 0-53.

177. Mixornis gularis (Eaffl.). The Sumatran Yellow-breasted
Babbler,

Mixornis gularis (JETor^.), JErume, Cat. no. 395 bis.

The eggs * are very similar to those of M. rubrica.pillus^ but are.

* I cannot find any note about the nest of this species. Mr. Davison was
probably the finder of the eggs described.— Ed.

SCHGENIPAETJS.

117

perhaps, as a rule, better marked. They are very regular ovals,
typically rather slightly elongated, often slightly compressed to¬
wards the small end; the shell is very fine and fragile, and has
usually a fair amount of gloss. The ground is usually pure white,
at times with a pinkish tinge. E-ound the large end is a more or
less conspicuous, more or less continuous zone of specks, spots, and
small irregular blotches of two colours, the one varying in different
eggs from almost brick-red to brownish orange, the other from
reddish purple to purplish grey. In some cases a very few, in
others a good many, specks and tiny spots of the same colours are
scattered about the other portions of the egg. The eggs measure
0*7 by 0*51.

178. Schceniparus dubius (Hume). Hume's Tit-BalUer.

Proparus dubius, Hume ; Htime^ Cat. no. 622 bis.

Mr. W. Davison has furnished me with the following note:—

“ On the 21st of February I took a nest of this species on Muleyit
mountain containing two eggs, and out of the female which I shot
off the uest I took another egg ready for expulsion which was in
every particular precisely similar to those in the nest.

“ The nest was a large globular structure, composed externally of
dried reed-leaves, very loosely put together, the egg-cavity deep
and lined with fibres. It was placed on the ground close to a
rock, and at the foot of a Zingiberaceous plant, and rather exposed
to view. The nest was not unlike that of Pomatorhinus, but of
coarse considerably smaller, not so much domed, and with the mouth
of the egg-cavity pointing upwards.

“ A few days later, on the 25th, I took a second nest, quite similar
in shape and materials to the first one, but placed several feet above
the ground, in a dense mass of creepers growing over a rock. It
was quite exposed to view, and from a distance of 3 or 4 feet the
eggs were quite visible.

“ There were three eggs in the nest, similar to those in the first
nest. Both parent birds were obtained. The first nest measured
5 inches long by 4*5 wide, the egg-cavity 3*8 deep by 2*75 wide at
the entrance. The other was about half an inch smaller each way.

“The measurements of the six eggs varied from 0*76 to 0*81 in
length by 0*56 to 0*6 in width, but the average was 0*78 by 0*59.’’

The eggs are rather narrow ovals, as a rule, occasionally much
pointed towards one end. The shell is very fine and has a faint
gloss. The ground-colour is white. The markings, which are dif¬
ficult to describe, consist first of spots, specks, and hair-line
scratches, dark brown, almost black occasionally, and a great
amount of irregular clouding, streaking, and smudging of a pale
dirty-browm, slightly reddish in some eggs. Besides this, about the
large end there is an indistinct irregular zone of faint inky
purple spots and small blotches, and a few spots of this same colour
may be observed on other parts of the egg.

118

CUATEROPODlDiE.

182. Sittiparus castaneiceps (Hoclgs.). The Chestnut-headed
Tit-Bahhler,

Minla castaneiceps, Horh/s.^ Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 255 ; Bough

Draft K JE. no. GIO'

Mr. Hodgson’s notes inform us that the Chestnut-headed Tit-
Babbler breeds in the neighbourhood of Darjeeling in May and
June, laying four eggs, which are figured as somewhat elongated
ovals, having a very pale greenish^yellow or dingy yellowish-white
ground finely speckled, chiefly at the large end, where there is a
tendency to form a zone, with red or brownish red, and measuring
0*75 by 0*52. The nest is said to be placed in a thick bush, at a
height of about 3 feet from the ground, in a double fork ; to be
very broad and shallow, composed of twigs, grass, and moss, and
lined with leaves. One, taken on the 18th May, 1846, measured 6
inches in diameter and 2*5 in height externally; the cavity was
only 2*1 in diameter and 1 in depth.

Erom Sikhim Mr. Grammie writes:—‘‘A nest of this bird, with
one fresh egg and female, w as brought to me in May. The man
said he found the nest in the Eungbee forest, at 6000 feet, among
the moss growing on the trunk of a large tree, a few feet from
the ground. It was a solid cup, made of green moss, with an inner
layer of fine dark-coloured roots, and lined with grassy fibres.
Externally it measured 4 inches in width by the same in depth;
internally 1*5 wide by 1*25 deep.”

Three eggs sent by Mr. Gammie measure 0*7 to 0*75 in length
and 0*55 to 0*59 in breadth.

Mr. Davison says :—“ On the 20th of February, when encamped
just under the summit of Muleyit, on its N.W. slope, I found a
nest of this bird containing three eggs, but so hard-set that it w as
only with the greatest difiiculty that I managed to preserve them.

“ The nest, a deep cup, w'as placed about 5 feet from the ground,
in a mass of creepers growing up a sapling. It (the nest) w^as,
composed externally of green moss and li:ied with fibres and dry
bamboo-leaves.

“On the29thof the same month I took another nest, also con¬
taining three eggs, precisely similar to those in the first nest; but
these were so far incubated and the shell w'as so fragile that they
were all lost. This nest w as also composed externally of green
moss, beautifully w'orked into the moss growing on the trunk of
a large tree, and it was only with considerable difiiculty, and after
looking for some time, that I found it. The egg-cavity of this
nest wvas also lined with fibres and dried bamboo-leaves.

“The first nest found was open at the top, and measured
5*5 inches in depth, 3 across the top externally, the egg-cavity
3*5 in depth by 1*8 in diameter at top.

“ The second nest w'as completely domed at the top, and measured
externally 7 inches in depth by about 3*5 at top. The egg-cavity
was 2*5 inches deep by 1*5 across the mouth.

“Three eggs measured 0*7to 0*75 in length, and 0*55 to 0*59 in
breadth.”

PROPARUS.

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. Proparus vinipectus (Hodgs.). The Plain-brown Tit-Babbler,

Proparus vinipectus (^IIod(/s.), Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 257 ; Hume, Pouyh
Draft N. JS. no. 622.

The Plain-brown Tit-Babbler is not uncommon in the higher
wooded hills betv 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 fine 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 di:Eerent, the ground-colour and the character
of the markings much recall those of Liotlirix luttus. The egg has
little or no gloss, and measures 0*73 by 0*55.

Mr. Mandelli 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-
w^ood, 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.

120

CKATEEOPOIUBB.

184. Lioparus cliryssBUS (Hodgs.). The Golden-hreasted Tit-
Bahhler.

Proparus cliiysaeus, Hodgs.^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 256 ; Hume, Bough
Draft N. JS. no. 621.

The Groldeii-breasted Tit-Babbler breeds, according to Mr. Hodg¬
son’s notes, near Darjeeling and in the central region of Nepal.
Jt lays from three to four eggs, which are iigiired as somewhat
broad ovals, measuring 0*7 by 0*5, with a pinky-white ground,
speckled and spotted thinly, except towards the large end, where
there is a tendency to form a cap or zone, with brownish red. The
nest is oval or rather egg-shaped, and fixed with its longer dia¬
meter perpendicular to the ground in a bamboo-clump between a
dozen or so of the small lateral shoots, at an elevation of only a few
feet from the ground. One, taken near Darjeeling on the 12th June,
measured externally 6 inches in height, 4*5 in breadth, and 3
inches in depth, and on one side it had an oval aperture 2*5 in
height and 1*75 in breadth. It appeared to have been entirely
composed of dry bamboo-leaves and broad blades of grass loosely
interwoven, and with a little grass and moss-roots as lining.

Hodgson originally named this bird Proparus chrgsotis, but as the
bird has silvery ears Hodgson himself rejected this name and adopted
the one given above. Mr. G-ray, however, retains the specific name
cJirysotis. Now, I think a man has a pei'fect right to change his own
name; what I object to is other people presuming to do it for him.

Subfamily BRACHYPTERYGIN^.

187. Myioplioneus temmincki, Vigors. The Himalayan Whistling-

Thrush.

Myiophonus temminckii, Vig., Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 500; Hume, Rough
Draft N. SfKno. 343.

The Himalayan ’Whistling-Thrush breeds throughout the Hima¬
layas from Assam to Afghanistan, in shady ravines and wooded
glens, as a rule, from an elevation of 2000 to 5000 feet, but, at
times, especially far into the interior of the hills, up to even 10,000
feet.

It lays during the last week of April, May, and June. The
number of eggs varies from three to five.

The nest is almost invariably placed in the closest proximity to
some mountain-stream, on the rocks and boulders of which the
male so loves to warble; sometimes on a mossy bank ; sometimes in
some rocky crevice hidden amongst drooping maiden-hair; some¬
times on some stream-encircled slab, exposed to view from all
sides, and not unfrequently curtained in by the babbling waters of
some little waterfall behind which it has been constructed. The

MYIOPHONEirS.

121

nest is always admirably adapted to surroanding conditions.
Safety is always sought either in inaccessibility or concealment.
Built on a rock in the midst of a roaring torrent, not the smallest
attempt at concealment is made; the nest lies open to the gaze of
every living thing, and the materials are not even so chosen as to
harmonize with the colour of the site. But if an easily accessible
sloping mossy bank, ever bejewelled with the spray of some little
cascade, be the spot selected, the nest is so worked into and coated
with moss as to be absolutely invisible if looked at from below, and
the place is usually so chosen that it cannot well be looked at, at
all closely, from above.

Captain Tin win sent me an unusually beautiful specimen of the
nest of this species, taken earl}^ in May in the Agrore Valley—a
massive and perfect cup, with a cavity of 5 inches in diameter and
3 inches deep ; the sides fully 2 inches thick; an almost solid mass
of fine roots (the hnest towards the interior) externally inter¬
mingled with moss, so as to form, to all appearance, an integral
portion of the mossy bank on which it was placed. In the bottom
of the nest were interwoven a number of dead leaves, and the
w'hole interior was thinly lined with very fine grass-roots and moss.
In this case the nest had been placed on a tiny natural platform
and was a complete cup ; but in another nest, also sent by Captain
Unwin, the cup, having been placed on the slope of a bank, wanted
(and this is the more common type) the inner one-third altogether,
the place of which was supplied by the bank-moss in situ. In this
case, although the cavity was only of the same size as that above
described, the outer face of the nest was fully 6 inches high, and
the wall of the nest between 3 and 3| inches thick. The former
contained three much incubated, the latter four nearly fresh eggs.

A nest from Darjeeling which was taken on the 28th July, at an
elevation of about 3500 feet, from under a rock -uhich partly over¬
hung a stream, and contained two fresh eggs, was composed in
almost equal proportions of fine moss-roots and dead leaves with
scarcely a trace of moss. In this case the nest was entirely con¬
cealed from view, and no necessity, therefore, existed for coating
it externally with green moss to prevent its attracting attention.

Dr. Jerdoii remarks :—“ I have had its nest and eggs brought
me (at Darjeeling); the nest is a solid mass of moss, mixed with
earth and roots, of large size, and placed (as I wus informed) under
an overhanging rock near a mountain-stream. The eggs were
three in number, and dull green, thickly overlaid with reddish
specks.”

“ In Kumaon,” writes Mr.R. Thompson, “ they breed from May
to July, along all the smaller hill-streams, from 1500 up to about
4500 feet. In the cold season it descends quite to the plains—I
mean the Sub-Himalayan plains. The nest is generally more or
less circular, 5 or 6 inches in diameter, composed of moss and mud
clinging to the roots of small aquatic plants or of the moss, and
lined with fine roots and sometimes liair. A deep well-w’atered
glen is usually chosen, and the nest is placed in some cleft or

122

CH ATEROPODIDiE.

between the ledges of some rock, often immediately overhanging
some deep gloomy pool.”

‘‘ On the 16th June,” observes Captain Hutton, writing from
Mussoorie, ‘‘ I took two nests of this bird, each containing three
eggs, and also another nest, containing three nearly-fledged young
ones. The nest bears a strong resemblance to that of the Geociclilce,
but is much more solid, being composed of a thick bed of green moss
externally, lined first with long black fibrous lichens and then with
fine roots. Externally the nest is 3i inches deep, but within only
2| inches; the diameter about 4| inches, and the thickness of the
outer or exposed side is 2 inches. The eggs are three in number,
of a greenish-ashy colour, freckled with minute roseate specks,
which become confluent and form a patch at the larger end. The
elevation at which the nests were found was from 4000 to 4500
feet; but the bird is common, except during the breeding-season,
at all elevations up to the snows, and in the winter it extends its
range down into the Boon. In the breeding-season it is found
chiefly in the glens, in the retired depths of which it constructs its
nest; it never, like the Thrushes and Gi'OcicJdce, builds in trees or
bushes, but selects some high, towering, and almost inacessible
rock, forming the side of a deep glen, on the projecting ledges of
which, or in the holes from which small boulders have fallen, it
constructs its nest, and where, unless when assailed by man, it
rears its young in safety, secure alike from the howling blast and
the attack of wild animals. It is known to the natives by the
name of ‘ Kaljet,^ and to the Europeans as the ‘Hill Blackbird.’
The situation in which the nest is placed is quite unlike that of
any other of our Hill-Thrushes with which I am acquainted. The
bird itself is as often found in open rocky spots on the skirts of
the forest as among the woods, loving to jump upon some stone or
rocky pinnacle, from which it sends forth a sort of choking, chat¬
tering song, if such it can be called, or, with an up-jerk of the tail,
hops away with a loud musical whistle, very much after the manner
of the Blackbird (M. vulgaris).^’

Sir E. C. Buck says:—“ I found a nest at Huttoo, near Nar-
khunda, date 27th June, 1869, on an almost inaccessible crag over¬
hanging a torrent. It contained three eggs, but two were broken
by stones falling in climbing down to the nest. Nest not brought
up; one egg secured and forwarded. I saw the bird well, and
have no doubt as to its identity.”

"Writing from Dhurmsalla, Captain Cock informed me that he
had obtained several nests in May in and about the neighbouring
streams, up to an elevation of some 5000 feet. Erom Murree,
Colonel C. H. T. Marshall remarks :—“ Several nests found in
June, near running streams, about 4000 feet up.”

Dr. Stoliezka tells us that “ it breeds at Chini and Sungnum at
an elevation of between 9000 and 11,000 feet.”

The eggs are typically of a very long oval shape, much pointed
at one end, but more or less truncated varieties (if I may use the
word) occur. They are the largest of our Indian Thrushes’ eggs.

KYIOPHON-EUS.

123

and are larger than those of any European Thrush with which I
am acquainted. Their coloration, too, is somewhat unique; a
Erench grey, greyish-white, or pale-greenish ground, speckled or
freckled with minute pink, pale purplish-pink, or pinldsh-brown
specks, in most cases thinly, in some instances pretty thickly, in
some only tow^ards the large end, in some pretty w’dl all over. In
the majority of the specimens there is, besides these minute specks,
a cloudy, ill-defined, purplish-pink zone or cap at the large end.
In some few there are also a few specks of bright yellowish brown.
The eggs have scarcely any gloss.

In length they vary from 1*24 to 1*55 inch, and in breadth from
0*95 to 1*1 inch, but the average of fifty eggs is 1*42 by about
1*0 inch.

18S. Mylophoneus engenii, Hume. The Burmese Whistlhig-

Thrush,

Myiophoneus engenii, Htime; Hume, Cat, no. 343 bis.

Major C. T. Bingham contributes the following note to the
‘ Birds of British Burmah’ regardingthe nidification of this species
in Tenasserim :—On the 16th April I w-as crossing the Mehk-
haneh stream, a feeder of the Meh-pa-leh, the largest tributary of
the Thoungyeen river, near its source, w’here it is a mere moun¬
tain-torrent brawling over a bed of rocks strewed with great
boulders. A small tree, drifted dow*n by the last rains, had caught
across two of these, and being jammed in by the force of the water,
had half broken across, and now formed a sort of temporary V-
sliaped dam, against which pieces of w^ood, bark, leaves, and rub¬
bish had collected, rising some six inches or so above the water,
w^ich found an exit below the broken tree. On this frail and
tottering foundation w'as placed a round solid nest about 9 inches
in diameter, made of green moss, and lined with fine black roots
and fibres, in w^hich lay four fresh eggs of a pale stone-colour,
sparsely spotted, especially at the larger ends, w-ith minute specks
of reddish brown. Determined to find out to what bird they be¬
longed, I sent my follow^ers on and hid myself behind the trunk of
a tree on the bank and w^atched, gun in hand. In about twenty
minutes or so a pair of Myiophoneus engenii came flitting up the
stream and, alighting near the nest, sat for a time quietly. At
last one hopped on the edge of the nest, and after a short inspec¬
tion sat down over the eggs with a low chuckle. I then show^ed
myself and, as the birds flew off, fired at the bird that had been
on the nest, but unfortunately missed. I was satisfied, however,
about the identity of the eggs and took them. In shape they are
somewhat like those of Pitta,, and measure 1*45x1*02,1*50 x 1*02,
1*46x1*01, and 1*50x1*01.’^

]24

CR^LTEEOPODIDiE.

189. MyiopllOlieilS horsfieldi, Vigors. The Malabar WJmtling-

Thrush,

Myiophoniis horsfieldii, Vig.^ Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 499; Hume, Bough
Draft N. ^ E. no. 342.

Mr. W. Dayison sa 3 ^s :—“ The Malabar WhistliDg-Tbrush
(rather a misnomer, b}^ the way) breeds on the slopes of the Nil-
ghiris, never ascending higher than 6000 feet. The nest is always
placed on some rock in a mountain torrent; it is a coarse and, for
the size of the bird, a very large structure, and though I have
never measured the nest, I should say that the total height was
about 18 inches or more, and the greatest diameter about 18 inches.
Exteriorly it is composed of roots, dead leaves, and decaying vege¬
tation of all kinds ; the egg-cavity, which is saucer-shaped and
comparatively shallow, is coarsely lined with roots. It breeds
during March and April.”

Miss Cockburn says A nest of this bird was found on the
22nd of March in a hole in a tree situated in a wood at a height
of about 40 feet from the ground. Two bamboo ladders had to be
tied together to reach it, for the tree had no branches except at
the top. The nest consisted of a large quantity of sticks and dried
roots of youug trees, laid down in the form of a Blackbird’s nest.
The contents of it were three eggs. They were quite fresh, and
the bird might have laid another. The poor birds (particularly the
hen) showed great boldness and returned frequently to the nest,
while a ladder was put up and a man ascended it.”

Such a situation for the nest of this bird may seem incredible ;
but my friend Miss Cockburn is a most careful observer, and she
sent me one of the eggs taken from this very nest, and it undoubt¬
edly belonged to this species; moreover, there is no other bird on
the Nilghiris that she, who has figured most beautifully all the
Nilghiri birds, could possibly have mistaken for this species. At
the same time, the situation in which she found the nest w^as alto¬
gether unusual and exceptional.

I now’ find that such a situation for the nest of this bird is not
even very unusual. On the 3rd of July Miss Cockburn took
another nest in a bole in a tree, about thirty feet from the ground,
containing three fresh eggs, wEich she kindly sent me; and writing
from the Wynaad Mr. J. Darling, jun., remarks that there this
species commonly builds in holes in trees. He says :—July
22nd. Nest found near Kythery, S. Wynaad, in a crevice of a log
of a felled tree in a new^ clearing 11 feet from the ground. ISTest
built entirely of roots. The foundation w’as of roots from some
swampy ground and had a good deal of mud about it- Another
nest was in a hole of a dead tree 32 feet from the ground.”

Mr. Erank Bo urdill on writes from Travancore :—“Very common
from the base to near the summit of the hills, frequenting alike jungle
and open clearings, though generally found in the neighbourhood of
some running stream ; I haveknowm this species to build on ledges
of rock and in a hollow^ tree overhanging a stream, in either case
constructing a rather loosely put together nest of roots and coarse

MYIOPHONETJS.

125

fibre with a little green moss intermixed. The female lays two to
four eggs, and both birds assist in the incubation.’’

Mr. T. Tiilton Bourdillon records the finding of eggs on the fol¬
lowing dates:—

“ April 29, 1873. Two hard-set eggs.

May 15, 1873. Three „

“ May 15, 1874. One fresh egg.

“ May 30, 1874. Two slightly set eggs.”

Ool. Butler sent me a splendid nest of this species taken in the
cliSs at Purandhur, 15 miles south of Poona. It was placed in
the angle between two rocks; it measures in front 7 inches wide,
and 1*5 in. high; posteriorly it slopes away into an obtuse angle
fitting the crevice in which it was deposited; the cavity is 4 in.
in diameter, perfectly circular, and 2*25 in depth. The compact¬
ness of the nest is such that it might be thrown about without
being damaged. It is composed throughout of fine black roots,
only a stray piece or two of light coloured grass being intermixed,
and the whole basal portion is cemented together with mud.

He gives the following account of the mode in which he ac¬
quired it: —

“ I got this nest in rather a singular way which is perhaps worth
relating. At a dance last year in Karachi, in a short conversation
I had with Colonel Benny, who was then commanding the Artillery
in Sind, he mentioned that he had three Blue-winged Thrushes in
his house that he had procured at Purandhur the year before. The
following day I went over to his bungalow, and after inspecting
them and satisfying myself of their identity, ascertained from him
where the nest they were taken from was situated and the season
at which it was found. Possessed with this information I wrote
in May to the Staff Officer at Purandhur, and told him where and
when the bird built and asked him if he would kindly assist me in
procuring the eggs. In reply I received a very polite letter saying
‘ that he knew nothing about eggs or birds himself, but that he
w^^ould be most happy to offer me any assistance in his power in
procuring the eggs referred to, and that he would employ a shikarri
to keep the hill-side that I had mentioned watched when the
breeding-season arrived.’ I wrote and thanked him, sending him
at the same time a drill and blowpipe by post, with full instructions
how to blow the eggs, in case he got any; and to my delight, at
the end of July a bhanghy parcel arrived one morning with the nest
and eggs above described.

‘‘ Colonel Benny told me that the birds built on this cliff-side
every monsoon.”

Mr. E. Aitken has furnished me with the following note :—

“ Of this bird I have seen two nests—one containing two hard-set
eggs on April 29, 1872, situated in a hole in a tree overhanging a
stream about 20 feet from the ground; the other containing three
hard-set eggs on May 22nd, 1872, and situated on a ledge of rock
in the bed of a stream; both the nests were rather coarsely made
of roots. My “brother says he has also found three other nests,
two placed in holes of trees and the other on a rocky ledge, but

126

CRATEROPODIB.'E.

the nests were in every case near to running water. The bird
stays with us all the year, and is one of our commonest species.
Its clear whistle is always to be heard the first thing in the morn¬
ing before the other birds get up, and daring the violent rains of
the S.W. monsoon it seems almost the only bird which does not
lose heart at the incessant downpour. April and May appear to
be the breeding months.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden remark:—“Scattered all over
the Deccan in suitable localities. W, got two nests, one on the
Bhore Grhat on 5th August, and one on the Thull Grhat on 17th of
same month. That on the Bhore Ghat was built on a ledge of
rock some 15 feet in from the face of a railway tunnel where 30 or
40 trains daily passed within a few feet of it. That on the Thull
Ghat was in a cutting at the entrance of a tunnel, and about the
same height above and from the rails as the one on the Bhore Ghat.
In both cases the eggs were much discoloured by the smoke from
engines, but on being washed, W. observed that one of the three eggs
in each nest was of a decidedly greenish hkie, finely speckled and
splashed with pinky brown, while the others were of the
salmo7i-jpm7c, as described in Mr. Hume’s Eough Draft of ‘ jNests
and Eggs.’ The male bird was sitting on one of the nests and
was shot. W. saw numerous other nests, sooie high up on cliffs,
beyond the reach of a 15-foot ladder. Two nests in holes in tz*ees
were reported to him, but he could not go to examine them. The
nests were about 4 inches diameter by 2| inches deep inside and
8 to 10 inches broad outside, and not more than 10 inches high.
The foundation portion contained a great deal of clay and earth,
which seemed to be necessary to secure the nests in positions so
exposed to the heavy gusts of wind which prevail on these
ghats during the monsoon.”

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan, writing from South India, says :—“ I
found the nest of this Thrush on the Seeghoor Ghaut of the ISTeil-
gherries, Mr. Davison was with me at the time; and the nest
being bnilt on an open ledge of rock, we both sighted it at the
same moment; and I having managed to make better use of my
legs than my friend, was fortunate enough to secure it, and one
egg, which was of a pale flesh-colour, with a few faint spots and
blotches of claret towards the larger end. The nest was made of
leaves and moss mixed with clay, and lined with fine roots. The
dimensions of the egg are 1-3 inch in length by *85 in breadth. It
was in May that I found this egg; but the nest had evidently
been deserted for some time; for the egg has a hole in its side,
through which the contents had escaped or been sucked by a snake
or some animal.”

Dr. Jerdon says :—“ I once procured its nest, placed under a
shelf of a rock on the Burliar stream, on the slope of the Hilghiris.
It was a large structure of roots, mixed with earth, moss, &c., and
contained three eggs of a pale salmon or reddish-fawn colour, with
many smallish brown spots;” and such is unquestionably the usual
situation of the nest.

LABVIVOEA.

127

The eggs of this species, which I have received from Kotagherry
and other parts of the Nilghiris, are broad, nearly regular ovals,
slightly compressed towards the lesser end; considerably elon¬
gated, and more or less spherical, and pyriform varieties occur.
The shell is fine, and has a slight gloss; the ground-colour is pale
salmon-pink or pinkish-white, occasionally greyish white. The
whole egg is, as a rule, finely speckled, spotted, and splashed with
pinkish brown or brownish pink. The markings, in most eggs,
everywhere very fine, are often considerably more dense at the
large end, where they are not unusually more or less underlaid by
a pinkish cloud, with which they form an irregular ill-defined and
inconspicuous cap.

- At times more boldly and richly marked eggs are met with ; one
now before me is everywhere thickly streaked with dull pink, in
places purplish, and over this is thinly but rather conspicuously
spotted and irregularly blotched (the blotches being small however)
with light burnt sienna-brown.

In length they vary from 1*18 to 1*48 inch, and in breadth from
0'92 to 1 inch.

191. Larvivora bruniiea, Hodgs. The Indian Bine Chat.

Larvivora cyana, Gould, Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 145 \ Hume, Bough
Draft N. D. no. 507.

I have never obtained the nest of the Indian Blue Chat. Mr.
Davison found it on the Nilghiris. He says : —I really quite
forget the details of that one egg which I brought you along with
the skin of the parent, but it was taken in May on the Nilghiris.
I remember very well another nest of this species, which I took in
the latter end of March or the beginning of April in a shola or
detached piece of jungle about 9 miles from Ootacamund.

“ The nest was in a hole in the trunk of a small tree, about 5
feet from the ground, and was composed chiefly of moss, but mixed
with dry leaves and twigs. It contained three young birds, appa¬
rently about four or five days old.”

The late Mr. Mandelli sent me a nest of this species which was
found at Lebong (elevation 5500 feet) on the 16th May. It con¬
tained three eggs, and was placed on the ground amongst grass on a
bank made by the cutting of a hill-road. It is a broad shallow nest,
composed exteriorly of vegetable fibre, scraps of dead leaves and
tiny pieces of moss matted closely together, and is rather thickly
lined with black and red hairs, amongst which one or two soft
downy feathers are incorporated. The external diameter of the
nest is about 4 inches, the height about 1*5, the cavity is about
2*75 inches in diameter, and rather less than 1 in depth.

Two eggs taken by Mr, Darling^ are very elongated, somewhat
cylindrical ovals, very obtuse at both ends. In both, the shell is
fine, and has an appreciable though not brilliant gloss. In one, the

* I caniiot find aay account of the finding of the nest of tliis bird.by Mr.
Darling amongst Mr. Hume’s notes.—^E d.

128

CRATER0P0DIDJ3.

ground is a pale delicate clay-brown, and the markings consist only
of a zone about 0-2 wide round the large end of densely set dull
brownish-red specks, and a few similar specks inside the zone only.
In the other, the ground has a light greenish tinge, the zone is less
marked and merges in a dull brownish-red mottled cap, and a
faint marbling, of a paler shade of the cap, is scattered here and
there over the whole surface of the egg. They measure 1 by 0*65
and 0*98 by 0-65.

The egg taken by Mr. Davison is an elongated, slightly pyri¬
form oval. The shell is moderately fine, but with only a very slight
gloss. The ground-colour is a pale slightly greyish green, and the
whole egg is thickly (most thickly so about the large end, where
the markings are almost perfectly confluent) mottled and streaked
with pale brownish red. It measures 0*98 by 0*67.

193. Brachypteryx albiventris (Dairbank). The White-helUed
Sliort-iuing.

Callene albiventris, Fairh.^ Hume, Tough Draft N. JE. no. 339 bis.

The Dev. S. D. Eairbank, to whom I have, owed much useful
information and many valuable specimens, kindly sent me the sub¬
joined account of the nidiflcation of the White-bellied Short-wdng
in the Pulney Dills at an elevation of about 6500 feet:—

“ In April, I found a nest in a hole in the side of the trunk of a
large tree some 2 feet from the ground. The hole was just large
enough for the nest, and was lined with fine roots. I surprised
the bird on her nest several times. There were two eggs in the
nest when I first found it that were ‘ hard-set.’ A month after¬
wards she laid two more in the same place, and I took them in
good condition. One egg measures 0*9 by'0*68 inch, and another
0*94 by 0*68 inch. The ground-colour is grey, with a tinge of
green, and it is thickly covered with small spots of bistre.”

Mr. Blanford, who saw the eggs, which I never did, describes
them (and by analogy, I should infer more correctly) as “of an
olive-brown colour, darker at the larger end, measuring 0*93 by
0*63 inch.”

An egg of this species sent me by Dr. Dairbank, measuring
0*93 by 0*66, is a somewhat elongated oval, slightly pointed towards
the small end. The shell is fine and fairly glossy; the ground¬
colour, so far as this is discernible, is greyish green, but it is so
thickly clouded and mottled all over with a warm brown, that but
little of the ground-colour is any where'traceable, and the general
result when the egg is looked at from a short distance is that of a
nearly uniform olive-brown.

Captain Horace Terry also found the nest of this bird on the Pulney
Hills. He says :—“ I met wdth it a few^ times in the big shola at
Kodikanal, and got two nests, each with two fresh eggs ; the first
on the 7th June in a hole in a tree between 4 and 5 feet from the
ground, a deep cup of green moss; the other, in a hole in the bank
of a path running through the sliQla was of green moss and a few

BRACnTPTEHYX.—^DEXMOCHARES.

129

fine fern-roots. Inside 1*75 inch deep and 2*5 inches across ;
outside a shapeless mass of moss filling up the hole it was built in.
The nest was A'ery conspicuous to any one passing by.”

194. Brachypteryx nifLventris (Blyth). The liufous-helliecl
Short-iving,

Callene rufiventris, Bh/th, Jerd. JB. hid. i, p. 496; Ilume^ Rough
Draft N. E. no. 330.

I have been favoured with nests of the Eufous-bellied Short-
wing by Mr. Carter, \vho took them from holes or depressions of
banks in the Kilghiris in April and May. They closely resemble
nests of Niltava macgrir/orice from Darjeeling. They are soft
masses of green moss, some 4 or 5 inches in diameter externally,
with more or less of a depression towards one side, lined with very
fine dark moss-roots. This depression may average about 2|
inches across and | inch in depth; but they vary a good deal.
Mr. Carter says :—“ I have found the nests of this species about
Conoor in May, in holes of banks, on roads running through thick
sholas (i. e. jungles not amounting to forests). The nests are of
moss, shallow, lined with fine root-fibres, the cavity about 3*5
inches in diameter. They lay tw'o eggs, pale olive, shading into a
decided brownish red at the larger end. The old birds are very
shy ill returning to the nest when watched; indeed, they are
always shy, hiding in the brushwood of jungles or amongst fallen
timber, along which they almost creep.”

Mr. Davison informs me that “ this species breeds on the k?il-
ghiris from about 5500 feet to about 7000 during April and May,
building in holes of trees, crevices of rocks, &c., seldom at any
great elevation above the ground. The nest is composed of moss,
lined with moss and fern-roots. Two or three eggs are laid.”

The few eggs I possess, which I owe to Messrs. Carter and
Davison, and which were taken by them in the Nilghiris, have a
pale olive-brown ground with, at the large end, an ill-defined
mottled reddish-brown cap. In some specimens the mottling
extends more or less over the whole egg, though always most dense
about the larger end. Though much larger and of a more elongated
shape, they not a little resemble some specimens of the eggs of
Frathicola indica that I possess. In shape they are long ovals,
recalling in that respect those of Mylophoneits temminchi ; they
have less gloss than the eggs of most of the Thrushes.

In length they vary from 0*97 to 1*02 inch, and in breadth from
0*65 to 0*69 inch.

197. Brymochares cruralis (Blyth). The White-lroiued
Short-iving,

Brachypteryx cruralis (Bl.)j Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 405; llumej Rough
Draft N. E. no. 338.

According to Mr, Hodgson’s notes and drawings, the White-
VOL. I. 9

130

CRATBROPODID^^:.

browed Short-wing breeds in April and May. It constiucl.s its
nest a foot or so above the ground amongst grass .and erei'pmg-
plaats at the base of trunks of trees ; it is composed of moss am
mss-roots, is somewhat globular in shape, and is hrmly attached
to the creepers; dried bamboo-leaves and pieces ot tern are Ikto
and there fixed to the exterior, and the nest is lined with luur-hko
fibres ; the entrance is at one side and circular. One nest measured
7 inches in height, 5-5 in width, and 3-33 from rout to back.
The aperture was 2 inches in diameter. The eggs (tour in number,
or at times three) are pure white, broad ovals, pointed at one end,
measuring 0-9 by 0-6o inch. This species^breeds in tlie central
regions of Nepal and in the neighbourhood of Daijeeling.

Three nests of this species found early in Juno in fiiklmn and
Nepal, at elevations of 5000 to 8000 feet, contained resjiectively
2, 3, and 4 fresh eggs. They were all placed in brushwood at 2 to
3 feet above the ground, and they are all precisely similar, being
ratter massive shallow cups, composed ot very tino black roots
firmly felted together, and with a few dead leaves or scraps ot moss
in most of them incorporated in one portion or other of the outer
surface. The nests are about 4 inches in diameter and 2 in
height; the cavity is about 2 inches in diameter and 1 in de])th ;
but, owung to the positions in which they are placed, they are ofteii
more or less irregulaiiv shaped.

Mr. Mandelli obtained three eggs which he_considers to belong
to this species, on the 3rd June, near Darjeeling. .1 ration' (|iu‘s-
tion the authenticity of these eggs. They are pnre^ whlh) and
devoid of gloss, moderately elongated ovals, only slightly coin-
pressed towards the smaller end. They vary from to 0*bi in
length and from 0'61 to 0*64 in breadth.

198. Drymochares nepalensis (ITodgs.). 27ie JS\' 2 '^al ^Short-wuiy,
Brachypteryx nipalensis^ JEodc/s.j Jerd. B. hid. i, p. 404.

Prom SikhimMr. Gammie writes :—“ A nest taken by nu‘ on tin)
15th of June at 5000 feet, close to a large forest, coinalncd three
slightly-set eggs. It was placed on the inoss-eovered trunk of a
fallen tree, and was hooded, with an entrance at the side ; rather
neatly made of dry leaves with an outer covering of green moss,
and an inner lining of skeletonized leaves and black fibrous roots.
Externally it measures 5 inches in height by about tlie same in
width ; internally 3 inches high by 2*4 across. The entrance was
2*3 in diameter. The front of the egg-cavity is but vslightly de¬
pressed below the entrance, gradually sloping backwards to the
depth of nearly an inch.”

All the nests of this species that I have seen w’ere of the same
type, more or less globular, more or less hoodtid or domed, accordiiig
to the situation in which they wei'e placed, composed of dry flags
and dead and more or less skeleton leaA^es, bound togetlier with a
little vegetable fibre and some moss, but chiefly with fine black
fibrous roots, with w^hich the entire cavity is densely lined, inside

ELAPHEOllNIS.—TESIA.

131

which again is a coating of more skeleton leaves ; they measure
exteriorly 4 or 5 inches in diameterj and the cavities are a little
above 2 by 2*5 inches in diameter.

Mr. Mandelli found two of these nests at Lebong (elevation
5500 feet), near Darjeeling, on the 8th July. One contained three
fresh eggs, the other three slightly incubated ones. They were
about 12 yards apart, in a very shady damp glen, in very dense
underwood, to the stems of which they were attached in a standing
position about 3 feet from the ground. The entrance was on one
side in both cases.

The eggs of this species obtained by Mr. Grainmie belong to the
same type as those of Bmchypteryoc r'lijiveyitris and B. albiventris.
In shape they are moderately elongated, rather regular ovals, some¬
what obtuse at both ends. The shell is fine and compact, and very
smooth to the touch, but they have not much gloss. The ground
is a pale olive stone-colour, and they are very minutely freckled
and mottled, most densely at the large end, with pale, very slightly
reddish brown ; the freckling is excessively minute and fiue.

Two eggs measured 0*8 and 0*82 in length by 0*6 in breadth.

200. Elaphrornis palliseri (Blyth). The Ceylon Short-ivincj,
Brachypteryx palliseri, Bl,^ Hume, Cat no. 338 bis.

Colonel Legge, writing in his ^ Birds of Ceylon,’ says:—‘‘ Mr.
Bligh found a nest at iN’uwara Eliva in April i870 ; it was placed
in a thick cluster of branches on the top of a somewhat densely-
foliaged small bush, which stood in a rather open space near the
foot of a large tree \ it was in shape a deep cup, composed of
greenish moss, lined with fibrous roots and the hair-like appendages
of the green moss which festoons the trees in such abundance at
that elevation. It contained three young ones, plumaged exactly
like their parents, who kept churring in the thick bushes close by,
but would not show themselves much.”

201. Tesia cyaniventris, Hodgs. Tlie Blaty-hellied ShorUiuiny.

Tesia cyaniventer, IlofJqs., Jerd, B, Ind, i, p. 487 ; Hume, Bough
Draft N. §•!?. no. 328.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, the Slaty-bellied Short-wing
breeds much like the next species. It constructs a huge globular
nest of green moss and black moss-roots, which it fixes in any
dense dry shrub or clump of shoots, many of which it incorporates
in the walls of the nest. The nest measures externally about 7
inches in height and 5 inches in width ; it has a circular aperture
on one side, a little above the middle, about 2 inches in diameter,
and it is placed at a height of one or two feet from the ground.
Three or four eggs are laid; these are figured as rather broad
ovals, somewhat pointed towards one end, with a whitish ground,
profusely speckled and spotted, especially to\vards the large end,

132

CEATEUOPOPIDiE.

where the markings are nearly confluent, with bright red, and
measuring 0*72 by 0*54 inch.

202. Oligura castaneicoronata (Burt.). The Chestnut-headed
Short-iuing,

Tesia castaneo-coronata {Burt.), Jerd. B. Ind. i, p, 487 ) Hume,
Rough I)?'aft N. ^ B, no. 327.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and figures, the Chestnut-
headed Short-wing builds a large globular nest, more or less egg-
shaped, some 6 inches high and 4 in breadth, composed o£ moss-
roots and fibres, and lined with feathers, and with a circular aper¬
ture in the middle of one side about 1*5 inch in diameter. The
nest is placed in some clump of shoots or thick bush (the twigs of
which are more or less incorporated in the sides of the nest) at a
height of 1 or 2 feet from the ground. The birds lay in April and
May three or four eggs, which are figured as moderately broad ovals,
somewhat pointed at one end, reddish (apparently something like
a Prinia’s, though this seems incredible), and measuring 0*66 by
0*48 inch.

Dr. Jerdon says :—“ A nest made chiefly of moss, with four small
white eggs, was brought me as the nest of this bird. It was of
the ordinary shape, rather loosely put together, and the walls of
great thickness. It was taken from the ground on a steep bank
near the stump of a tree.”

The three eggs in my museum supposed to belong to this species
pertained to this nest, and are excessively tiny, soinew’hat oval eggs
of a pure, dull, glossless unspotted white, very unlike our English
Wren’s egg and certainly not one half the size. Dr. Jerdon was
not quite certain to which species of Tesla these eggs belonged, and
I therefore only record this “ quantum valeat!^ They measure 0*55
and O’6 inch in length by 0*4, 0*42, and 0*45 inch in breadth. I
am inclined to believe that both nest and eggs belonged to Rnoe-
Rggajgusilla, Hodgs.

Subfamily SIBIINiE.

203. Sibia picaoides, Hodgs. The Long-tailed Sibia.

Sibia picaoides, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 55 : Hume. Rough Draft
iV. §• a:, no. 430.

Mr. Gammie obtained a nest of the Long-tailed Sibia from the
top of a tall tree, situated at an elevation of about 4000 feet, in
the neighbourhood of Eungbee, near Darjeeling. This was on the
17th June, and the nest contained five fresh eggs. The nest is as
perplexing as are the eggs; for the nest is that of a Bulbul, the
eggs those of a Shrike or Minivet. The nest is a deep compact
cup, about 4j^ inches in diameter and 2| inches in depth. The
egg-cavity is 3 inches across and fully 1| inch in depth. Interiorly
the nest is composed of excessively fine grass-stems very firmly

LTOPTILA.

133

interwoven; externally of the stems of some herbaceous plant, a
Chenopod, to which the dry blossoms are still attached, intermingled
with coarse grass, a single dead leaf, and one or two broad grass-
blades more or less broken njD into fibres.

The eggs, for the authenticity of which Mr. G-ammie positively
vouches, are very unlike what might have been expected. They
are absolutely Shrike’s eggs—broad ovals, pointecl towards one
end, with a slight gloss, the ground a slightly greyish white, with
a good many small spots and specks of pale yellowish brown and
dingy purple, chiefly confined to a large irregular zone towards the
larger end. They vary in length from 0'S6 to 0-93, and in breadth
from 0*7 to 0*73.

204. Lioptila capistrata (Vigors). The Blacl.-heacled Sibia,

Sibia capistrata ( Vir/.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii^ p. 54; Bough Draft

N. ^ JE. no. 41^9.

The Black-headed Sibia lays throughout the Himalayas from
Afghanistan to Bhootan, at elevations of from 5000 to 70*00 feet.

It lays during May and June, and perhaps part of July, for I
find that on the 11th of July I found a nest of this species a little
below the lake at Nynee Tal, on the Jewli Boad, containing tw’o
young chicks apparently not a day old.

They build on the outskhds of forests, constructing their nests
tow^ards the ends of branches, at heights of from 10 to 50 feet
from the ground. The nest is a neat cup, some 4 or 5 inches in
diameter and perhaps 3 inches in height, composed chiefly of moss
and lined with black moss-roots and fibres. In some of the nests
that I have preserved a good deal of grass-leaves and scraps of
lichen are incorporated in the moss. The cavity is deep, from 2|
to 3 inches in diameter and not much less than 2 inches in depth.

They lay tw'o or three eggs; not more, so far as I yet know.

Erom Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall tells us that “ the egg
of this bird was, we believe, previously unknowm, and it w^as a
mere chance that we found the whereabouts of their nests, as they
breed high up in the spruce firs at the outer end of a bough.
The nest is neatly made of moss, lined with stalks of the maiden¬
hair fern. The eggs are pale blue, spotted and blotched with pale
and reddish browm. They are *95 in length and *7 in breadth.
This species breeds in June, about 7000 feet up.”

Nearly twenty years prior to this, however, Captain Hutton had
remarked :—“ At Mussoorie this bird remains at an elevation of
7000 feet throughout the year, but I never saw it under 6500
feet. Its loud ringing note of titteree-titteree tiueeyo, quickly
repeated, may constantly be heard on wooded banks during sum¬
mer. It breeds in May, making a neat nest of coarse dry grasses
as a foundation, covered laterally with green moss and wool and
lined with fine roots. The number of eggs I did not ascertain,
as the nest w^as destroyed when only one egg had been deposited, but

134

CEATEKOPODIDiE.

the colour is pale bluish white, freckled with ruPous. The nest
was placed on a branch of a plum-tree in the Botanical G-arden,
Mussoorie.”

Captain Cock says that he “found this species breeding at
Murree, at GOOD feet elevation.

“ I took iny first nest on the 5th June.

“It builds near the tops of the highest pines, and unless seen
building its nest with the glasses, it is impossible to find the nest
with the unaided eye.

“The nest is placed on the outer extremity of an upper bough
in a pine-tree; is constructed of moss lined with stalks of the
maiden-hair fern. Three eggs is the largest number I ever found.
The eggs are light greenish white, with rusty spots and blotches
principally at the larger end.”

Prom iSTynee Tal Colonel G-. E. L. Marshall writes “ This
species builds in irees and bushes. The only nest I examined per¬
sonally was a very compact and thick cup-shaped structure of
moss, grass, and roots, lined with grass, and placed amongst the
outer twigs of a blackberry bush overhanging a cliff. It was
ready for the eggs on the 23rd May. It was found at ISTynee Tal
on Agar Pata, about 7000 feet above the sea.”

Prom Sikhim Mr. Gainmie writes :—“I have only myself taken
two nests of this common species. I found both of them the same
day (the 21st May), in the Chinchona reserves, at an elevation of
about 5000 feet. Both nests were in the forest, built on the outer
branches of trees, at heights the one of 15, the other of 40 feet
from the ground. The nests were cup-shaped, and very neatly
made of moss, leaves and fibres, and lined with black fibres. 0]ie
measured externally 4-6 in diameter by 2*75 in height, and inter¬
nally 2*4 in diameter and 1*7 in depth. One nest contained
two fresh, the other tw^o hard-s6t eggs; so perhaps two is the
normal number, though the natives say that they lay three. As
might be expected from the bird’s habit of feeding on the insects
on moss-covered trees in moist forests, the nests were in forest by
the sides of streams.”

The eggs are rather broad, slightly pyriform ovals, often a good
deal pulled out as it were at the small end. The shell is fine, but
almost entirely devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is a pale green¬
ish white or very pale bluish green. The markings are various
and complicated: first there are usually a few large, irregular,
moderately dark brownish-red spots and splashes; then there are
a very few, very dark, reddish-brown hair-lines, such as one finds
on Buntings’ eggs; then there is a good deal of clouding and
smudging here and there of i^ale,; dingy purplish or brownish red
(all these markings are most numerous towards the large end) ;
and then besides these, and almost entirely confined to the large
end, are a few pale purple specks and spots. Sometimes the
markings are almost wholly confined to the thicker end of the egg.
Of course the eggs vary somewhat, and in some specimens the
characteristic Bunting-like hair'-lines are almost wholly wanting.

LIOPTILA.

135

The eggs vary in length from 0*95 to 1*0, and in breadth from
0*66 to 0*72.

205. Lioptila gracilis (McClelL). The Grey Sihia.

Malacias gracilis (McClelL)^ Hume, Cat. no. 429 bis.

Colonel Godwin-Aiisten is, I believe, the only ornithologist who
has as yet secured the nest and eggs of the Grey Sibia. He says :—
In the pine forest that covers the slopes of the hills descending
into the IJmian valley in Assam, one of my men marked a nest on
June 25th ; I proceeded to the spot soon after I had heard of it, and
on coming up to the tree, a pine, saw the female fly off out of the
head of it. Eut the nest was so well hidden by the boughs of the
fir, that it was quite invisible from below. The bird after a short
time came back, and then 1 saw it was Sihia gracilis ; but it was
very shy and seeing us went off again, and hung about the trees at
a distance of some 50 yards; while thus waiting, some four or five
others were also seen. The female, however, would not venture
back, and I sent one of my Goorkhas up, to cut off the head of
the fir, nest and all, first taidng out the eggs. It contained three,
of a pale sea-green, with ash-brown streakings and blotchiugs all
over.

The nest was constructed of dry grass, moss, and rootlets, and
the green spinules of the fir were worked into it, fixing it most
firmly in its place in the crown of the pine where it was much
forked.^^

206. Lioptila melanoleuca (BL). TicheWs Sihia.

Malacias melanoleiicus Hume, Cat. no. 429 quart,

Mr. W. Davison was fortunate enough to secure a nest of tin's
Sibia on Muleyit mountain in Tenasserim. He says :—‘‘ I secured
a nest of this species on the 21st of Eebruary, containing two
spotless pale blue eggs slightly incubated. The nest, a deep com¬
pactly woven cup, was placed about 40 feet from the ground,
in the fork of one of the smaller branches of a high tree growing
on the edge of a deep ravine.

“ The egg-cavity of the nest is lined wdth fern-roots, fibres and
fine grass-stems ; outside this is a thick coating of dried bamboo-
leaves and coarse grass, and outside this again is a thick irregular
coating of green moss, dried leaves, and coarse fibres and fern-
roots.

“Externally the nest• measures about 5 inches in height, and
nearly the same in external diameter at the top.

“ The egg-cavity measures 1*7 deep by 2*7 across.

“ The eggs, a pale spotless blue, measure 0-95 and 0*98 in length
by 0*66 and 0*68 in breadth.^’

136

CTtATEnOPODIJDiE.

211. Actinodara egertoni, G-oulcL The Rufous Bar-winff.

Actinodura egertoni, Gould, Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 52; Hume, Rough
Draft N, §'• E. no. 427.

There is no 6gure of the E-ufous Bar-wing’s nest or eggs amongst
the original drawings of Mr. Hodgson now in my custod}’’, but in
the British Museum series there appears to be, since Mr. Blyth
remarks :—‘‘ Mr. Hodgson figures the nest of this bird like that of
an. English Eedbi’east, with pinkish-white eggs.”

Prom Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes :—On the 27th April I took
a nest of this Bar-wing in a large forest at an elevation of about
5000 feet. It was placed about 20 feet from the ground, in a
leafy tree, between several upright shoots, to which it was firmly
attached. It is cup-shaped, mainly composed of dry leaves held
together by slender climber-stems, and lined with dark-coloured
fibrous roots. A few strings of green moss were twined round the
outside to assist in concealment. Externally it measures 4*2 inches
wide by 4 deep; internally 2*8 wide and 2*4 deep. It contained
but two slightly-set eggs.

“ I killed the female ofi the nest.”

Several nests have been obtained and sent me by Messrs. Gammie
and Manclelli. One was taken on the 4th May by Mr. Mandelli,
at Leboug, at an elevation of 5500 feet, which contained three fresh
eggs; this was placed on the branches of a small tree, in the midst
of dense brushwood, at a height of about 4 feet from the ground.

Another, taken in a similar situation at the same place on the
22nd May, contained two fresh eggs, and was at a height of about
12 feet from the ground.

These nests vary just in the same way as do those of Trochalo-
fierum niyrimentum ; some show only a sprig or two of moss about
them, while others have a complete coating of green moss. They
are cup-shaped, some deeper, some shallower; the chief material
of the nest seems to be usually dry leaves. One before me is com¬
posed entirely of some Polygoodium, on which the seed-spores are all
fully developed; in another, bamboo-leaves have been chiefly used;
these are all held together in their places by black fibrous roots;
occasionally towards the upper margin a few creeper-tendrils are
intermingled. The whole cavity is lined more or Jess thickly, and
the lip of the cup all round is usually finished off with these same
black fibrous roots ; and then outside all moss and selagiuella are
applied according to the taste of the bird and, probably,"the situa¬
tion—a few sprigs or a complete coating, as the case may be.

Two eggs of this species sent me by Mr. Gammie are regular,
slightly elongated ovals, with very thin and fragile shells, and fairly
but not highly glossy. The ground is a delicate pale sea-green,
and they are profusely blotched, spotted, and marked with curious
hieroglyphic-like figures of a sort of umber-brown ; while about
the larger end numerous spots and streaks of pale lilac occur.

These eggs measure 0*98 in length by 0*65 and 0*68 in breadth.

IXOPS,—SIYA.

137

Other eggs obtained by Mr. Mandelli early in June are quite of
the same type, but somewhat shorter, measuring 0*85 and 0*93 in
length by 0-68 and 0*7 in breadth. But the markings are rather
moi'e smudgy and rather paler, and there are fewer of the hair¬
like streaks and hieroglyphics.

213. Ixops nepalensis (Hodgs.). The Foary Bar-iuing,

Actinodura nipalensis (Hodgs.), Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 53; Hume, Rough
Draft N, E. no. 428.

The Hoary Bar-wing is said in Mr. Hodgson’s notes to breed
from April to June in Sikhim and the central region of Nepal up
to an elevation of 4000 or 6000 feet. The nest is placed in holes,
in crevices between rocks and stones; is circular and saucer¬
shaped. One measured externally 3*62 in diameter by 2 inches in
height; the cavity measured 2*5 in diameter and 1*37 in depth.
The nest is composed of fine twigs, grass, and fibres, and externally
adorned with little pieces of lichen, and internally lined with fine
moss-roots. The birds are said to lay from three to four eggs,
which are not described, but they are figured as pinky white, about
0*85 in length and 0*55 in width. Mr. Blyth, however, remarks :—
One o£ Mr. Hodgson’s drawings represents a white egg with
ferruginous spots, disposed much as in that of Merula vulgarisT

Clearly there is some mistake here. Most of the drawings I
have are the originals, taken from the fresh specimens when they
were obtained, with Mr. Hodgson’s own notes, on the reverse, of
the dates on and places at which he took or obtained the eggs,
nests, and birds figured, with often a description and dimensions
of the two former, and invariably full dimensions of the latter. On
the other hand, the drawings in the British Museum are mostly
more finished and artistic cogies of these originals; so how the
spots got on to the eggs of the British-Museum drawing I cannot
say; there is no trace of such in mine.

219. Siva strigula, Hodgs. The Btrijpe-throated Siva,

Siva strigula, Hodgs., Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 252: Hume, Rough Draft
N. ^ E. no. 616.

The nest of the Stripe-throated Siva is placed, according to
Mr. Hodgson, in the slender fork of a tree at no great elevation
from the ground. It is composed of moss and moss-roots, inter¬
mingled with dry bamboo-leaves, and woven into a broad compact
cup-shaped nest. One such nest, taken on the 27th May, with
three eggs in it, measured exteriorly 4*25 in diameter and 3 inches
in height, with a cavity (thickly lined with cow’s hair) about 2*5 in
diameter and 2*25 in depth. The birds lay iu May and June.
The eggs are three or sometimes four in number; they are pale
greenish blue or bluish green, and vary in length from 0*8 to 0*9,
and in breadth from O’6 to 0*65, and are, some thickly, some thinly.

138

CBATEKOPODIDJE.

speckled and freckled, usually most densely towards the large end,
with red or brownish red. His nests were taken both in 8ikhim
and Nepal.

221. Siva cyanuroptera, Hodgs. The Blue-ivmged Siva.

Siva C5’’anouroptera, Ilodgs.^ Jerd. B. Bid. ii, p. 253 ; Tlwnej Bough
Draft N. B. no, 617.

The Blue-winged Siva breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes,
in the central regions of Nepal, and in the neighbourhood of
Darjeeling, in May and June. The nest is placed in trees, at no
great elevation above the ground, and is wedged in where three or
four slender twigs make a convenient fork. A nest taken on the
2nd June was a large compact cup, measuring exteriorly 4*75 in
diameter and 3*75 in height, and having a cavity 2*6 in diameter and
1*87 in depth. It was composed of fine stems of grass, dry leaves,
moss, and moss-roots, bound together with pieces of creepers, roots,
and vegetable fibres, and closely lined with fine grass-roots. They
lay from three to four eggs, which are figured as moderately broad
ovals, considerably pointed towards the small end, 085 in length
by 0*6 in width, having a pale greenish ground pretty thickly speckled
and spotted, especially on the broader half of the egg, with a kind
of brownish brick-red.

Mr. Mandelli found a nest of this species at Lebong (elevation
5500 feet) on the 2Sth April. It contained four fresh eggs; it was
placed in a fork of a horizontal branch of a small tree at a height
of only 3 feet from the ground. The nest is, for the size of the
bird, a large cup, externally entirely composed of green moss firmly
felted together. This outer shell of moss is thickly lined with the
dead leaves of a Polygpodium, and this again is thinly lined with
fine grass. The nest was about 4 inches in diameter, and 2*5 in
height externally; the cavity was about 2'5 broad and 1*5 deep.

The nests of this species are very beautiful cups, very compact
and firm, sometimes wedged into a fork, but more commonly sus¬
pended between two or three twigs, or sometimes attached by one
side only to a single twig. They are placed at heights of from
4 to 10 feet from the ground in the branches of slender trees, and
are usually carefully concealed, places completely, encircled by
creepers being very frequently chosen. The chief materials of the
nest are dead leaves, sometimes those of the bamboo, but more
generally those of trees; but little of this is seen, as the exterior is
generally coated with moss, and the interior is lined first with
excessively fine grass, and then more or less thinly with black
bufialo- or horse-hairs. The cups are about 3 inches in diameter
and 2 in height externally, the cavities barely 2 in diameter and
perhaps 1*5 in depth; but they vary somewhat in size and shape
according to the situation in which they are placed and the manner
in which they are attached, some being considerably broader and
shallower, and some rather deeper.

YUHINA.

139

Eggs of this species sent me from Mr. Mandelli, which were
obtained by him in the neighbourhood of Darjeeling, are decidedly
elongated ovals, fairly glossy, and with a pale slightly greenish-blue
ground. A number of minute red or brownish-red or yellowish-
brown specks and spots occur about the large end, sometimes irre¬
gularly scattered, sometimes more or less gathered into an imper¬
fect zone. The rest of the egg is either spotless or exhibits only a
few tiny specks and spots. The eggs measure 0'7o and 0*76 by
0-51 and 0*52.

223. Yuhina gularis, Hodgs. The Strijpe-throatecl Yuliina.

Yuhiua gularis, Hodgs., Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 261; Hmne, Bough
Draft N. ^ B. no. G26.

The Stripe-throated Yuhina breeds, according to Mr. Hodg¬
son’s notes, from April to July, building a large massive nest of
moss, lined with moss-roots, and wedged into a fork of a branch
or between ledges of rocks, more or less globular in shape, and
with a circular aperture near the top towards one side. A nest
taken on the 19 th June, near Darjeeling, was quite egg-shaped,
the long diameter being perpendicular to the ground, and measured
6 inches in height and 4 inches in breadth, the aperture, 2 inches
in diameter, being well above the middle of the nest; the cavity
was lined with tine moss-roots. The eggs are figured as rather
elongated ovals, 0-S by 0*56, with a pale bu'ffy or cafe au lait
ground-colour, thickly spotted with red or brownish red, the
markings forming a confluent zone about the large end.

225. Yuhina nigrimentum (Hodgs.). The Blaclc-chinned Yuhina.

Yuhina uignmentum (Hodgs.)j Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 2C2; Hwne, Bough
Draft N. ^ E. no, 628.

A nest of the Black-chinned Yuhina, taken by Mr. Gammie on
the 17th June below Eungbee, at an elevation of about 3500 feet,
was placed in a large tree, at a height of about 10 feet from the
ground, and contained four hard-set eggs. It is a mere pad, below
of moss, mingled with a little wool and moss-roots, and above, that
is to say the surface where the eggs repose, of excessively fine
grass-roots.

Dr. Jerdon says :—A nest was once brought me which was
declared to belong to this species; it was a very small neat fabric,
of ordinary shape, made with moss and grass, and contained three
small pure white eggs. The rarity of the bird makes me doubt if
the nest really belonged to it.”

The eggs are tiny little elongated ovals, pure white, and abso¬
lutely glossless.

Two sent me bv Mr. Grammie measure 0*58 by 0*42 and 0*57 by
0*43.

140

CEATEEOPODIDiE.

226. Zosterops palpelJrosa (Temm.). The Indian WhiU-eye,

Zosterops palpebrosus (Temm^, Jerd. B, Ind, p. 2G5 \ Hume,
Hough Draft N, ^ JS, no. 631.

The Indian White-e^^e, or White-eyed Tit as Jerdon terms it,
breeds almost throughout the Indian Empire, sparingly in the
hotter and more arid plains, abundantly in the Nilghiris and other
ranges of the Peninsula to their very summits, and in the Hima¬
layas to an elevation of 5000 or 6000 feet.

The breeding-season extends in different localities from January
to September, but I think that everywhere April is the mouth in
which most eggs are to be met with.

Sometimes they have two broods; whether this is always the
case I do not know.

The nest is placed almost indifferently at any elevation. I have
taken one from amongst the topmost twigs of a huge mohwa tree
(Bassia latifolia) fully 60 feet high, and I have found them in a
tiny bush not a foot off the soil. Still I think that perhaps the
maiority build at low elevations, say between 2 and 6 feet from
the ground.

The nest is always a soft, delicate little cup, sometimes very
shallow, sometimes very deep, as a rule suspended between two
twigs like a miniature Oriole’s nest, but on rare occasions propped
in a forlv. The nest varies much in size and in the materials with
which it is composed.

Pine grass and roots, tow, and a variety of vegetable fibres,
thread, floss silk, and cobwebs are all made use of to bind the little
nest together and attach it to the twigs whence it depends. Grass
again, moss, vegetable fibre, seed-down, silk, cotton, lichen, roots
and the like are used in the l3ody of the nest, which is lined with
silky down, hair, moss, and fern-roots, or even silk, while at times
tiny silvery cocoons or scraps of rich-coloured lichen are affixed as
ornaments to the exterior.

One nest before me is a very perfect and deep cup, hung
between two twigs of a mohwa tree and almost entirely hidden by
the surrounding leaves. The exterior diameter of the nest is 2*|
inches, and the depth 2 inches. The egg-cavity measures scarcely
more than inch across and very nearly as much in depth. It is
composed of very fine grass-stems and is thinly coated exteriorly
wdth cobwebs, by which also it is firmly secured to the suspending
twigs, and externally numerous small cocoons and sundry pieces
of vegetable dowm are plastered on to the nest. Another nest,
hung between two slender twigs of a mango tree, is a shallow cup
some 2J inches in diameter, and not above an inch in depth
externally. The egg-cavity measures at most inch across by
three-fourths of an inch in depth. The nest is composed of fine
tow-like vegetable fi.bres and thread, by which it is attached to the
twigs, a little grass-down being blended in the mass, and the cavity
being very sparsely lined with very fine grass-stems. In another

ZOSTEEOPS.

141

nest, somewhat larger than the last described, the nest is made of
moss slightly tacked together with cobwebs and lined with line
grass-fibres. Another nest, a very regular shallow cup, with an
egg-cavity 2 inches in diameter and an inch in depth, is composed
almost entirely of the soft silky down of the Calatropis gigantea^
rather thickly lined with very fine hair-like grass, and very thinly
coated exteriorly with a little of this same grass, moss, and thread.
Another, with a similar-sized cavity, but nearly three-fourths of an
inch thick everywhere, is externally a mass of moss, moss-roots,
and very fine lichen, and is lined entirely with very soft and bril¬
liantly white satin-like vegetable down. Another, with about the
same-sized cavity, but the walls of which are scarcely one-fourth
of an inch in thickness, is composed entirely of this satiny down,
thinly coated exteriorly and interiorly with excessively fine moss-
roots (roots so fine that most of them are much thinner than human
hair); a few black horsehairs, which look coarse and thick beside
the other materials of the nest, are twisted round and round in the
interior of the egg-cavity. Other nests might be made entirely of
tow, so far as their appearance goes; and in fact with a very large
series before me, no two seem to be constructed of the same
materials.

I have nests before me now, taken in September, March, June,
and August, all of which when found contained eggs.

Two is certainly the normal number of the eggs; about one
fifth of the nests I have seen contained three, and once only I
found four.

Prom Murree Colonel 0. H. T. Marshall informs us that he took
the eggs in June at an elevation of about 6000 feet.

Colonel G. P. L. Marshall says :—“ I have taken eggs of this
species at Cawnpore in the middle of June. I found six nests, five
of which were in neem-trees. I also found the nest in Naini Tal
at 7000 feet above the sea, with young in the middle of June ; one
only of all the nests I have seen was lined, and that was lined
with feathers : they were, as a rule, about eight feet from the
ground, but one was nearly forty feet up.’^

Capt. Hutton gives a very full account of the nidification of this
species. Pie says :—“ These beautiful little birds are exceedingly
common at Mussoorie, at an elevation of about 5000 feet, during
summer, but I never saw them much higher. They arrive from
the plains about the middle of April, on the 17th of which month
I saw a pair commence building in a thick bush of Hibiscus, and
on the 27th of the same month the nest contained three small
eggs hard-set. I subsequently took a second from a similar bush,
and several from the di’ooping branches of oak-trees, to the twigs
of which they were fastened. It is not placed on a branch, but is
suspended between two thin twigs, to which it is fastened by floss
silk torn from the cocoons of Bomhyx huttoni, Westw., and by a
few slender fibres of the bark of trees or hair according to circum¬
stances.

“ So slight and so fragile is the little oval cup that it is aston-

142

CRATmOPODTI)^.

ishing the mere weight of.the parent bird does not bring it to the
ground, and yet within it three young ones will often safely out¬
ride a gale that will bring the weightier nests of days and Thrushes
to the ground.

“ Of seven nests now before me four are composed externally of
little bits of green moss, cotton, and seed-down, and the silk of the
wild mulberry-moth torn from the cocoons, with which last
material, however, the others appear to be bound together within.
The lining of two is of the long hairs of the yak’s tail, two of which
died on the estate where these nests were found, and a third is
lined with black human hair. The other three are formed of
somewhat different materials, two being externally composed of
fine grass-stalks, seed-down, and shreds of bark so fine as to
resemble tow; one is lined with seed-down and black fibrous
lichens resembling hair, a second is lined wdth fine grass, and a
third with a thick coating of pure white silky seed-down. In all
the seven, the materials of the two sides are wound round the twdgs,
between which they are suspended like a cradle, and the shape is
an ovate cup, about the size of half a hen’s egg split longitudinally.
The diameter and depth are respectively 2 inches and 1| inch by
three-fourths of an inch. The eggs are usually three in number.”

Mr. Brooks, writing from Almorah, says :—“ This morning, 28th
April, I found a nest of Zostero^DS palpehrosa containing two fresh
eggs. Yesterday I found one of the same bird containing three
half-fledged young ones. Near the Tonse Eiver, in the Allahabad
District, I found these birds in July nesting high in a mango-tree,
the nest suspended like an Oriole’s to several leaves ; now I find it in
low bushes, at heights of from 3 to 5 feet from the ground. The
eggs, as before, skim-milk blue, without markings of any kind.”

Prom Gurhwal Mr. E. Thompson says :—“ A small cup-shaped
elegant nest is built by this bird suspended by fastenings from the
fork of a low branch. The nest is about 2| inches in diameter and
three-fourths of an inch in depth, composed of cobwebs, fine roots,
hairs, &c., neatly interwoven and lined internally with vegetable
down. The eggs, two, three, or four in number, are of a pale
wbitisb-blue, oval, and some^^bat larger than those of AraclinecJitJira
asiatica. The birds select all kinds of trees, but the nest is always
suspended. The breeding-season is about March and April, and
the brood is quickly hatched and fledged.

“ A nest found by me on the 22ncl April, and containing four
eggs, was built most ingeniously in a creeper that hung from a
small tree.* The birds bad arranged it so that the long down¬
bearing tendril of the creeper blended with the nest, which in the
main was composed of the material surrounding it.

“ Another nest found on the 26th contained three young ones.
It was built in a low branch of a large mango-tree, and might
have been 12 feet from the ground. It was a neat compact
structure, deeply hollow, and made up of cobwebs, fine straw, and
hair, and lined with vegetable dovn, closely and neatly interwmven.

“ The parent birds were evidently feeding the young on the ripe

ZOSTEUOPS.

143

frLiifc oE the Khoda or Gliumroor (EJiretia Icevis). I got one fruit
from the old birds, being anxious to know what the young ones
were getting for their dinner.

“ The pairing-season commences about the end oE March, when
the males may be heard uttering a feeble kind oE rambling
song, which in reality is merely modified repetitions of a single
note.’’

Mr. A. Anderson remarked that “ the White-eye breeds through¬
out the North-Western Provinces and Oudh during the months
oE June, July, and August. The nest is a beautiEul little model
of the Oriole’s; and according to my experience it is invariably
suspended, and not fixed in the fork of smcdl branches as stated
by Jerdon. I have on several occasions watched a pair in the
act of building their nest. They set to work with cobwebs,
and having first tied together two or three leafy twigs to which
they intend to attach their nest, they then use fine fibre of the sun
{Crotalaria juncea), with which material they complete the outer
fabric of their \ery beautiful and compact nest. As the work
progresses more cobwebs and fibre of a silky kind are applied
externally, and at times the nest, when tossed about by the wind
(sometimes at a considerable elevation), would be mistaken by a
casual observer for an accidental collection of cobwebs. The inside
of the nest is well felted with the down of the madar plant, and then
it is finally lined with fine hair and grass-stems of the softest kind.
Sometimes the nest is suspended from only two twigs, exactly after
the fashion of the Mango-birds {Oriolus kujidoo); and in this case
it is attached by means of silk-like fibres and fine fibre of siin for
about inch on each side ; at others it is suspended from several
twigs; and occasionally 1 have seen the leaves fixed on to the sides
of the nest, thus making it extremely difficult of detection.

“ Ill shape the nest is a perfect hollow hemisphere; one now
before me measures (inside) 1*5 in diameter. The wall is about
0*3 in thickness.

“ Almost all my nests have been built on the neem tree, the
long slender petioles of which are admirably adapted for its sus¬
pension.

“ As a rule the nest is built at a considerable height, and owing
to its situation there is not a more difficult nest to take. Grreat
numbers get washed down iii a half-fiuished state in a heavy fall
of rain.

The eggs are, exactly as Jei'don describes them, of a pale blue,
* almost like skimmed milk,’ and the usual number is three, though
four are frequently laid.”

‘‘On the 7th September,” writes Mr. E. M. Adam, “in my
garden in Lucknow, I discovered a nest of this bird in course of
construction, but when it was nearly finished the birds left it.
The nest was a beautiful little cup made of fine grass and cobwebs.
It was situated in a slender fork of a mango-tree about 15 feet
from the ground.”

Major 0. T. Eingham says :—“ Common both at Allahabad and

144

CEATEROPODID.^:.

at Delhi; breeds in both places in and July. All nests

I have seen have been finely made little cups of fibres, bits of thread
and cobwebs, lined interiorly with horsehair, generally suspended
between two slender twigs at no great height from the ground.’’

Mr. E. Aitken writes :—I have only actually taken one nest of
the White-eye. That was in Poona (2000 feet above the sea)
on the 21st July. The bird, however, builds abundantly in Poona
about gardens, trees on the roadside, &c.

‘‘ This particular nest was fixed to a thin branch of a tamarind-
tree on the side of a lane among gardens. It was within reach of
my hand, and was attached both to the thin branch itself and to
two twigs. It was well sheltered among leaves.

‘‘ The nest was a cup rather narrower at the mouth than in the
middle. Its external diameter at the top was 24 inches ; internal
diameter 1| inch ; depth 1| inch internally. It was composed of
a variety of fibres closely interwoven with some kind of vegetable
silk, and was lined principally with horsehair and very fine
fibres. It contained three eggs.”

Mr. Davison tells us that ‘‘ the White-eye breeds on the Nil-
ghiris in Eebruary, March, April, and the earlier part of May.

“ The nest is a small neat cup-shaped structure suspended
between a fork in some small low bush, generally only 2 or 3 feet
from the ground, but sometimes high up, about 20 or 30 feet
from the ground. It is composed externally of moss and small
roots and the down from the thistle; the egg-cavity is invariably
sparingly lined vith hair. The eggs, two in number, are of a pale
blue, like skimmed milk.”

Erom Kotagherry Miss Cockburn remarks:—“ Their nests are, 1
think, more elegantly finished than those of any of the small birds I
liave seen up here. They generally select a thick bush, where,
wheu they have chosen a horizontal forked branch, they construct
a neat round nest which is left quite open at the top. The
materials they commence with are green moss, lichen, and fine
grass intertwined. I have even found occasionally a coarse thread,
which they had picked up near some Badagar’s village and used in
order to fasten the little building to the branches. The inside is
carefully lined with the down of seed-pods. White-eyes’ nests
are very numerous here in the months of January, Eebruary,
and March. They are extremely partial to the wild gooseberry
bush as a site to build on. One year I found ten out of eleven
nests on these bushes, the fruit of which is largely used by the
aborigines of the hills. A pair once built on a thick orange-tree
in our garden. We often stood quite close to one of them while
sitting on the eggs, and it never showed the slightest degree of
fear. They lay two eggs of a light blue colour.”

Mr. Wait, writing from Conoor, says that “ Z. ^al^^ehrosa breeds
in April and May, building in bushes and shrubs, and making a
deep round cup-shaped nest very neatly woven in the style of the
Chaffinch, composed of moss, grass, and silk cotton, and sparsely

^OSTEBOPS.—iXELiJS. 145

lined with very fine grass and hair. The eggs are two in number,
of a roundish oval shape, and a pale greenish-blue colour.’’

Finally Colonel Legge informs us that this species breeds in
Ceylon in June, July, and August.

The eggs are somewhat lengthened ovals (occasionally rather
broader), and a good deal pointed towards the small end.
The shell is very fine but almost glossless ; here and there a some¬
what more glossy egg is met with. They are normally of a uni¬
form very pale blue or greenish blue, without any markings what¬
soever, but once in a w^ay an egg is seen characterized by a cap or
zone of a somewhat purer and deeper blue. Abnormally large
and small specimens are common. They vary in length from 0*53
to 0*7, and in breadth from 0*42 to 0*58 ; but the average of thirty-
eight eggs is 0*62 by 0*47, and the great majority of the eggs are
really about this size.

229. Zosterops ceylonensis, Holdsworth. The Ceylon White-eye.

Zosterops ceylonensis, Holdstv., Hume, Cat. no. 631 bis.

Colonel Legge, referring to the nidification of the Ceylon White-
eye, says :—“ This species breeds from March until May, judging
from the young birds which are seen abroad about the latter month.
Mr. Bligh found the nest in March on Catton Estate. It was
built in a coffee-bush a few feet from the ground, and was a rather
frail structure, suspended from the arms of a small fork formed by
one bare twig crossing another. In shape it was a shallow cup,
well made of small roots and bents, lined with hair-like tendrils of
moss, and was adorned about the exterior with a few cobwebs and
a little moss. The eggs were three in number, pointed ovals, and
of a pale bluish-green ground-colour. They measured, on the
average, *64 by -45 inch.”

231. Ixulus occipitalis (BL). The Chestnut-headed Lvulus.

Ixulus occipitalis (BL), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 259; Hume, Bough Draft
N. ^ £. no. 624.

A nest of this species, taken by Mr. G-ammie out of a small tree
below Eungbee, at an elevation of about 3000 feet, was a small,
somewhat shallow cup, composed almost entirely of very fine moss-
roots, but with a little moss incorporated in the outer surface.
Externally the nest w^as about 3^ inches in diameter and 2 inches
in height. The egg-cavity was about 2^ inches by barely inch.
This nest was found on the 17th June and contained three hard-
set eggs, ivhich were thrown away !

232. Ixulus flavicollis (Hodgs.). The Yellow-najged Ixulus.

Ixulus flavicollis (Hodqs.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 259 ; Hume. Bouqh
Draft N. ^ E. no. 623.

VOL. I.

10

146

(IEA.TEI10P0DIDJE.

I have never taken a nest of the Yellow-napecI Ixulus.

Mr. G-ammie says :—“ I have only as yet found a single nest of
this species, and this was one of the most artfully concealed that
I have ever seen. I found it in forest in the Chinchona reserves,
at an elevation of about 5000 feet, on the 14th May. It was a
rather deep cup, composed of moss and fine root-fibres and thickly
lined with the latter, and w^as suspended at a height of about six
feet amongst the natural moss, hanging from a horizontal branch
of a small tree, in wMch it w-as entirely enveloped. A more
beautiful or more completely invisible nest it is impossible to
conceive. It contained three fresh eggs. The cup itself was
exteriorly 3*7 inches in diameter and 1*9 in depth, while the cavity
was 2*5 in diameter and 1*5 in depth.’’

The Yellow-naped Ixulus breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson’s
notes, in the central region of Nepal and the neighbourhood of
Darjeeling, laying during the months of May and June. It builds
on the ground in tufts of grass, constructing its nest of moss
and moss-roots, sometimes open and cup-like and sometimes
globular, and lining it with sheep’s wool. Mr. Hodgson figures
one nest suspended from a branch, and although neither the
English nor the vernacular notes confirm this, it is supported to
a certain extent by Mr Gammie’s experience. At the same time,
though the situation and surroundings of both seem to have been
similar, Mr. Hodgson figures his nest, not cup-shaped, but egg-
shaped, and with the longer diameter horizontal. Seven nests
are recorded as having been taken, and all on the ground. One,
cup-shaped, taken on the 7th June, 1846, w’hich is also figured,
in amongst grass and leaves on the ground, measured externally
3*5 inches in diameter, 2*5 in height, and internally 2 inches both in
diameter and depth.

The full complement of eggs is said to be four. Two types of
eggs are figured, both rather broad ovals, measuring about 0*75
by 0*6. The one has a bufEy-w^hite ground and is thinly speckled
and streaked, except quite at the broad end, w*here the markings
are nearly confluent, with pale dingy yellowish broAvn ; the other
has a pale earthy-brown ground, and is spotted similarly to the one
just described, but with red and purple. This latter egg appears
on the same plate with the suspended nest, and is, I think,
doubtful.

Several nests of this species, which I ow^e to Captain Masson of
Darjeeling, are very beautiful structures, moderately shallow and
rather massive cups, externally composed of moss, and lined thickly
with fine black moss-roots. The cavity of the nests may have
been about If inch in diameter by less than inch in depth, but
the sides of the nests are from one inch to 2 inches in thickness,
constructed of firmly compacted moss.

Other nests of this species that have since been sent me show
that the bird very commonly suspends its nest to one or two twigs,
not unfrequently making it a complete cylinder or egg in shape,
with the entrance at one side, but always using moss, in some cases

LIOTHRIX.

147

jB.ne, in some coarse, according to the nature of the moss growing
where the nest is laced, as the sole material, and lining the cavity
thickly with fine black moss and fern-roots.

Dr. Jerdon tells us that at Darjeeling he has repeatedly had the
nest brought to him. “ It is large, made of leaves of bamboos
carelessly and loosely put together, and generally placed in a clump
of bamboos. The eggs are three to five in number, of a somewhat
fleshy-white, with a few rusty spots.”

I cannot but think that in this case wrong nests had been brought
to Dr. Jerdon. The eggs that I possess are all of one type—rather
elongated ovals with scarcely any gloss, and strongly recalling in
shape, size, and appearance densely marked varieties of the eggs
of Himndo rustica^ but with the markings rather browner and
slightly more smudgy.

The eggs are typically rather elongated ovals, often slightly
compressed towards the small end, sometimes rather broader and
slightly pyriform. The shell is extremely fine and compact, but has
scarcely any gloss; the ground-colour is sometimes pure white,
sometimes has a faint brownish-reddish or creamy tinge. The
markings are invariably most dense about the large end, where they
form a zone or cap, regular, well defined and confluent in some speci¬
mens, irregular, ill-defined and blotchy in others. As a rule these
markings, which consist of specks, spots, and tiny blotches, are com¬
parative!}’’thinly scattered over the rest of the egg, but occasionally
they are pretty thickly scattered everywhere, though nowhere any¬
thing like so densely as at the large end. The colour of the mark¬
ings is rather variable. It is a brown of varying shades, varying
not only in different eggs, but there being often two shades on the
same egg. Normally it is I think an umber-brown, yellower in
some spots, but varying shghtly in tinge, leaning to burnt umber,
sienna, and raw sienna.

Other eggs subsequently obtained by Mr. G-ammie are of much
the same character as those already described, but one is a good
deal shorter and broader, and the markings are more decided red
than are some of the yellowish-brown spots observable in the eggs
first obtained.

In length the eggs seem to vary from 0*76 to 0*8, and in breadth
from 0*54 to 0-58.

Subfamily LIOTRICHINiE.

235. Liothrix lutea (Scop.). The Red-billed LiotJirix.

Leiothrix luteus (Scop?), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 250.

Leiothrix callipyga (Hodgs?), Hume, Rough Draft N. ^ B. no. 614.

The Eed-billed Liothrix breeds from April to August, at elevations
of from 3000 to 6000 feet, throughout the Himalayas south, as
a rule, of the first snowy range and eastward of the Sutlej; west

10 *

148

CRATEEOPODIDiE.

of the Sutlej I have not heard of its occurrence. It also doubtless
breeds throughout the hill-ranges running down from Assam to
Biirmah.

Mostly the birds lay in May, affecting well-watered and jungle-
clad valleys and ravines. They place their nests in thick bushes,
at heights of from 2 to 8 feet from the ground, and either wedge
them into some fork, tack them into three or four upright shoots
between which they hang, or else susx3end them like an Oriole’s or
White-eye’s nest.

The nest varies from a rather shallow to a very deep cup, and is
composed of dry leaves, moss, and lichen in varying proportions,
bamboo-leaves being great favourites, bound together with slender
creepers, grass-roots, fibres, &c., and lined with black horse- or
buffalo-hair, or hair-like moss-roots. The nests differ much in
appearance: I have seen one composed almost entirely of moss,
and another of nothing but dry bamboo-sheaths, with a scrap or
two of moss. They are always pretty substantial, but sometimes
they are very massive for the size of the bird.

Three is certainly the usual complement of eggs.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, this species breeds in the
central mountainous region of Nepal, and lays from April to August.
The nest, which is somewhat purse-shaped, is ^Dlaced in some upright
fork between three or four slender branches, to all of which it is
more or less attached. It is composed of moss, dry leaA^es, often
of the bamboo, and the bark of trees, and is compactly bound
together with moss-roots and fibres of different kinds ; it is lined
with horse-hair and moss-roots, and contains genei'ally three or
four eggs.

The following note I quote verbatim :—

“ Central Hills^ August \2ili, —^Male, female, and nest. NTest in
a low leafy tree 5 cubits'from the ground in the Shewpoori forest;
partly suspended and partly rested on the fork of the branch ;
suspension effected by twisting part of the material round tlie
prongs of the fork; made of moss and lichens and dry leaves, well
compacted into a deep saucer-shaped cavity; 3*62 high, 4*5 wide
outside, and inside 2*25 deep and 3 inches wide ; eggs pale verditer,
spotted brown, and ready for hatching. The bird found in small
flocks of ten to twelve, except at breeding-season.”

A nest sent to me last year by Mr. G-ammie was found by liim
on the 24th April, at an elevation of about 5000 feet, in the
neighbourhood of Eungbee. It was built by the side of a stream
iu a sniall bush, at a height of about 3 feet from the ground, and
contained three eggs. The nest is a deep and, for the size of the
bird, very massive cup, exteriorly composed entirely of broad flag¬
like grass-leaves, with which, however, a few slender stems of
creepers are intermingled, internally of grass-roots; the egg-cavity
being thinly lined with coarse, black buffalo-hair. Externally the
nest is more than 5 inches in diameter and nearly 4 inches hio*h •
but the egg-cavity, which is very regularly shaped, is 2| indies
in diameter and 2 inches in depth.

LIOTHBIX,

149

This year Mr. Gammie writes to me:—“ I have taken many nests
of the Eed-billed Liothrix here in our Chinchoiia reserves, at all
elevations from 3500 to 5000 feet. They breed in May and
June, amongst dense scrub, placing their nests in shrubs, at heights
of from 3 to 5 feet from the ground, and either suspending them
from horizontal branches, or hanging them between several upright
stems, to which they firmly attach them. The nest itself is cup¬
shaped and composed principally of dry bamboo-leaves held together
by a few fibres, and a few strings of green moss wound round the
outside. The lining consists of a few black hairs, and the usual
number of eggs is three. A nest I recently measured was extern¬
ally 4 inches in diameter and 2*7 in height, while the cavity was
2*6 across by 1*9 in depth.’’

Mr. Gaminie subsequently found a nest on the very late date of
17th October at Eishap, Darjeeling. It contained three eggs, two
of which were addled.

Dr. Jerdon says that at Darjeeling he “ got the nest and eggs
repeatedly; the nest made chiefly of grass, with roots and fibres,
and fragments of moss, and usually containing three or four eggs,
bluish white, with a few purple and red blotches. It is generally
placed in a leafy bush at no great height from the ground. Gould,
quoting from Mr. Shore’s notes, says that the eggs are black spotted
with yeUow: this is of course erroneous. I have taken the nest
myself on several occasions, and killed the bird, and in every case
the eggs were coloured as at30ve.”

I wish to add here, as I have abused him occasionally, that
Mr. Shore was, I understand, a most excellent man, and that I have
now come to the conclusion that the extraordinary fictions that he
recorded about the eggs of birds can only have been due to colour¬
blindness of a peculiarly aggravated nature. It is not that he
mistook eggs, but that he describes im^yossihle eggs—Kingfishers’
eggs variegated black and white, and here in this case black eggs
spotted with yellow! Why, there are no such eggs in the whole
world, I believe. On the other hand, his whole life proves that he
could not have dehberately set to work to invent falsehoods. To
return.

The eggs vary a good deal in shade and size, but are more or less
long ovals, slightly pointed tov^nrds the lesser end. The ground¬
colour is a delicate very pale green or greenish blue, in one, not
very common type, almost pure white, and they are pretty boldly
blotched or spotted and speckled as the case may be, and clouded,
most thickly towards the large end, and very often aluiost ex¬
clusively in a zone or cap round this latter, -with various shades of
red or purple and brown. Some blotches in some eggs are almost
carmine-red, but the majority are brownish red or reddish brown,
varying much in depth and intensity of colour. There is some¬
thing Shrike-hke in the markings of many eggs; and where the
markings are most numerous, namely at the large end, they are
commonly intermingled with streaks and clouds of pale lilac. The
smaller end of the egg is often entirely free from markings. I

150

CEATEEOPODIDiE.

should mention that all the eggs have a faint gloss, and that some
are decidedly glossy.

They vary in length from 0*76 to 0*95, and in breadth from 0*59
to 0*66; but the average of thirty-four eggs is 0*85 by 0*62.

237. PterutMus erythropterus (Vig.). The Eed-ivinged
BhriTce-Tit,

Pteruthius erythropterus (Vig.), Jerd, B.Ind. ii, p. 245; Humej
Rough Draft N, ^ -S. no. 609.

Writing from Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall says :—“ There
is no record about the nidification of this species. Its nest is
exceedingly difficult to find, and it was only by long and careful
watching through field-glasses that Captain Cock discovered that
there was a nest at the top of a very high chestnut-tree, to and
from which the birds kept fiying with building-materials in their
beaks. The nest is most skilfully concealed, being at the top of the
tree, with bunches of leaves both above and below. The nest, like
that of the Oriole, is built pendent in a fork. It is somew^hat
roughly made of moss and hair. The eggs are pinky white, blotched
with red, forming in some a ring round the larger end. They
average *9 in length and *65 in breadth. We w^ere fortunate enough
to secure two nests; both were more than 60 feet from the ground.
Breeds in the end of May, at an elevation of 7000 feet.’’

Captain Cock says :—‘‘ I first found this bird building its nest on
the top of a high chestnut-tree at Murree in the month of May.
When the nest was ready I took my friend Captain C, H. T.
Marshall to be present at the taking of it, as it had never, I think,
been taken before. We took the nest on the 30th May.

“ It was an open fiattish cup, like the nest of (9. Icundoo in structure,
only shallower. It contained three eggs, pinky white, covered with
a shower of claret spots that at the larger end formed a cap of dark
claret colour. Another nest, which I took in June from the top
of an oak, contained two eggs.”

To Colonel Marshall and Captain Cock I am indebted for a nest
and egg of this species.

The nest is a moderately deep cup, suspended between two prongs
of a horizontal fork. Externally it is about 4 inches in diameter
and about 3 inches in depth. The egg-cavity is nearly hemispherical,
3 inches in diameter and 1*5 in depth. It is a very loosely made
structure, composed internally of not very fine roots and externally
coated with green moss. Along the lines of suspension a good deal
of wool is incorporated in the structure, and it is chiefly by this
wool that the nest is suspended. The fork is a slender one, the
prongs being from 0*3 to 0*4 in diameter.

The egg is a broad oval, a good deal pointed towards the small
end. The shell is very fine and compact, and has a fine gloss.
The ground-colour is white or pinky white, and is pretty thickly
speckled and finely spotted all over with brownish red and a little

PTBETJTHrUS.—

151

pale inky purple. Just towards the large end the markings are
very dense, and form more or less of a confluent cap of mingled
brownish red and pale lilac, the latter everywhere appearing to
underlie the former.

The egg was taken on the 10th June, and measures 0*9 by 0*68.

239. Pteruthius melanotis, Hodgs. The Chestnut-throated Shrike-

Tit,

Allotrhis oenoharhus, Temm, apud Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 246.

AUotrius melanotis, Hodgs.^ Hume^ Rough Draft N. ^ E. no. 611.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and figures, the Chestnut-
throated Shrike-Tit breeds in Sikhim and Nepal up to an elevation
of 6000 or 7000 feet. The nest is placed at a height of 6 to 10 feet
from the ground, between some slender, leafy, horizontal fork,
betw’een which it is suspended like that of an Oriole or White-eye.
It is composed of moss and moss-roots and vegetable fibres,
beautifully and compactly woven into a shallow cup some 4 inches
in diameter, and with a cavity some 2*5 in diameter and less
than 1 in depth. Interiorly the nest is lined with hair-like fibres
and moss-roots; exteriorly it is adorned vdth pieces of lichen. The
eggs are two or three in number, very regular ovals, about 0*77 in
length by 0*49 in vddth. The ground-colour is a delicate pinky
lilac, and they are speckled and spotted with violet or violet-purple,
the markings being most numerous towards the large end, where
they have a tendency to form a mottled zone.

243. jEgithina tipMa (Linn.). The Common lora.

lora zeylonica ((7m.) et I. typhia (^Linn.)^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, pp. 101,103.
^githina tiphia {Linn.)^ Hume, Rough Draft N. ^ E. nos. 467,468.

I have already on several occasions (see especially ‘ Stray Feathers,’
1877, vol. V, p. 428) recorded my inability to distinguish as dis¬
tinct species HI. tiphia and HI. zeyloniea. I am quite open to convic¬
tion; but believing them, so far as my present investigations go, to
be inseparable, I propose to treat them as a single species in the
present notice.

The Common lora (the genus, though possibly nearly allied, is
too distinct from Chloropsis to allow me to adopt, as Jerdon does,
one common trivial name for both) breeds in different localities
from May to September. I have taken nests and eggs of typical
examples of both supposed species, and have had them sent
me with the parent birds by many correspondents; and though
both vary a good deal, I am convinced that all the variations
which occur in the nests and eggs of one race occur also in
those of the other. If one gets only two or three clutches of
the eggs of each, great differences, naturally attributed to difference
of species (see Captain Cock’s remarks, infra), may be detected;

152

CEATEKOPODlDiE.

but I have seen more than fifty, and, so far as I am concerned, I
have no hesitation in asserting that, as in the case of the birds so
in that of their nests and eggs, no constant differences can be
detected if only sufficiently large series are compared.

The birds build usually on the upper surface of a horizontal
bough, at a height of from ] 0 to 25 feet from the ground. Some¬
times, when the bough is more or less slanting, the nest assumes
somewhat more of a pocket-shape. Occasionally it is built between
three or four slender twigs, forming an upright fork; but this is
quite exceptional.

As a rule nests of the lora very closely resemble those of Leu-^
cocerca, so much so that when I sent a beautiful photograph of a
nest, which I had myself watched building, of the latter species to
Mr. Blyth, he unhesitatingly pronounced it to be a nest of the former.
There is, however, a certain amount of difference ; the lora’s nests
are looser and somewhat less compact and firm. My experience does
not confirm Mr. Brooks’s remarks {vide infra) that they are usually
shallower; on the contrary all those now before me are, as indeed
all the many I can remember to have seen were, deep, thin-wullecl
cups, which had been placed on more or less horizontal branches,
not uncommonly where some upright-growing twig afforded the
nest additional security. The egg-cavity averages about 2 inches
in diameter, and varies from an inch to inch in depth; the walls,
composed of vegetable fibres, and varying in different specimens
from only one eigldh to three eighths of an inch in thickness, are
everywhere thickly coated externally with cobw’ebs, by which also
the nest is firmly attached to the branch on which it is seated, as
w^ell as, where such adjoin the nest, to any little twig springing
from that branch. Interiorly they are more or less neatly lined
with very fine grass-stems. The bottom of the nest in its thinnest
part is rarely above one eighth of an inch in thickness, but running,
as it so often does, down the curving sides of the branch, it
becomes a good deal thicker, and where placed on a small branch,
say not exceeding an inch in diameter, the laternl portions of the
bottom of the nest are sometimes more than half an inch in
thickness.

One nest which I obtained recently in the Botanical G-ardens
at Calcutta w'as built in an upright fork of four slender twigs; and
in this case the bottom of the nest wus obtusely conical, and at its
deepest point may have been nearly an inch in depth. I have never
seen a similar nest.

• The eggs are normally three in number, but I have at times
found only two, and these more or less incubated.

Mr. Brooks, writing of a nest he took in the Mirzapoor District,
says :—‘‘ Did you ever get particulars of the nest of lora zeylonica on
the forked branch of a mango-tree 12 or 14 feet from the ground ?
ISTest composed of the same materials as that of Leucocerca alhi-
frontata, but not quite so neat and much more shallow; eggs
salmon-coloured and spotted with pale reddish brown, intermixed
with a few larger dashes of purple-grey. The bird lays in July;

JEGITHINA.

153

three eggs. This is the only nest I hare not taken since I came to
India the second time.”

Prom Eaipoor, Mr. P. E. Blewitt remarks :—“ The lora breeds
from July to September, and certainly not^ as Dr. Jerdon supposes,
twice a year. Both birds assist in the building of the nests, and
there evidently appears to be no choice of any particular kind of
tree on which to build. I have found them indiscriminately on
the mango, mowah, neem, and other trees. The nest is invariably
made either just above or between the. fork of two outshooting
slender horizontal branches. It is very neatly made, deeply cup¬
shaped, of grass and fibres, with spider’s web on the exterior.
The maximum number of eggs is three; they are of a pale whitish
colour, marked generally, cMefiy at the broad end, with brownish
spots. The brown spots vary in size on different eggs. I secured
the first eggs on the 12th July, and the last on the 2nd September.
A pair of birds were on this last date just completing their nest,
which unfortunately was destroyed by the heavy rains.”

Captain Cock says :—‘‘ lora tijiliia is tolerably common at Seeta-
poor (Oudh), and I have several times taken their nests and eggs.
I may here mention that I have taken eggs of lora zeylonica at
Etawah, and that knowing the birds well, I can say that it is quite
a distinct bird; although in the marking of its eggs there is a
slight resemblance, yet the nests of the two species are quite dif¬
ferent. On the 13th May I observed a nest of /. ti^phia on a young
mango-tree, at the edge of a croquet-ground in our garden. I
shot both male and female and took the eggs ; the nest was placed
on the upperside of a sloping bough, was covered outside with cob¬
web, and lined with thin dry grass. It contained two fresh eggs
of a delicate pink colour, with broad irregularly-shap)ed dashes of
light brown down the sides of the shell, not tending to coalesce in
any way at either apex. Another pair also built their nest on the
edge of the same ground in another tree; but unfortunately in a
weak moment I pointed out the nest to a lady friend, and as there¬
after no one ever played croquet on the ground without staring at
the nest, the birds got disgusted and soon deserted it.”

To this I need merely add that of course typical JS. tipMa and
typical JE. zeylonica are very distinct, but that as every intermediate
form occurs, they are not, according to my views of what consti¬
tutes a species, entitled to specific separation, and that as regards
nest and eggs, according to my experience, every variety in the one
is to be found in the other.

Dr. Jerdon, speaking of Southern India, remarks :—“ I have seen
the nest and eggs on several occasions. The nest is deep, cup-shaped,
very neatly made with grass, various fibres, hairs, and spiders’
webs; and the eggs, two or three in number, are reddish white,
with numerous darker red spots, chiefly at the thicker end.. It
breeds in the south of India in August and September; perhaps,
however, twice a year.”

Writing from South Wynaad, Mr. J. Darling (Junior) says :—“ I
found the nest, which with the eggs and both parents I have now

154

CEATEEOPODIDJE.

sent you, in the Teriat Hills on the 24th May, at an elevation of
about 2300 feet. It was placed on, and near the extremity of,
a bough, at a height of about 10 feet from the ground. It is round,
about 2 inches in height and the same in diameter, and the cavity
was about an inch or a tride more in depth. It is built of grass
and reed-bamboo-fibres, and is coated with spider’s web. It only
contained two eggs.”

Both parents (sexes ascertained by dissection) are in the typical
plumage, without one particle of black on either head, nape,
or back.

Mr. Davidson writes :—“ In the Satara and Sholapur districts
the cock puts on his summer plumage in May and the whole back
of head, neck, and back (not rump) is glossy and black.

“ This bird lays from the end of June to beginning of August.
It is very shy when building and is easily caused to forsake its
nest; if a single egg is taken from the nest it does not forsake it,
however, but lays on (three instances this year).”

Mr. W. E. Brooks has favoured me with the following very
interestiug note on the habits of this lora:—

“ loras are very numerous and have such a variety of notes that
I thought at first there were several sorts; but as far as I can see
there is but one species. lora spreads its tail in a wonderful
manner, and comes spinning round and round towards the ground
looking more like a round ball than a bird. All the time it de¬
scends it utters a strange note, something like that of a frog or
cricket, a protracted sibilant sound. This bird is close to Liotlirix
and StaoJiyrliis^ although it belongs to the plains.”

Colonel Butler wHtes :—“Anest on the 17th August, 1880, on
the outside branch of a silk-cotton tree in Belgaum about 12 feet
from the ground, containing three fresh eggs.

“ I found many other nests building all through the hot weather
and rains; but in every single instance except the present one
they were deserted before they w^ere completed.”

Major Bingham writes from Tenasserim:—“ This species is
common throughout the country. As a rule its nest is well hid,
but one I saw in the compound of a house in Maulmain was placed
in the exposed leafless fork of a tree, not above six feet from the
ground. It contained no eggs when I examined it, and w^as
deserted a day or two after. This was in the beginning of May.”

Mr. Oates I'emarks on the breeding of this bird in Pegu:—
“ Nests are found chiefly in June and July, but the birds probably
lay also in May.”

In shape the eggs are moderately broad ovals, slightly pointed
towards one end. They vary, however, a good deal, some being
much more elongated than others. They are almost entirely
devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is generally greyish w^hite,
bat some have creamy and some a salmon tinge; typically they
have numerous long streaky pale brown or reddish-brown blotches,
chiefly confined to the large end, where they often seem to spring
from an irregular imperfect zone of the same colour. The colour

MYZOENIS.—OHLOEOPSIS.

155

of the blotches varies a good deal. In some it is a pale greyish or
purplish brown ; in others decidedly reddish, or even well-marked
and somewhat yellowish brown. Some pale, purplish streaks and
clouds generally underlie the broAvn blotches where they are
thickest, and there form a kind of nimbus. In some eggs the
markings are confined to a narrow imperfect zone of pale purplish
specks or very tiny blotches round the large end, and some of the
eggs remind one of those of Leucocerca albifrontata. The peculiar
streaky longitudinal character of the markings, almost w'-holly
confined to the large end, best distinguishes the eggs of the loras
from those of any other Indian bird with which they are likely to
be confounded.

In length they vary from 0*63 to 0*76, and in breadth from 0*51
to 0*57 : but the average of forty-seven eggs measured is 0'69,
nearly, by a trifle more than 0*54.

246. Myzornis pyrrhura, Hodgs. The Fire-iailed Myzornis.

Myzornis pyrrhoiira, Hodys., Jerd, B, Inch ii, p. 263; lliimej Bongh
Draft iV. F. no, G29. *

I have received a single egg said to belong to the Tire-tailed
Myzornis from Native Sikhim, where it was found in May in a
small nest (unfortunately mislaid) which was placed on a branch
of a large tree at no great height from the ground. The place
where it was found had an elevation of about 10,000 feet. Although
the parent bird was sent with the egg, I cannot say that I have
any great confidence in its authenticity, and only record the
matter (piayitiim vcdecit.

The egg is a very regular, rather elongated oval. The egg was
never properly blowm and has been consequently somevhat dis¬
coloured. It may have been pure Avhite, and it may have been
fairly glossy when fresh, but it is now a dull ivory-white witli
scarcely any gloss. It measured 0*68 in length by 0*5 in breadth.

252. Chloropsis jerdoni (Bl.). JenloTs Cldoroims.

Phyllornis jerdoni, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 97 ,* Ilime, Hough Draft
A. I?, no. 403. y J J

I have never myself found the nest of Jerdon’s Chloropsis, but
my friend Mr. T. E. Blewdtt has sent me numerous specimens of
both nests and eggs from Eaipoor and its neighbourhood.

In that part of the country July and August appear to be the
months in which it lays ; but elsewhere its eggs have been taken in
April, May, and June, so that its breeding-season is much the same
as that of many of the Bulbuls. The nest is a small, rather shallow
cup, at most 3^ inches in diameter and in depth; is composed
externally entirely of soft tow-like vegetable fibre, \^'hich appears

156

CEA-TEBOPOBIBiE.

to be worked over a light framework of fine roots and slender
tamarisk-stems, amongst which, some little pieces of lichen are inter¬
mingled. There is no attempt at a lining, the eggs being laid on
the fine grass and slender twigs (about the thickness of an ordiuaiy-
sized pin) w’'hich compose the framework of the nest.

The eggs as a rule appear to be two in number.

Mr. Blewitt remarks :—“ The Green Bulbul breeds in July and
August. The bird does not preferentially select any one descrip¬
tion of tree for its nest, though the greater number secured were
taken from mowah trees {Bassia latifolia). The nest is generally
firmly affixed at the fork of the end twigs of an upper branch from
15 to 25 feet from the ground. Sometimes, however, eschewing
twigs, the bird constructs its nest on the top of the main branch
itself, cunningly securing it with the material to the rough exterior
surface of the branch. Three is certainly the maximum number
of eggs. During the period of nidification the parent birds are
very watchful and noisy, and their alarm and over-anxiety on the
near approach of a stranger often betray the nest.’’

The late Captain Beavan recorded the following interesting note
in regard to this species :—

“ This handsome bird is very abundant in Manbhoom, where it
is called ‘ Hurrooa ’ by the natives. Its note is so much like that
of Dicrurus ater that I have frequently been deceived by the
resemblance. It breeds in the district. A nest with tw'o eggs
w’as brought to me at Beerachalee on April 4th, IS65. It is built
at the fork of a bough and neatly suspended from it, like a ham¬
mock, by silky fibres, which are firmly fixed to the two sprigs of
the fork, and also form part of the bottom and outside of the
nest. The inside is lined with dry bents and hairs. The eggs
(creamy white with a few^ light pinky-brown spots) are rather elon¬
gated, measuring 0*85 by 0*62. Interior diameter of nest 2*25,
depth 1*5. The cry of alarm of this species is like that of Pavus
majorB

Dr. Jerdon remarked (‘ Illustrations of Indian Ornithology ’),
writing at the time from Southern India :—

“ I have seen a nest of this species in the possession of S. JST.
"Ward, Esq. It is a neat but slightly cup-shaped nest, composed
chiefly of fine grass, and was placed near the extremity of a
branch, some of the nearest leaves being, it was said, brought dow*n
and loosely surrounding it. It contained two eggs, white, with a
few claret-coloured blotches. Its nest and eggs, I may remark,
show^ an analogy to that of the Orioles.”

Mr. Layard tells us that this species is “ extremely common in
the south of Ceylon, but rare towards the north. It feeds in small
flocks on seeds and insects, and builds an open cup-shaped nest.
The eggs, four in number, are white, thickly mottled at the obtuse
end with purplish spots.”

And Sir W. Jardine Says:—“ Eor the interesting nest and eggs
of Phyllornis jerdoni, Blyth, w^e are indebted to E. S. Layard, Esq.,
Magistrate of the district of Point Pedro (the northernmost

IRBITA.

157

extremity of Ceylon), in which district we understand it to have
been procured. A large groove along the underside of the nest
indicates it to have been placed upon a branch; the general form
is somewhat flat, and it is composed of very soft materials, chiefly
dry grass and silky vegetable fibres, rather compactly interwoven
with some pieces of dead leaf and bark on the outside, over which
a good deal of spider’s web has been worked. It contains four
eggs, white, abruptly speckled over with dark bistre mingled with
some ashy spots.” Layard is not generally reliable where eggs are
concerned, for he did not usually take them with his own hands
and natives luill lie; and I doubt the four eggs here, but I think,
so far as the nest goes, that he was right in this case.

The eggs are rather elongated ovals ; some of them a good deal
pointed towards one end, others again slightly pyriform. The
shell is very delicate; the ground-colour white to creamy white ;
as a rule almost glossless, in some specimens slightly glossy.
They are sparingly marked, usually chiefly at the large end, with
spots, specks, small blotches, hair-lines, or hieroglyphic-like figures,
which are typically almost black, but which in some eggs are
blackish, or even reddish, or purplish brown. In no specimens
that I have seen w^ere the markings at all numerous, except just at
the large end; and in some they consist solely of a few tiny specks,
. scattered about the crown of the egg.

The eggs vary from 0*8 to 0*92 in length, and from 0*56 to 0*63
in breadth ,* but the average of a dozen was 0*86 by 0*6.

254. Irena puella (Lath.). The Fcdry Blu^e-hircl,

Irena puella {Lath), Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 105; Hume, Rough Draft N. (§*
E. no 469.

Mr. Trank Bourdillon favoured me with an egg of the Fairy
Blue-bird, which Avith other rare eggs he obtained on the Assamboo
Hills. 8o little is known of this range that I quote his remarks
upon this locality.

“ I must premise that the specimens Avere obtained along the
Assamboo Eange of hills, between the elevations of 1500 and
3000 feet above sea-level. This range of hills, running in a
north-Avesterly and south-easterly direction from Cape Comorin to
8° 33' north latitude, forms the boundary line betAveen Travancore
and the British Territory of Tinnevelly, the average height of
the range being about 4000 feet, while some of the peaks are as
high as 5500 feet. The general character of the hills is dense
forest, broken here and there by grass ridges and crowned by pre¬
cipitous rocks, above which lies an almost unexplored table-land,
varying in width from a mile to 12 or 15 miles, at an elevation of
almost 4000 feet.”

“ The egg of the Fairy Blue-bird,” he adds, ‘‘was taken slightly
set on the 28th February, 1873, from a loose sparsely-built nest
situated in a sapling about 12 feet from the ground. The nest was

158

CH ATEROPODIDiE.

composed of dead twigs lined with leaves, and \\'as about 4 inches
broad and very slightly indented/’

As will be remembered, Dr. Jerdon states that “Mr. Ward
obtained, what he was informed were, the nest and eggs ; the nest
was large, made of roots and fibres and lined with moss ; and the
eggs, two in number, A^^ere pale greenish, much spotted with dusky: ’
and I have no doubt that Mr. Ward s eggs were genuine.

The egg is an elongated OA'al, compressed almost throughout its
entire length, very blunt at both points; a long cone, the apex
broadly truncated and rounded ofi obtusely, seated on half a A^ery
oblate spheroid. In no one single point—shape, texture of shell,
colour or character of markings—does this egg approach to those
of either the Oriole or the Chloropsis. This shell is very close-
grained and fine, but only moderately glossy. The ground is pale
green, and it is streaked and blotched with pale dull browm. The
markings are almost entirely confiuent over the large end (where
they appear to be underlaid by dingy, dimly discernible greyish
blotches), and from the cap thus formed they descend in streaky
mottlings towards the small end, growing fewer and further apart
as they approach this latter, which is almost devoid of markings.

It is impossible to generalize from a single specimen as to the
position this bird should hold, but this one egg renders it quite
certain to my mind that the nearest allies of Irena are neither
Oriohis nor Cldorojpsis^ and that it is quite impossible to place it
Avith the Dicruridce, The eggs of Psaroglossa spilogMra are not very
dissimilar, and I expect that it is someAvhere betAveen the Para’-
diseidce, Sturnidce, and Icteridm that Irena aaII] ultimately have to
be located.

The egg measures IT by 0*73.

Mr. Pulton Bourdillon Avrites :—“ The last note I have to send
you at present is that of a Blue-bird’s nest {Irena jguella'). Of this
there can be no possible doubt, as my brother and I shot both the
male and female birds, and I took the nest with my owm hands. It
Avas in a pollard tree beside a stream among some thick branches
about 20 feet from the ground. The nest Avas neatly but very
loosely constructed of fresh green moss, which formed the bulk of the
nest, and lined with the floAA^er-stalks of a jungle shrub. It Avas
very Avell concealed, and AA'as about 4 inches broad Avith a cavity
not more than 1| inch deep. It contained two eggs slightly set,
measuring respectively 1*11 x *84 and 1T6 x -81. These eggs
tally very fairly in colour, shape, and size AAuth those sent kvst
year; of the identity of AAhich I AA^as doubtful at the time, though
now I think there can be no mistake.

“Since AAuriting last I have had another nest of Irena ‘puella
brought me with two fresh eggs. The nest Avas very loosely put
together and similar in all respects to the one last sent. The eggs
measure -Qox-Sl and •92x-79, with the same well-defined ring
round the larger end. The nest Avas in a small tree about 10 feet
from the ground and was well concealed. It was composed of
twigs, Avithout any hning.”

The nest sent me by Mr. Bourdillon is a very flimsy affair,

IREN-A.

159

reminding one iniichof the nest of Graucalits maeii ixncl not in the
smallest degree of that of an Oriole. A mere pad, some 4 inches
in diameter, composed of verj thin twigs or dry flower-stalks with
a couple of dead leaves intermingled, and an external coating of
green moss.

Major G. T. Bingham has favoured me with the following notes
from Tenasserim :—At the sources of the Winsaw stream, a
feeder of the Thoungjeen river, on the 30th April I found a nest
of this bird, o, mere irregularly roundish pad of moss with very little
depression in the centre, containing two fresh eggs, and placed
12 feet or so above the ground in the fork of an evergreen sapling.
The eggs measure ITS X 0*86 and 1T9 x 0*86 respectively, and are
so thickly spotted and blotched with brown as to show very little
of the ground-colour, which latter, however, appears to be of a
greenish white.

“ On the 11th April I was slowly clambering along a very steep
hill-side overlooking the Queebaw choung, a small tributaiy of the
Meplay stream, when from a tree whose crown v’as below my feet
I startled a female Irena amelia off her nest. I could see the nest
and that it contained two eggs, so I shot the female, who had
taken to a tree a little above me. On getting the nest down, I
found it a poor affair of little twigs, mth a saperstriicture of moss,
shaped into a shallow saucer, on which reposed two eggs, large for
the size of the bird, of a dull grenish white, much dashed, speckled,
and spotted with brown. They were so hard-set that I only
managed to save one, which measured 1’09 by 0-77 inch.”

Mr. Davisou writes :—“At Kussoom, in some moderately thin
tree-jungle I found the nest oi Irena jimelku The nest was placed
in the fork of a sapling some 12 feet from the ground. The nest
externally was composed of dry twigs, carelessly and irregularly
put together. The egg-cavity was shallow, not more than 1*5 inch
at its deepest part, and it w*as lined with finer twigs, fern-roots,
and some yellowish fibre. The nest contained two fresh eggs.”

Two eggs, taken by Mr. Davison at Kussoom in the north of
the Malay Peninsula, to which the Malayan form does not extend,
are rather elongated ovals, with a slightly pyriform tendency.
The shell is fine, smooth, and compact, and has a perceptible gloss.
The ground-colour is greenish white; round the large end is a
huge, smudgy, irregular zone of I'eddish broum and inky grey, the
one colour predominating in the one egg, the other in the other.
Inside the zone are specks and spots of the same colours, and below^
the zone streaks and spots of these same colours, thinly set, stretclied
downw*ards towards the small end of the egg.

Other eggs subsequently received are very similar to that first
sent by Mr. Bourdillon, except that in shape they are more
regular ovals, and that the brown markings in some have a reddish
and in some a purphsh tinge, and that in some eggs the mottings
and markings are pretty thick even at the small end.

In length they seem to vary from 1’08 to 1*2 inch and in breadth
from 0*73 to 0*88 inch.

In some eggs the ground appears to have no green tinge, but is

160

CRA-TBEOPODID^.

simply a greyish white, la one egg the markings are all of one
colour, a sort of chocolate-broAvn, a dense almost conhiient mass of
inottlings in a broad irregular zone round the large end and else¬
where pretty thickly set over the entire surface of the egg\ They
haA^e always a certain amount of gloss, but are never very glossy.

257. Mesia argentauris, Hodgs. The Silver-eared Mesla,

Leiothrix argentauris {Hodgs.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 251.

Mesia argentauris, Hodgs., Hume, Rough Draft N. E. no. 615.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, the Silver-eared Mesia
breeds in the low-lands of Nepal, laying in May and June. The
nest is placed in a bushy tree, between two or three thin twigs,
to which it is attached. It is composed of dry bamboo and other
leaves, thin grass-roots and moss, and is lined inside with fine
roots. Three or four eggs are laid : one of these is figured as a
broad oval, much pointed towards one end, measuring 0*8 by 0*6,
having a pale green ground with a few brownish-red specks, and
a close circle of spots of the same colour round the large end.

Dr. Jerdon brought me two eggs from Darjeeling, which he
believed to belong to this species. They much resemble those of
LiotlirLv liUea. They are oval, scarcely pointed at all towards
the lesser end, and are faintly glossed. The ground-colour of one
is greenish, the other creamy, white, and both are spotted and
streaked, chiefly in an irregular zone near the large end, with
different shades of red and purple. The markings are smaller than
those of the preceding species. Durther observations are neces¬
sary to confirm the authenticity of the eggs.

They measure 0-85 and 0*87 by 0*65.

Trom Sikhim Mr. Grammie writes:—I have taken about half
a dozen nests of this bird. They closely resemble those of LiothrLv
lutea in size and structure and are similarly situated, but instead
of having the egg-cavity lined with dark-coloured material, as that
species has, all I found had light-coloured linings ; such was even
the case with one nest I found within three or four yards of a nest
of the other species.

The eggs are usually four in number.”

Other eggs obtained by Mr. G-ammie correspond with those given
me by Dr. Jerdon. They are as like the eggs of L. lutea as
they can possibly be, and if there is any difference, it consists in
the markings of the present species being as a body smaller and
more speckled than those of L. lutea.

The six eggs that I have vary in length from 0*82 to 0*9, and
in breadth from 0*6 to 0*65.*

* There is in the Tweeddale collection a skin of a young nestling of this
species procured by Limborg on Muleyit mountain in Tenasserim in the second
week of April. On the label attached to the specimen is a note to the effect
that the nest from which the nestling was taken was made of moss.-^En,

miTLA.—CEPHlLOPYRUS.—PSAROa.LOSSA.

161

258. Minla igneitiiicta, Hodgs. The Becl-taiUd Minla.

Minla iguotincta, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 254: Hume, Bough
Draft N. E. no. 618.

The Eed-tailed Minla, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and
figures, breeds in the central region of Nepal and near Darjeeling,
during Maj and June. It builds a beaniitul rather deep cup¬
shaped nest of mosses, moss-roots, and some cow’s hair, lined with
these two latter. The nest is placed in the fork of three or four
slender branches of some bushy tree, at no great elevation from
the ground, and is attached to one or more of the stems in \A'hieh
it is placed by bands of moss and fibres. A nest taken on the 24tli
May measured externally 3*28 inches in diameter and 2*25 in height;
internally the cavity was 2 inches in diameter and l-f)2 in depth.
They lay from two to four eggs, of a pale verditer-bliie ground,
speckled and spotted pretty boldly \\dtli brownish red. An egg is
figured as a regular rather broad oval, measuring 0*78 by 0*55.

On the other hand. Dr. Jerdon says :—Its nest has been brought
to me, of ordinaiy shape, made of moss and grass, and with four
white eggs, with a few rusty red spots.”

260. Cephalopyrus flammiceps (Burton). The Fire-cap.

Cephalopyrus flammiceps {Burt,), Jerd. B. Ind. ii; p. 267; Hume,
Bough Draft N. ^ E. no. 633.

Writingfrom Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall tells us :—‘‘ On
the 25th Slay we found the nest of this species (the Dire-cap) in a
hole in a rotten sycamore-tree about 15 feet from the ground. The
nest was a neatly made cup-shaped one, formed principally of fine
grass. We were unfortunately too late for the eggs, as we found
four nearly fledged young ones, showing that these birds lay about
the 15th April. Elevation, 7000 feet.”

Captain Cock says :—“ I found a nest in the stump of an old
chestnut-tree at Murree. The nest was about 13 feet from the
ground near the top of the stump, placed in a natural cavity ; it
was constructed of fine grass and roots carefully woven and was
of a deep cup shape. It contained five fully fledged young ones.
The end of May was the time when I found this, and I have never
yet succeeded in finding another,”

261. Psaroglossa spiloptera (Vigors). The Epotted-iving.

Saroglossa spiloptera ( Vig.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 336; Hume, Bough
Draft'N. E. no. 691.

Personally I Imow nothing of the nidification of the Spotted-
wdng.

Captain Hutton tells us that “ this species arrives in the hills
about the middle of April in small parties of five or six, but it does
YOL. I. 11

162

CR ATEUOPODTDiE.

not appear to ascend above 5500 to 6000 feet, and is therefore
more properly an inhabitant of the warm valleys. I do not remem¬
ber seeing it at Mussoorie, which is 6500 to 7000 feet, although
at 5200 feet on the same range it is abundant during summer.
Its notes and flight are very much those of the Starling (^turniis
vulfjaris), and it delights to take a short and raihd flight and return
twittering to perch on the very summit of the forest trees. ^ I have
never seen it on the ground, and its food appears to consist of berries.

“Like the two species of jicndotheres, it nidificates by itself in
the holes of trees, lining the cavit}'’ with bits of leaves. The eggs
are usually three, or sometimes four or five, of a delicate pale sea-
green speckled with blood-like stains, which sometimes tend to
form a ring near the larger end; shape oval, slightly tapering.’^

The eggs are so different in character from those of all the
Starlings that doubts might reasonably arise as to whether this
species is placed exactly where it ought to be by Jerdon and others.
I possess at present only three eggs of this bird, which I OAve to
Captain Hutton. They are decidedly long ovals, much pointed
towards the small end, and in shape and coloration not a little recall
those of Myiojplioneus temminclcL The eggs are glossless, of a
greenish or greyish-white ground, moi’e or less profusely speckled
and spotted with red, reddish brown, and dingy purple. In two of
the eggs the majority of the markings are gathered into a broad ir¬
regular speckled zone round the large end. In the third egg there is
just a trace of such a zone and no markings at all elsewhere. In
length they vary from 1*03 to 1*08, and in breadth from 0*68 to 0*74.^‘

* HyrocoLius ampelinus, Bonap. The Grey Hyyocolius,

Hjpoeoliiis ampelinus, Bp., Hume, Cat. no. 269 quat.

Although this bird has not yet been found breeding within Indian limits,
the following account of its nidification at Fao, in the Persian Gulf, by Mr. W.
D. Cuniming (Ibis, 1886, p. 478) will prove interesting:—

“ It is not till tlie middle of June that they breed.

“ In 18S3, first eggs were brought by an Arab about the 13th of June, and on
the 15th of the same month I found a nest containing two fresh eggs. In 1884,
on the 14th of June a nest was brought me containing four fresh eggs, and on
the 15th I found a nest containing also four fresh eggs.

“ 2nd July, I came across four young birds able to fly. On the 3rd, three
nests were brought, one containing two fresh eggs, another three young just
fledged, and the other four eggs slightly incubated. On the 9th, another nest,
containing four young just fledged was brought. On the 15th I saw a flock of
small birds well able to fly ; on the IStb I found a nest containing four young
about a couple of days old, and on the 20th a nest containing three eggs well
incubated was brought from a place called ‘ Goosba ’ on the opposite bank
(Persian side) of the river.

“ The nests are generally placed on the leaves of the date-palm, at no very
great height. The highest I have seen was built about ten feet from tbe ground,
but from three to five feet is the average height.

“ They are substantial and cup-shaped, having a diameter of about inches
by inches in depth, lined inside with fine grass, the soft fluff from the willow
when in seed, wool, and sometimes hair,

“ The eggs are of a glossy leaden white, with leaden-coloured blotches and
spots towards the larger end, sometimes forming a ring round tbe larger end,
and at times spreading over the entmeegg.

CEINiaER.

163

Subfamily BEACHYPODIN^.

263. Criniger fLaveolus (Gould). The White-throated Bidbul.

Criniger flaveolus {Qould), Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 83; Hume, Bouah
Draft ^ ^

A nest of this species sent me from Darjeeling was found in
July, at an elevation of about 3000 feet.

It was placed on the branches of a medium-sized tree, at a height
of only about 5 feet from the ground.

The nest was a compact, rather shallow saucer, 5*5 inches in
diameter and about 2 inches in height externally. The cavity was
about 3’5 in diameter and an inch in depth. The greater portion
of the nest was composed of dead leaves bound together tirmly by
fine brown roots; inside the leaves was just a lining of rather coarser
brown roots, and again an inner lining of black horsehair-like roots
and fine stems of the maiden-hair fern.

The nest contained three fresh eggs. These eggs vary from
broad to somewhat elongated ovals, are more or less pointed towards
the small end, and exhibit a fine gloss.

The ground is a beautiful salmon-pink, and it is thinly spotted,
blotched, and marked Avith irregular lines of deep maroon-red.
Most of the markings in one egg are gathered into a veiy irregular
straggling zone round the large end, and the other egg exhibits
a tendency to form a similar zone. Besides these primary markings
a few spots and clouds of dull purple, looking as if beneath the
surface of the shell, are thinly scattered about the egg, chiefly in
the neighbourhood of the zone.

These eggs vary from 0*9 to 1*0 in length, and from 0*7 to 0*72
in breadth.

Several nests of this species sent me by the late Mr. Mandelli and
obtained by him in British and Native Sikhim during July and the
early part of August- are all precisely of the same type. They each
contained two fresh eggs ; they were all placed in the branches of
small trees in the midst of dense brushwood or heavy jungle, at
heights of from 4 to 10 feet from the ground. The nests are
broad and saucer-hke, nearly 5 inches in diameter, but not much
above 2 in height externally; the caAdties average about 3*25 in dia¬
meter and about 1 in depth. The body of the nest is composed of
dead leaves, the sides are more or less felted round Avith rich broAvn
fibrous, almost Avool-like roots; inside the leaves fine tAvigs and
stems of herbaceous plants, all of a uniform broAvn tint, are Avound
round and round, apparently to keep the leaves in their places
interiorly, and then the cavity is lined with jet-black horsehair-

“ On rare occasions I have noticed a greenish tinge in very fresh eggs. This,
I think, is due to the colour of the inner membrane, which is generally a A^ery
liffht green, in some very faint and in others more decided; this tinge seems to
disappear after the egg is blown.

“ Very rough measurements are as follows:— O'OxOfiS ; 0*83 X 0*63 ; 0-83 X
0*6; 0-83x0*66 *, 0*86 xO'66.”

11 ^

164

CRATEROPOI>IDiE.

like vegetable fibres. What these are I do not know, but they
are precisely like horsehair to look at, only they are comparatively
brittle. The contrast of colour between the jet-black lining and
the rich brown of the lip of the saucer, which is constant in all
the nests, is very striking.

The eggs of this species sent me by Mr. Mandelli, obtained by
him in JSikhiin at elevations of from 2000 to 4000 feet in July
and the early part of August, possess a very distinctive character.
They are broad ovals, much pointed towards the small end, and they
are more glossy than the eggs of any other of this family Avith
which I am acquainted. The ground-colour is ])ink. The mark¬
ings consist of curious hair-line scratches, clouded blotches, and
irregular spots—^iii some eggs all very hazy and ill-dthiied, in others
more scratchy and sharp. The great majority of the markings
seem to be gathered together into an irregular and imperfect zone
round the large end. In colour the maihings vary from a dee])
brownish maroon to a dull brickdiist-red, sometimes they are
slightly more purplish. In some eggs a few faint clouds or small
spots of subsurface-looking dusky purple may be noticed mingled
with the rest of the markings.

These eggs are totally unlike the eggs of Criniger ictericiis, I have
never had an opportunity of verifying the eggs myself, but as three
different nests have now been taken, all containing precisely similar
eggs, I believe there can be no doubt of their authenticity.

269. Hypsipetes psaroides. Vigors. The Himalayan Blade Bnlhiil.

Hypsipetes psaroides (F?V/.), Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 77; Ilumey Bough
Draft K ^ B. no, 444.

The Himalayan Black Bulbul breeds throughout the outer and
lower ranges of the Himalayas, at any rate from Bhootan to
Afghanistan, at elevations varying from 2000 to 6000 feet.

They lay mostly in May and June, but eggs may occasionally
be met Avith during the latter half of April.

The nest of Hypsipetes psaroides is usually made of rather coarse-
bladed grass, with exteriorly a number of dry leaves, and more or
less moss incorporated, and lined with very fine grass-stems and
roots of moss. A good deal of spider’s web is often used exteriorly
to bind the nest together, or attach it more firmly to the fork in
Avhich it rests. Its general shape is a moderately deep cup, the
cavity measuring some 2| inches in diameter by 1| inch in depth.
The sides, into which leaves and moss are freely interwoven, vary
from an inch to a couple of inches in thickness. The bottom,
loosely put together, is rarely more than from a quarter to half an
inch in depth. It appears to be generally placed on the fork of a
branch, at a moderate height from the ground.

Tour is the normal number of eggs, but I have more than once
found three partially incubated eggs in a nest.

From Darjeehng Mr. Grammie remarks :—A nest of this bird,
which I took on the 17th June, at a height of nearly 50 feet from

HYPSIPETES.

165

the ground, on one of the topmost branches of a tree, contained
three hard-set eggs. This was below Eimgbee, at an elevation of
about 3000 feet. The nest was a compact, moderately deep cup,
composed of very fine twigs and stems, and with a quantity of
dead leaves incorporated in the structure, especially tow^ards its
lower surface; it had no lining, but the stems used towards the
interior of the nest were somewhat finer than the rest. Exteriorly
the nest had a diameter of about 4*5 inches, and a height of about
2*5; interiorly a diameter of about 2*5, and a depth of nearly
Mr. Hodgson, writing from Nepal, says :—

“ifay 20i7i, Jaha Powali, —Two nests on the skirts of the forest
in medium-sized trees, placed on the fork of a branch. They are
made of moss and dry fern and dry elastic twig-tops, and lined
with long elastic needles of Piims loyujifolia. They are compact
and rather deep, half pensile, that is to say, partly slung between
the brandies of the fork to which they are attached by bands of
vegetable fibres. Each contained four eggs, pinkish-white, thickly
spotted with dark sanguine.’’ Another year he wTote:—

May 9t7i, in the Valley,—A. mature female with nest and eggs.
Nest saucer-shaped, the cavity 3*5 wide by 2*5 deep, made of slender
twigs and grass-fibres, with no Lining. Eggs three, pale pink,
blotched all over with sanguine brown.”

Writing from Almorah, Mr. Erooks tells us that “ the nest and
eggs were found by Mr. Horne on the 27th May near Bheem Tal.”

Colonel Gr. E. L. Marshall also found a nest in the same place.
He says :—“ I have only myself found the nest once at Bheem Tal
(4000 feet); it w’as situated in a thicket. The nest of this species
is similar in shape but much more substantial than those of the
Common Bulbul. The eggs are much larger and more elongated in
shape, but the colouring is similar to those of the Bulbul, and in
many cases the blotches have a tendency to form a zone near the
thick end. The nest I found was taken on the lOrh June and
contained fresh eggs.

“ On the 30th May, 1875, I found a nest of this species at
Naini Tal on Ayarpata, over 7000 feet above the sea. I record
the circumstance, as their breeding at so great an elevation is
exceptional. The nest contained three fresh eggs ; it was made
of leaves and moss, lined with bents of grass, betw^een tw^o branches
but partially resting on a third, in a bush at the outskirts of a
forest on a steep bank and about eight feet from the ground.”

From Mussoorie, Captain Hutton recorded the following very
full and interesting note:—

‘‘ They breed during April, May, and June, making a rather
neat cup-shaped nest, w^hich is usually placed in the bifurcation
of a horizontal branch of some tall tree; the bottom of it is
composed of thin dead leaves and dried grasses, and the sides of
fine w^oody stalks of plants, such as those used by the White-cheeked
Bulbul, and they are well plastered over externally with spiders’
webs ; the hning is sometimes of very fine tendrils, at other times
of dry grasses, fibrous lichen, and thin shavings of the bark of

166

CRATEBOPOBID.!:.

trees left by the wood-cutters. I have one nest, however, which
is externally formed of green moss with a few dry stallvs, and the
spiders’ webs, instead of being plastered all over the outside, are
merely used to bind the nest to the small branches among which
it is placed. The lining is of bark-shavings, dry grasses, black
fibrous lichens, and a few fine seed-stalks of grasses. The internal
diameter of the nest is 2| inches, and it is inches deep. The
eggs are usually three in number, of a rosy or purplish white,
sprinkled over rather numerously with deep claret or rufescent
purple specks and spots. In colours and distribution of spots there
is great variation, sometimes the rufous and sometimes the purple
spots prevailing; sometimes the spots are mere specks and freckles,
sometimes large and forming blotches; in some the spots are wide
apart, in others they are nearly, and sometimes in places quite,
confluent; while from one nest the eggs w’-ere white, with widely
dispersed dark purple spots and dull indistinct ones appearing
under the shell. In all the spots were more crowded at the larger
end.”

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall remarks :—“ I^umerous nests of this
species were found at Murree, agreeing well with Hutton’s descrip¬
tion. They breed in May and June, never above 6000 feet.”

The eggs are rather long ovals. Typically a good deal pointed
towards the small end, and more or less pyriform, but at times
nearly perfect ovals. They have little or no gloss. The ground¬
colour varies from white, very faintly tinged with pink, to a
delicate pink, and they are profusely speckled, spotted, blotched,
or clouded with various shades of red, brownish red, and purple.
The markings vary much in character, extent, and intensity of
colour. There seem to be two leading types, with, however, almost
every possible intermediate variety of markings. The one is thickly
speckled over its w^hole surface with minute dots of reddish purple,
no dot much bigger than the point of a pin, and no portion of the
ground-colour exceeding OT in diameter free from spots. In these
eggs the specklings are most dense, as a rule, throughout a broad
irregular zone surrounding the large end, and this zone is thickly
underlaid with irregular ill-defined streaky clouds of dull inky
purple. In some eggs of this type, the smaller end is comparatively
free from specks. In the other type, the surface of the egg is
somewhat sparingly, but boldly, blotched and splashed, first with
deep umber, chocolate, or purple-brown, and, secondly, with spots
and clouds of faint inky purple, recalling not a little the style
of markings of the eggs of Eliynchops alhicollis. Then there are
eggs partly speckly and partly blotched, some in which the markings
are all rich red and where no secondary pale purple clouds are
observable, and others again in which all the markings are dull
purplish brown. Generally it may be said that the markings have
a tendency to form a cap or zone at the large end.

A nest of three eggs recently obtained from Mussoorie w^ere
more richly coloured than any I have yet seen, and were decidedly
glossy. The ground-colour is a rich rosy pink, boldly, but sparingly,
blotched and spotted with deep maroon, underlaid by clouds and

HYPSIPETES.

167

spots of pale purple, which appear^ as if beneath the surface of
the shell. In all the eggs the markings are far more numerous at
the large end, where in one they form a huge conhuent maroon-
coloured patch, mottled lighter and darker.

An egg recently obtained in Cashmere on the 20th June was
a somewhat elongated oval, more or less compressed towards
one end ; a delicate glossy white ground with a faint pink tinge;
a rich zone of reddish-purple spots and specks round the large end;
a few similar markings scattered sparingly over the rest of the
surface of the egg, and a multitude of very faint streaks and clouds
of \eij pcde inky purple underlying the primary markings.

In length the eggs vary from 0*9 to 1*15, and in breadth from 0*7
to 0*78; but the average of twenty-five eggs measured is 1*05 by 0*75.

271. Hypsipetes ganeesa, Sykes. The Soiitliern-Indian
Blade Bulhxd.

Hypsipetes neilgherriensis, Jer(l.\ Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 78: Hume.

Bough Draft N. c5* E. no. 445.

Hypsipetes ganeesa, Sykes^ Jerd. t. c. p. 78.

Mr. Davison tells me that ‘Hhis species breeds from April to
about the middle of June. The nest is generally placed from 12
to 20 feet from the ground, in some dense clump of leaves; favourite
sites are the bunches of parasitic plants with which nearly every
acacia, and in fact nearly every other tree about Ootacamund, is
covered. The nest is composed exteidorly of moss, dry leaves, and
roots, lined with roots and fibres: the normal number of eggs is
tW’O; they are white with claret-coloured and purplish spots.’’

A nest of this species taken at Coonoor on the 14th March, 1869,
by Mr. Carter, to whom I owe this and many other nests from the
Hilghiris, reminds one much of those of the Ked-cheeked Bulbuls.
A wisp of dry grass and dead leaves, with the dead lea^'es greatly
predominating exteriorly, twisted into a shallow cup, some 4| inches
in diameter externally, and with a shallow^ depression tolerably
neatly lined with finer grass-stems measuring some 3 inches across
and perhaps an inch in depth. The bottom of the nest is almost
exclusively composed of dead leaves; while even in the sides,
externally, little but these are visible, only a few grass-stems
crossing in and out, here and there, sufficiently to keep the leaves
in their places.

Mr. Wait remarks, writing from Coonoor :—“ Our Black Bulbul
breeds from March to June. It builds a cup-shaped nest neatly
and firmly made. Outside, the nest is chiefly composed, as a rule,
of green moss, grass-stalks, and fibres, while inside it is lined with
fine stalks and hah*. The cavity is from 2*5 to 3 inches in diaaieter
and about half that depth. l\vo is certainly the normal number
of eggs ; indeed, I have never found more.”

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan, waiting from South India, says in ‘ The
Ibis’:—“It breeds in lofty trees in the JS'ilghiris, building a
shallow' cup-shaped nest, from 20 to 60 feet from the ground. The
nest is constructed of the dried stems of the w ild forget-me-not,

16S

CBATEKOPOBTDiE.

and lined with a moss much resembling black horsehair. The
eggs, which are two in number, are pretty thickly spotted with
pale lilac and claret on a light pink grouud-eolour. I found these
birds inigrating in vast flights, numbering several thousands, in the
Bolumputty valley in J uiy. They were flying westwards towards
Malabar.”

Mr. Darling, Junior, vTites :—“ I have taken the eggs of this
Black Bulbul every year from 1S63 to 1870 during March, April,
May, and part of June, all over the Kilghiris. The ]iests were all
made of moss, dry leaves, and roots, lined with roots and fibres.
I have only once found three eggs (the normal number being two):
in this case the eggs are very much smaller than usual, and more
blotched with the reddish spots. I have found them at all heights
from the ground up to 30 feet, and mostly in rhododendron tre(\s.
I found two nests in vS. Wynaad, at an elevation of about 4000 feet,
both with young, in June 1873.’-

Mr. C. J. W. Taylor informs us that he procured the nest of this
bircln'ith three fresh eggs at Manzeerabad in Mysore onthe7th A]n-il.

Colonel Legge tells ns that this Bulbul breeds in Ceylon from
January till IMarch.

That the Nilghiris bird should lav usually only eggs, and this
seems a well ascertained fact, while our very closely allied Himalayan
form lays, as I can personally certify, regularly fonr^ is certainly
very strange.

The eggs of this species, sent me from the Nilghiris by Messrs.
Carter and Davison, very closely resemble ihose of JI.
from the Ilimalayas, The eggs ari' of course of the Bulbul type,
but in form are typic\ally inucli more elongated and conical than
the true Bulbuls, fldie ground-colour varies from white to a deli('ate
pink. The markings consist of diftenmt shades of deep red and
pale washed-out purple. Tu some the markings are bold, largo,
and blotchy, in otliers minute and speckly; and in both forms
there is a tendency to confluence towards the large end, where
there is commonly a more or less perfect, but irregular, zone. The
eggs though smooth and satiny liave commonly little or no gloss,
and, considering their size, are very delicate and fragile.

I]i length they vary from 1-0 to 1*17, and in breadth from 0*7 to 0*8.

27o. Hemixus macclellandi (Ilorsf.). The Jiufotis-hdlicd Bulhul.

Ilypsipetesinclellaudi, Ilorsf.^ Jerd. B. iwrZ.ii, p. 71).

Ilypsipetes m’clellandii, Ilorsf., IBime, Hough Draft N. <5' B. no. 447.

The Eufous-bellied Bulbul, according to Mr. Hodgson’s not(‘s,
breeds in the central region of Nepal, and low down nearly to tlu'.
Terai, from April to June. Its nest is a shallow saucer suspeiuh'd
between a slender horizontal fork,tot]ie twigs of wbiebitis firmly
bound like an Oriole’s vitli vc‘getable fibres and roots. It is com-
]DOsed of roots and dry leaves bound together with fibres, and
lined with fine grass or moss-roots. The bird is said to lay four
eggs, but these are neither figured nor described.

Dr. Scully writes from Nepal:—“ This Bulbul is common

ALOURUS.-MOLPASTES.

169

tlirongliout the year on the hills round the valley of Nepal, but
never tenants the central woods. It is generally found in bushes
and bush trees, not in high tree-forest; and is commonly seen in
pairs. The breeding-season appears to be May and June. A nest
was taken on the 6th June, which contained two fresh eggs. The
nest was somewhat oval in shape, measuring 3*35 inches in length
and 2*5 across; the egg-cavity was about 1 inch deep in the centre,
and the bottom of the nest 1-25 thick. It was attached to a
slender fork of a tree, and was composed externally of ferns, dry
leaves, roots, grass, and a little moss, bound together with fine
black hair-like fibres, which Avere wound round the prongs of the
fork so as regularly to suspend the nest like an Oriole’s. There
\vas a regular lining, distinct from the body of the nest, composed
of fine long yellowish grass-stems, and a little cobweb was spread
here and there over the branches of the fork and the outside of
the nest. The eggs are rather long ovals, smaller at one end, and
fairly glossy; they measure 1-0 by 0*7, and 0*97 by 0*7. The
ground-colour is pure pinkish white, abundantly speckled and
finely'spotted with reddish purple; the spots closely crow^ded to¬
gether at the large end, but not confluent, forming in one egg a
broadish zone, and in the other a cap; in the latter egg there are
a few faint underlying stains of purplish inky at the large end.”

Two eggs sent me by Mr. Mandellifrom Darjeeling, said to belong
to this species, are elongated ovals, much pointed toW'ards the small
end. The shell is fine and fairly glossy; the ground-colour a dull
salmon-pink, and they are profusely and minutely freckled, speckled,
and streaked (so densely at the large end that the markings there
are almost confluent) with dull reddish purple.

The eggs measure 1*06 and 1*11 by 0*67.

277. Alcurus striatus (Bl.). The Striated Green Bulbul.

Alcurus striatus Je7'd. B. Incl. ii, p. 81.

Mr. Mandelli sent me a nest of this species w’hich w\as found,
he said, on the Sth May about 4 feet from the ground amongst the
foliage of a kind of prickly bamboo growing out of the crevices of a
patch of large stones near Lebong (elevation 5000 feet), and con¬
tained two eggs nearly ready to hatch. The nest is a shallow clip,
about 3-75 inches in diameter and 1*5 in height externally, composed
entirely of fine brown fibrous roots, a little bound together outside
with w'ool and the silk of cocoons and with two or three little bits
of moss stuck about it, and sparingiy lined with hair-like grass.
It is altogether a light brown nest, no dark material being used in
it at all. The cavity is 2*75 inches in diameter and about I deep.

278. IKEolpastes haemorrhous (Gm.). The Madras Red-vented

Bulbul.

PycnouoiusluGmorrlious (Gwz.); B. hid. ii, p. 94.

Molpastes pusillus (i5^.), Ilumej Rough Draft N. ^ D. no. 462.

The Madras Eed-vented Bulbul, wEicli by the w^y extends

L70

CRATEROPODlDiE.

northwards throughout the Central Provinces, Chota-Nagpoor,
Eajpootana (the eastern portions), the plains o£ the North-Western
Provinces, Oudh, Behar, and Western Bengal, breeds in the
plains country chiefly in June and July, although a few eggs may
also be found in April, May, and August. In the Nilghiris the
breeding-season is from Pebruary to April, both months included.

Elsewhere I have recorded the following notes on the nidification
of this species in the neighbourhood of Bareilly :—

Close to the tank is a thick clump of sal-trees (Shorea rohiLsta),
the great building-timber of Northern India, whose natural home
is in that vast sub-Himalayan belt of forest which passes only 30
miles to the north of Bareilly.

“ In one of these a Common Madras Bulbul had made its home.
The nest was compact and rather massive, built in a fork, on and
round a small twig. Externally it was composed of the stems
(with the leaves and flowers still on them) of a tiny groundsel¬
like (Senecio) asteraceous plant, amongst which were mingled a
number of quite dead and skeleton leaves and a few blades of dry
grass : inside, rather coarse grass was tightly woven into a lining
for the cavity, which was deep, being about 2 inches in depth by
3 inches in diameter.

“ This is the common type of nest; but half an hour later, and
scarcely 100 yards further on, we took another nest of this same
species. This one was built in a mango-tree, towards the extre¬
mity of one of the branches, where it divided into four upright
twigs, between which the Bulbul had flrmly planted his dwelling.
Externally it was as usual chiefly composed of the withered stems
of the little asteraceous plant, interwoven with a few jhow-shoots
{Tamarix dioica) and a little tow-like fibre of the putsan {Hibiscus
cannabimis), while a good deal of cobweb was applied externally
here and there. The interior was lined with excessively fine stems
of some herbaceous exogenous plant, and there did not appear to
be a single dead leaf or a single particle of grass in the whole
nest.

‘‘ The eggs, however, in both nests, three in each, closely resem¬
bled each other, beiug of a delicate pink ground, vdth reddish-brown
and purplish-grey spots and blotches nearly equally distributed
over the whole surface of the egg, the reddish brown in places be¬
coming almost a maroon-red. Two eggs, however, that we took
out of a nest, similar to the first in structure but situated like the
second in a mango-tree, were of a somewhat different character
and very different in tint. The ground was dingy reddish pink,
and the whole of the egg was thickly mottled all over with very
deep blood-red, the mottlings beiug so thick at the large end as to
form an almost perfectly confluent cap. Altogether the colouring
of these two eggs reminded one of richly coloured types of
Neopliroiis eggs. Some of the Bulbuls’ eggs that we have taken
earlier in the season were much feebler coloured than any of
those obtained to-day, and presented a very different appearance,
with a pinkish-white ground, and only moderately thickly but very

MOTjPASTES.

171

uniformly speckled all over w-itli small spots of light purplish grey,
light reddish brown, and very dark brown. These eggs scarcely
seem to belong to the same bird as the boldly blotched and richly
mottled specimens that we have taken to-day.”

Writing from the neighbourhood of Delhi, Mr. E. E. Blewitt says :

“ This Bulbul breeds from the middle of May to about the middle
of August. Its selection of a tree for its nest is arbitrary, as I
have found the latter on almost every variety of bash and tree.
The nest is neatly cap-shaped, generally fragile in structure, though
I have seen many a nest strong and compact. The outer diameter
of the nest varies from 3 to nearly 4 inches, and the inner diameter
from 2 to almost 3 inches.

“ The chief material of the nest is, on the outside, coarse grass,
with fine or fine grass for the lining. Very frequently horse¬
hair is likewise used for lining the interior of the cavity.

I have seen some nests bound round on the outside with hemp,
other kinds of vegetable fibres, and even spider’s web.

“ The regular number of the eggs is four.”

Mr. W. Theobald found the present species breeding in Mon-
ghyr in the fourth week of June.

Mr. Nunn remarks :— “ I took a nest of this species at Hoshun-
gabad on 26th June, 1868, which contained four eggs; it was
placed in a lime-tree, was composed of very small twigs, and lined
inside with fine grass-roots; it was cup-shaped, and measured
internally 2*25 inches in breadth by 1*75 in depth.”

The late Mr. A. Anderson wrote from But tehgurh:—“ On the 30th
x4pril last (1874) I took a very beautifully and curiously constructed
nest of our Common Bulbul. In shape and size it resembled the
ordinary nest, but the curious part of it was that the upper por¬
tion of the nest for an inch all round was composed entirely of green
twigs of tlie neem tree on which it was built, and the under surface
(below) was felted with fresh blossoms belonging to the same tree.
The green twigs had evidently been broken oft by the birds, but
the flowers were picked up from olf the ground, where they were
lying thick.”

Colonel Butler says:—“The Madras Ked-vented Bulbul breeds
ill the neighbourhood of Deesa all through the hot weather and in
the monsoon. I found a nest at Mount Aboo in a garden on the
15th of April in the middle of a pot of vsweet peas, containing three
fresh eggs. I found other nests in Deesa, from the 11th May to
20th August, each containing three eggs.

“ The nest is usually built of dry grass-stems, lined with fine roots
and a few horsehairs neatly woven together. One nest 1 found
was in a very remarkable situation, viz. inside an uninhabited
bungalow upon the top of a door leading out of a sitting-room ;
the door was open and the bolt at the top had been forced back,
and it was between the top of the door and the top of the bolt
that the nest rested. The old bird entered the building by passing
first of all through the lattice-work of the verandah and then
through a broken window-pane into the room where the nest was
built.”

172

CRATEBOPODID.^.

Mr. E. M. Adam informs us that this bird breeds at Sambhur
during Jane and Julj.

Lieut. H. E. Barnes, speaking of Eajputana in general, states that
this Bulbul breeds from April to Seprember. Nests are occasion¬
ally found even earlier than this, but they are exceptions to the
' general rule.

Major C. T. Bingham writes :—“ The first nest I have a note
of taking was at Allahabad on the 2nd April. At Delhi it breeds
from the end of April to the end of July; 1 have, however, found
most nests in May. All have been firmly made little cups of slender
twigs, sometimes dry stems of some herbaceous plant, and lined
with fine grass-roots. Eive is the usual number of eggs laid.’^

Mr. Gr. W. Vidal, writing of the South Konkan, says :—Abun¬
dant everywhere. Breeds in April, and again in September.’’

Dr. Jerdon, whose experience of this species had been gained
mainly in Madras, states that “ it breeds from June to September,
according to the locality. The nest is rather neat, cuj^-shaped,
made of roots and grass, lined with hair, fibres, and spiders’ webs
placed at no great height in a shrub or hedge. The eggs are pale
pinkish, with spots of darker lake-red, most crowded at the thick
end. Burgess describes them as a rich madder colour, spotted and
blotched with grey and madder-brown ; Layard as pale cream,
with darker markings.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitken vndtes:—‘‘ The Common Bulbul lays at
Khandalla in May, but I never found a nest in the plains till after
the rains had set in. I have found one nest in Bombay, one in
Poona, and two in Berar, as late as October ; and my brother
found a nest in Berar in September, with three eggs which were
duly hatched.”

"Writing from the Nilghiris, Miss Cockburn says that “ the nests,
which in shape closely resemble those of the Southern Eed-whiskered
Bulbul, are composed chiefly of grass. The eggs are three in
number, and may occasionally be found in any month of the year,
though most plentiful durmg Eebruary, March, and April.”

In shape the eggs are typically rather long ovals, slightly com¬
pressed or pointed towards the small end. ^Some are a good deal
pointed aud elongated ; a few are tolerably perfect broad o\ als, and
abnormal shapes are not very uucommon. The ground is univer-
sally ])iukish or reddish white (in old eggs which have been Icept a
long time a sort of dull Drench white), of which more or less is
seen according to the extent of the markings. These markings
take almost every conceivable form, defined and undefined—specks,
spots, blotches, streaks, smudges, and clouds ; their combinations
are as varied as their colours, which embrace every shade of red,
brownish, and purplish red. As a rule, besides the primary
markings, feeble secoudary markings of pale inky purple are
exhibited, often only percej^tible w’hen the egg is closely examined,
sometimes so numerous as to give the ground-colour of the egg a

* This is some lapsus 'pcimce. Spiders’ webs are sometimes used exteriorly
never as a lining.

MOLPASTES.

173

universal purple tint. In about half the eggs there is a tendency
to exhibit, more or less, an irregular zone or cap at the large end,
but solitary eggs occur in which there is a cap at the small end.
Three pretty well marked types may be separately described.
Tirst, an egg thickly mottled and streaked all over with deep blood-
red, which is entirely conduent over one third of the surface,
namely at the large end, and leaves less than a third of the ground¬
colour visible as a paler mottling over the rest of the surface. Then
there is another type with a very delicate pure pnk ground, and
with a few large, bold, deep red blotches, chiefly at the large end,
where they are intermingled with a few small pale inky-purple
clouds, and with only a few spots and specks of the former colour
scattered over the rest of the surface. Lastly, there is a pale dingy
pink ground, speckled almost uniformly, but only moderately
thickly, over the whole surface, with minute specks and spots of
blood-red and pale inky purple.

The dimensions are excessively variable. In length the eggs
vary from 0*7 to 1*02, and in breadth from 0*6 to 0-75, but the
average of sixty eggs measured was 0*89 by 0-65.

279. Molpastes burmanicus (Sharpe). The Burmese Red-
vented Bulhxil,

The Burmese Eed-vented Bulbul occurs from Manipur down to
Eangoon. Writing from Upper Pegu, Mr. Oates says :—On the
29th July I found a nest in the extremity of a bamboo-frond
forming one of a large clump near my house at Boulay. It was
circular, the internal diameter about 2*5 and the external 4 inches ;
the depth inside 1*5, and the total height 2*5. Poundation of dead
leaves, the bulk of the nest coarse grass and small roots, and the
interior of much finer grass carefully curved to shape. Altogether
the nest was a very pretty structure. Two eggs measured 0*9 by
0*62 and 0*65. Another nest found at the same time was placed
in a small shrub about 4 feet from the ground. It was very similar
in construction and size to the above and contained three eggs.”

Subsequently writing from Lower Pegu, he says :—“ Breeds
abundantly from May to September, and has no particular prefer¬
ence for any one month.”

281. IVEolpastes atricapillus (Yieill.). The Chinese lied-
vented Bulbul.

Molpastes atricapillus ( F.), Hume, Cat. no. 462 ter.

Mr. J. Darling, Jr., found a nest of the Chinese Eed-vented
Bulbul in Tenasserim with three fresh eggs on the 16th March.
It was built in a bush little more than a foot above the ground on
a hill-side.

Except that they seem to run smaller, these eggs are not dis¬
tinguishable from those of the other species of this genus, and
there is really nothing to add to the description already given of
the eggs of M. lioemorrhous. The three eggs measured 0*79 by 0*6.

1^4 CRA-TEROPODID-ffi.

282. Molpastes bengalensis (Bljth). The Bengal Bed-vented

BulhuB

Pycnonotus pygjeiis (Ilodgs,)^ Jerd. B. Bid, ii, p. 93.

Molpastes pygmseiis {Hodgs.), Iluvu, Rough Draft N. S^- E. no. 4G1.

I have taken many nests of the Bengal Eed-vented Bulbul in
many localities, and while the birds vary, getting less typical as
you go westwards, the nests are all pretty much the same, though
the eastern birds go in rather more for dead leaves than the western.
Sikhim birds are very typical, and I will therefore confine myself
to quoting a note I made there.

Several nests taken at Darjeeling in June, at elevations of from
2000 to 4000 feet, each contained three or four, more or less
incubated, eggs. The nests were mostly very compact and rather
deep cups about 3^ inches in diameter and 2 inches in height, very
firmly woven of moss and grass-roots, but with a certain quantity
of dry and dead leaves, and here and there a little cobweb worlced
into the outer surface. Sometimes a little fine grass was used as a
lining; but generally there was no lining, only the roots that were
used in finishing off the interior of the nests were rather finer
than those employed elsewhere. The egg-cavity is very large for
the size of the nest, the sides, though very firm and compact,
being scarcely above half an inch in thickness. The nests differ
very much in appearance, owing to the fact that in some all the.
roots used are black, in others pale brown.

Mr. G-aramie says :—‘‘ I took two or three nests of this species
in the latter half of May at Mongpho, in Silihim, at elevations of
3500 feet or thereabouts. They contained three eggs each, hard-
set. The nests were in trees, at a moderate height, and rather
flimsy structures; shallow cups, composed externally of fine twigs
and vegetable fibre, and generally some dead leaves intermingled,
especially tow^ards their basal portions, and lined with the fine
hair-like stem portion of the flowering tops of grass. One nest
measured internally 2^ inches in diameter by nearly inch in
depth; externally it w^as nearly 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches
in height. The eggs were of the usual tjqDe.’^

Mi\ J. E. Ciipps, wTiting from Eureedpore, Eastern Bengal,
says ;—“ Excessively common and a permanent resident; commits
great havoc in gardens amongst tomatoes and chillies, the red
colour of w4ich seems to attract them. Builds its nest in very
exposed places and at all heights from two to thirty feet off the
ground, in bushes and trees. One nest I saw containing two
young ones, on the 28th June, w^as built on a small date-tree
which stood on the side of a road along which people were passing*
all day, and within six feet of them. The nest was only five feet
from the ground, but the materials of which it was made and the
colour of the bird assimilated so perfectly with the bark of the
tree that detection was difficult. I have found the nests with
eggs from the 3rd of April to the end of June; dead leaves and
cobwebs were incorporated with the twigs and grasses in all nests

MOLPASTES.

175

which I have seen in Dacca. The natives keep these birds for
fighting purposes ; large sums are lost at times on these combats.’^
Writing from Nepal, Dr. Scully remarks :—It breeds in May
and June in the Eesidency grounds, the nests being very commonly
placed in small pine-trees (Finns longifolia). Three is the usual
number of eggs found, and a clutch taken on the 29th May
measured in length from 0*85 to 0*93, and in breadth from 0*64 to
0-65F

I have fully described the leading types of the eggs of these
Bulbuls under Moljxtstes hamorrhous. I shall therefore only here
say that the eggs of this species in shape and colour exactly
resemble those of its congener, hut that as a body they are larger
in size; every variety observable in the eggs of the one is, as far as
I know, to be met with amongst those of the other. Taking only the
eggs of typical birds from Lower Bengal and Sikhiin, they vary
from 0-S8 to 1*05 in length and from 0*67 to 0*75 in breadth.

283. Molpastes intermedins (A. Hay). The F'mijcib
Bed-vented Bidhul.

All u\y specimens from the Salt Range belong to this species, and
not to M, hengcdensis^ so that Mr. W. Theobald’s remarks in regard
to the Common Bulbul’s nidification about Bind Dadan Khan and
the Salt Range must refer to this species. He says.:—

“ Lay in May, June, and July; eggs, four : shape, blunt ovato-
pyriform; size, 0*87 by 0*62; colour, deep pink, blotched with
deep claret-red; nest, a neat cup of vegetable fibres in bushes.”

Rrom Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall writes :—“ This
Bulbul breds in large numbers on the lower hills.”

Prom Mussoorie, Captain Hutton remarked :—“This is more
properly a Dhoon species, as although it does ascend the hills, it
is represented there to a great extent by M. leucogenys. It breeds
in April, May, and June, constructing its nest in some thick bush.
On the 12th May one nest contained three eggs of a rosy-white,
thickly irrorated and blotched with purple or deep claret colour,
and at the larger end confluently stained with dull purple, ap¬
pearing as if beneath the shell. The nest is small and cup-shaped,
composed of fine roots, dry grasses, flower-stalks chiefly of forget-
me-not, and a few dead leaves occasionally interwoven; in some
the outside is also smeared over here and there with cob\vebs and
silky seed-dowm ; the lining is usually of very fine roots. Some
nests have four eggs, w^hich are liable to great variation both in
the intensity of colouring and in the size and number of spots.”

284. Molpastes leucogenys (G-r.). The White-cheelced Bulbul,

Otocompsa leucogenys ( Gray), Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 90; Hume, Bouqh
Draft N. ^ B. no. 458.

The White-cheeked Bulbul breeds throughout the Himalayas,
from Afghanistan to Bhootan, from April to July, and at all
heights from 3000 to 7000 feet. The nest is a loose, slender fabric.

176

CBATEBOPOBIPiE.

externally composed of fine stems of some herbaceous plant and a
few blades of grass, and internally lined with very fine hair-like
grass. The nests may measure externally, at most, 4 inches in
diameter; but the egg-cavity, which is in proportion very large and
deep, is fully 2| inches across by 1|- inch deep. As I before said,
the nest is usually very slightly and loosely put together, so that it
is difficult to remove it without injury; but sometimes they are
more substantial, and occasionally the cup is much shallower and
wider than I have above described. Tour is the full complement
of eggs. ^

Captain Unwin says :—“ I foimcl a nest containing three fresh
eggs near the village of Jaskote, in the Agrore Valley, on the
24th April, 1870. The nest was placed about 5 feet from the
ground in a small wild ber-tree in a watercourse. On the 7th May
3 found another nest placed in a small thick cheer-tree in the same
valley, which contained four eggs.^’

From Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall tells us that this
species “breeds in the valleys, at about 4000 or 5000 feet up, in
the end of June. Lays four eggs with a white ground, very thickly
blotched with claret-red; nest roughly made of grass and roots, in
low bushes.”

About Simla and the valleys of the Sutlej and Beas 1 have found
it common, and my experience of its nidification in these localities
has been above recorded.

Trom Mussoorie, Captain Hutton wrote that it is “ common in
the Dhoon throughout the year, and in the hills during the summer.
It breeds iu April and May. The nest is neat and cup-shaped,
placed in the forks of bushes or pollard trees, and is composed
externally of the dried stalks of forget-me-not, lined with fine
grass-stalks. Eggs three or four, rosy or faint purplish white,
thickly sprinlded vdth specks and spots of darker rufescent purple or
claret colour. Sometimes the outside of the nest is composed of fine
dried stalks of woody plants, whose roughness causes them to
adhere together.”

Mr. W. E. Brooks remarks:—“ I found this bird common at
Alinorah, and procured several nests. They were placed in a bush
or small tree, and were slightly composed of fine grass, roots, and
fibres: eggs three; ground-colour purplish white, speckled all over,
most densely at the larger end, with spots and blotches of purple-
brown and purplish grey: laying in lUimaon from the beginniug
of May to June.”

Dr. Scully states that in Nepal this Bulbul “ breeds in May and
June, principally at elevations of from 5000 to 6000 feet. Its
nests were' secured on the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 14th, and 28th June; the
usual number of eggs laid seems to be three.”

Colonel G. E. L. Marshall writes :—“ This species breeds both at
Naini Tal (7000 feet) and at Bheem Tal (4000 feet). In Kumaon
the eggs seem to be laid in the first half of June; the earliest date
I have taken them was a single fresh egg on the 23rd May, and the
latest, four eggs on the 25th June: the nest is seldom more than

MOLPASTES. 177

six feet from the ground, and is placed either in a thick bush or in
the outer twigs of a low bough of a tree.”

The eggs are of the regular Bulbul type, as exemplified in those
of Molpastes Jicemorrhous^ and vary much in colour, size, and shape.
Typically they are rather a long oval, somewhat pointed at one end,
have a pinkish or reddish-white ground with little or no gloss, and
are thickly speckled, freckled, streaked, or blotched, as the ease
may be, with blood-, brownish-, or purplish-red, cfec., and here and
there, chiefly towards the large end, exhibit, besides these primary
markings, tiny underlying spots and clouds of pale inky purple.
Some eggs have a pretty well-marked zone or irregular cap at the
large end, but this is not very common. In size they average
somewhat larger than those of Molpastes leucotis and Otocompsa
emeria^ both of which they closely resemble; but they are smaller
and as a body less richly coloured than those of 0. fuscicaudata»
They vary in length from 0*82 to 0*95, and from 0*58 to 0*7 in
breadth; but the average of fifty-seven specimens measured was
0*88 by 0*65.

285. Molpastes leucotis (G-ould). The White^eared Bulbul,

Otocompsa leucotis {Gotdd), Jerd. B. Lid, p. 91; Humey Rough
Draft N. ^ E. no. 459.

The White-eared Bulbul is, so far as my experience goes,
entirely a Western Indian form. In the cold weather it may be
met with at Agra, CaAvnpoor, and even Jhansi, Saugor, and
Hoshungabad; but during the summer months I only know of its
occurring in Cutch, Katywar, Sindh, Kajpootana, and the Punjab.
In all these localities it breeds, laying for the most part in July
and August in the Punjab, but somewhat earlier in Sindh, I have,
even in Eajpootana, seen eggs towards the end of May, but this
is the exception.

The nests are usually in dense and thorny bushes—acacias,
catechu, and jhand {Prosopis spicigera) —and are placed at heights
of from 4 to 6 feet from the ground. The Customs hedge is a
great place for their nests, but I have noticed that they are
partial to bushes in the immediate neighbourhood of water; and at
Hansie, whence he sent me many nests and eggs, Mr. W. Blewitt
always found them either in the fort ditch or along the banks of
the canal.

The nests, which very much resemble those of MolpaUes hcemor-
rliouSy are usually composed of very fine dry twigs of some her¬
baceous plant, intermingled with vegetable fibre resembling tow,
and scantily lined with very fine grass-roots. They are rather
slender structures, shallow cups measuring internally from 2^ to
3 inches in diameter, and a little more than 1 inch in depth.
Three was the largest number of eggs I ever found in any nest,
and several sets were fully incubated.

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following note on the nidification
VOL. I. 12

178

CEATEBOPOPID.^.

of this bird in the neighbourhood of Pind Dadan Ivhan and Katas
in the Salt Bange:~“ Lay in May, June, and July : eggs four;
shape ovato-pyriforru ; size 0*91 inch by 0*64 inch : colour white,
much dotted with claret-red; nest a neat cup of vegetable fibres
in bushes/’

Mr. S. Doig informs us that this bird breeds on the Eastern
Narra in Sind from May to August.

Colonel Butler writes:—“ I found a nest of the White-eared
Bulbul at Deesa on the 5th August containing three fresh eggs.
It was placed in the fork of a low Ber tree about 4 feet from the
ground, and in structure closely resembled the nest of M. hcvmor-
rltous.

‘‘ On the 17th August I found another nest built by the same
pair of birds in an exactly similar situation, about 60 yards from
the first nest, containing three more fresh eggs.”

The eggs, which I need not here describe in detail, are precisely
similar to, but as a body slightly smaller than, those of Moljjastes
lnico(jenys. The only point of difierence that I seem to notice,
and this might di.sappear with a larger series before me, is tliat
there is a rather greater tendency in the eggs of this species to
exhibit a zone or cap. In length they vary from 0*75 to O'U, and
in breadth from 0*52 to 0*68; but the average of twenty-three eggs
measured was 0*83 barely, by 0*64.

288. Otocompsa emeria (Linn.). The Bemjcd lled-ivhulccred
Bulhuh

Otocompsa jocosa (Z,), Jercl B. Ind ii, p. 92 (part.).

Otocompsa emeria (Shcm), ILmiCj Bough Draft N, ^ E, no. 400.

The Bengal Bed-whiskered Bulbul breeds from March to the end
of May. Its nest is placed, according to my experience in Lower
Bengal, in any thick bush, clump of grass, or knot of creepers ;
some|times in the immediate proximity of native villages or in the
’ ns of Europeans, and sometimes quite away in the jungle,
a typical Bulbul nest, a broad shallow saucer, compactly put
her with twigs of herbaceous plants, amongst which, espe-
towards the base, a few dry leaves are incorporated, and
with roots or fine grass. Exteriorly a little cobweb is wound
keep twigs and leaves firm and in their places. All the nests
I have seen were tolerably near the ground, at heights
ng from 3 to 5 feet.

ree is the normal number of the eggs, but only the other day
Dtained one containing four.

t. B. M. Adam says:—“ This bird is A'ery common in Oudh.
*^ects gardens and low scrub-jungle, flying about with a jerky
from bush to bush. They are very fond of the fruit of the
ot-tree {F. indica), and may be seen in great numbers about
I^Jtrees when the fruit is ripe. Their note is something like
If the common Bulbul, but livelier and louder. I have seen a

OTOCOMPSA. 179

number of this year’s young birds well grown, but as yet without
the red cheek-tuft.

“ They build in clamps of moong-grass about 2 to 3 feet from
the ground. One I found in the tendrils of a creeper about 20 feet
from the ground. The nest is well fixed in the grass and fastened
to it by the intertwining of some of the fibres of which it is
composed. It is cup-shaped, and measures 4 inches in diameter,
about 0-75 in thickness, with an egg-cavity 2’75 in diameter and
1*5 deep.

“ The nest is formed of roots, twigs, and grass loosely worked
together, and over the exterior, with the view of binding the mass
together, dried or skeleton leaves, pieces of cloth, broad pieces of
grass, and plaintain-bark are fastened carelessly on by means of
cobwebs and the silk from cocoons^ The egg-cavity is lined with
fine roots.

“ I never have found more than three eggs; on several occasions
only two.”

I do not think it possible to separate the Andaman bird. Of its
nidilication in those islands Mr. Davison says :—“ I found a nest
of this species in April near Port Blair, in a low mangrove-bush
growing quite at the edge of the water; it (the nest) was cup-
shaped and composed of roots, dried leaves, and small pieces of
bark, lined with fine roots and cocoa-nut fibres ; it contained three
eggs, with a pinkish-white ground thickly mottled and blotched
with purplish red, the spots coalescing at the thicker end to form
a zone.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps writes from Eastern Bengal:—“Very common
and a permanent resident; it freely enters gardens and orchards.
In my garden there w^as a kaminee-tree {Murraya exotica), in
which I found a nest of this species on the 27th March in course
of construction; and on looking at it on the 12th April found two
young that had just been hatched. Cane-brakes are favourite
places for them to nest in. On the 6th May I found a nest in one
ol these about 4 feet ofi the ground, and containing three partly
incubated eggs. This species does not, as a rule, build in such
exposed situations as M. hcngalensh ; it eats the fruit of jungly
trees. Ficus, <fec., as well as insects.”

On tlie breeding of this Bulbul in Pegu Mr. Oates remarks :—
“This bird breeds as early as Pebruary, on the 27th of which
month I procured a nest with two eggs nearly hatched. It stops
nesting, 1 think, at the beginnmg of the rains.”

Mr. W. Davison informs us that he “ took a nest of this bird at
Bankasoon, in Southern Tenasserim, on the 15th March. It w^as
placed ill a small bush groulng in an old garden about 4 feet above
the ground. The nest was of the usual type, a compactly-woven
cup, composed externally of dry tudgs, leaves, &c., the egg-cavity
lined with fibres. It contained three nearly fresh eggs.”

The eggs in size, colour, and shape closely resemble those of
Molpastes leitcotis. All that I have said in regard to these latter is
applicable to those of the present species, and, so far as^yarieties of

ISO

CIlA.TEIlOI?OI>IDJE.

coloration go, the description o£ the eggs of Molpastes leiioof/enjfs
is equally applicable to those of the present species. If any
distinction can be drawn, it is that, as a body, bold blotches of
rich red and pale purple are more commonly exhibited in the eggs
of this species than in those of either of the preceding ones.

In length the eggs vary from 0*8 to 0*9, and in breadth from
0*85 to 0*7, but the average of twenty-seven eggs was 0*S3 nearly,
by 0*63 barely.

289. Otocompsa fuscicandata, Gould. The Southern lied-
ivhislcered Bulhid.

Otocompsa fuscicandata, Gouldj Hume^ Rough Draft N. E. no. 400
his.

The Southern Eed-whiskered Bulbul is found throughout the
more hilly and more or less elevated tracts of the j)< 3 ninsula,
from Cape Comorin northwards as far as Mount Aboo on the west,
and the Eastern Ghats, above Nellore, on the east. How far
northwards it extends in the centre of the peninsula I am not
certain, but I have seen a specimen from the Satpooras.

They breed any time from the beginning of Eebruary to the
end of May. Their nests are usually placed at no great height
from the ground (say at from 2 to 6 feet) in some thick bush.

The nests of this species that I procured at Mount Aboo, aiul
which have been sent me by Mr. Carter both from Coonoor and
Salem, and by other friends from other parts of the Nilgliiris,
where the bird is excessively common, very much resemble those
of 0 , emeria, but they are somewhat neater and more substantial
in structure. They differ a good deal in size and shape, as the
nests of Bulbuls are wont to do. Some are rather broad and
shallow, with egg-cavities measuring 3| inches across, and perhaps
1 inchin depth; while others are deeper and more cup-shaped, the
cavity measuring only 2^ inches across and fully inch in depth.
They are composed in some cases almost wholly of grass-roots, in
others of very fine tuigs of the furash {Tamarix fur as), in others
again of rather fine grass, and all have a quantity of dead leaves
or dry ferns worhed into the bottom, and all are lined with either
very fine grass or very fine grass-roots. The external diameter
averages about inches, but some stand fully 3 inches high,
while others are ^not above 2 inches in height. As might be
expected, the White-cheeked and White-eared and the two Eed-
whiskered Bulbuls’ types of architecture differ considerably; { 7 iter
se, the nests of M, leucotis and M. leucoge^iys differ just sufficiently
to render it generally possible to separate them, and the same may
be said of the nests of 0. eme^'ia and (9. fuscicaudata. But there
IS a very wide difference between the nests of the two former and
the two latter species, so that it w’ould be scarcely possible to
nnstake a nest belonging to the one group for that of the other.
Ihe incorporation of a quantity of dead leaves in the body of the
nests, reminding one much of those of the English Nightingale, is

OTOCOMPSA.

181

characteristic of the Eed-whiskered Bulbul, and is scarcel}^ to be
inet with in those of the White-cheeked or White-eared ones.

Mr. H. E. P. Carter says:—“ At Coonoor on the Nilghiris I
have found the nests from the 13th March to the 22nd April, but

1 believe they commence laying in Pebruary. They are generally
placed in coffee-bushes and low shrubs, as a rule in a fork, but I
have frequently found them suspended between the t\^igs of a
bush which had no fork. I have also found the nest of this bird
in the thatch of the eaves of a deserted bungalow, and in tufts of
grass on the edge of a cutting overhanging the public road.

“ The nest is cup-shaped, rather loosely constructed outside, but
closely and neatly finished inside. The outside is nearly always
fern-leaves at the bottom, coarse grass and fibres above, and liimd
inside either with fine fibres or fine grass.

“ I have never found more than two eggs, and I have taken great
numbers of nests ; but I am told that three in a nest is not un¬
common.”

Writing from Ivotagherry, Miss Cockburn says :—Our Eed-
whiskered Bulbul builds a cup-shaped nest in any thick bush.
The foundation is generally laid with pieces of dry leaves and fern,
after which small sticks are added, and the whole neatly finished
with a lining of fine grass. They lay two (sometimes three) very
prettily spotted eggs of different shades of red and w’hito, which
are found in February, March, and April.”

Mr. Wait remarks :—“ This bird breeds at Coonoor from Feb¬
ruary to June. It builds usually in isolated bushes and slirubs,
in gardens and open jungle. The nest is cup-shaped, loosely but
strongly built of grass-bents, rooty fibres, and thin stalks, and is
lined with finer grass-stems and roots. I think the internal dia¬
meter averages about 2^ inches, and about an inch in depth ; but
they vary a good deal in size. They lay two or three eggs, rarely
four; and the eggs vary a good deal in shape and size, being some¬
times very round and sometimes comparatively long ovals. The
birds swarm on our coffee estates, and breed freely in the coffee-
bushes.”

Dr. Jerdon says:—have frequently had its nest and eggs
brought me on the Nilghiris. The nest was very neatly made,
deep, cup-shaped, of moss, lichens, and small roots, lined with hair
and down. The eggs are barely distinguishable from those of the
next bird [if. beu^alcjms], being reddish white with spots of purphsh
or lake-red all over, larger at the thick end,”

But Dr. Jerdon rarely took nests \\ith his o\^ti hand, and in this
case clearly wrong nests must have been brought to him.

From Trevandrum Mr. F. Bourdillon says:—‘‘ It lays three or
four eggs of a pale pink colour, with purple spots, in a nest of
roots, lined with finer roots and interwoven with the leaves of a
jungle-shrub gathered green. The nest, 3 inches in diameter and

2 inches deep, is generally situated in a bush 4 to 5 feet from the
ground.”

Mr. J. Davidson remarks:—^‘This bird simply swarms along

182

CRyVTEUOPODIBiE.

the Western Grhats from Mahabulesliwiir down the Koina and
Werna valleys, and seems to have a very extended breediiig-tiine.
Last year (1873) I took its nests in March and May on several
occasions, and this year I found three nests in March and April in
the Werna valley; and the Hill people, who seem intelligent and
fairly trustworthy, stated that this species breeds there throughout
the Eains, a season when, owing to the tremendous rainfall, no
European can remain. If this be true they must breed at least
twice a year. All the nests I saw were placed in bushes from 2
to 4 feet high, some of them most carefully concealed amongst
thorns. Out of, I think, nine nests, all taken by myself personally,
I never found more than two eggs in any; and on two occasions
last year I obtaijied single eggs nearly fully incubated.”

Messrs Davidson and Wenden, widting of the Deccan, remark :—

Commonish in wooded localities. D. took several nests in the
Satara Hills in March and the two following months.”

Captain Butler writes :—‘‘ The Eed-whiskered Bulbul is common
at Mount Aboo and breeds in March, April, and May. The nest
is usually placed in low bushes from 4 to 8 feet from the ground,
and is a neat cnp-shaped structure composed externally of fibrous
roots and dry grass-stems, and lined with fine grass, horsehair, &c.
Bound the edge and woven into the outside I ha\'e generally found
SDiall spiders’ nests looking like lumps of wool. The eggs, usually
two but sometimes three in number, are of a pinkish-white colour,
covered all over with spots and blotches and streaks of purplish or
lake-red, forming a dense confluent cap at the large end. A nest
1 examined on the 24th April contained two nestlings almost ready
to fly.

“On the 3rd May, 1875,1 took a nest in a low carinda bush,
containing two fresh eggs.” ’

Mr. C. J. W. Taylor, writing from Manzeerabad, Mysore, says:_

“Most abundant in the wooded district. Common everywhere.
Eggs taken March and April. On the 5th July, 1883, I produced
a nest of this species with three pure white eggs. I found it in a
coffee-bush the day before leaving, so snared parent bird to make
sure it was 0, fuscicaudata, or otherwise should have left a couple
of the eggs to see if young would turn out true to parents.”

^ Captain Horace Terry states that on the Pulriey hills this species
IS “a most common bmd, found wherever there are bushes. In
the small bushes along the banks of the streams is a very favourite
place. I found several nests with usually two, but sometimes
three eggs.

Mr. Benjamin Aitken teJls us “ I never saw this bird in the
^vithout exception, the commonest bird
^ Matheran, Khaudalla, and other hill-stations in the Bombay
i residency. 1 ha\’e found the nests, always with eggs in May
placed from four to seven feet from the ground, and often in the
most exposed situations.^ It is not unusual to find only two ec^o-g in
a nest. The not m the least shy, and sets up no clatteiCliJve

the Common Bulbul, when its nest is disturbed.”

OTOCOMPSA.

183

finally, Mr. J. Darling, Junior, remarks ;—‘‘I really wonder if
anyone down south does not know the lied-whiskered Bulbul and
its nest. On the Nilghiris and in the Wynaad I can safely say
it is the commonest nest to be met with, built in all sorts of places,
sometimes high up. They generally lay tw^o, but very often three,
eggs. In a friend’s bungalow in the Wynaad there were three nests
built on the wall-plate of the verandah and two eggs laid in each
nest. The young were safely hatched.

“ This year the nests have been rebuilt and contain eggs. As I
am writing, there are two pairs building in a rose-bush about 3 yards
from me. They breed from 15th February to 15th May.’’

The numerous eggs of this species that I possess, though truly
Bulbul-like in character, all belong to one single type of that form.
Almost all have a dull pinkish or reddish-wFite ground, very thickly
freckled, mottled, and streaked all over with a rich red ; in most
blood-red, in others biuck-red, underneath which, when closely
looked into, a small number of pale inky-purple spots are visible.
In half the number of eggs the markings are much densest at the
large end: these eggs are one and all more brightly and intensely
coloured than any of those that I possess of M. Uucotis, M, leuco-
gen'ifs, and 0. emeria; they are, moreover, larger than any of these.

In length they vary from 0*82 to 0*97, and in breadth from 0*63
to 0*71; but the average of thirty-six eggs measured was 0*9 by 0*66.

290. Otocompsa flaviventris (Tick.). The Black-crested
Yelloiu Bulbul,

Eubigula flaviventris {Ticlz.)y Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 88.

Pycnouotus flaviventris (T^c7c.), Humej Bough Draft N. ^ JE. no. 450.

The Black-crested Yellow Bulbul is another very common species
of which I have as yet seen very few eggs. The first notice of its
nidification I am acquainted with is contained in the following
brief note by Captain Bulger, which appeared in ‘ The Ibis.’ lie
says:—“ 1 obtained several specimens, chiefly from the vicinity
of the Great llungeet Eiver. From a thicket on the bank, near
the cane-bridge, a nest was brought to me on the 16th May, of
the ordinary cup-shape, made of fibres and leaves, and containing
three eggs, which my shikaree said belonged to this species. The
eggs were of a dull pinkish hue, very thickly marked with small
specks and blotches of browmish crimson.”

Major C. T. Bingham, waiting of this Bulbul in Tenasserim,
saysCommon enough in the Thoungyeen forests, afiecting
chiefly the neighbourhood of villages and clearings. The following
is a note of finding a nest and eggs I recorded in 1878:—On the
14th April I happened to be putting up for the day in one of the
abandoned Karen houses of the old village of Podeesakai at the
foot of the Warmailoo touog, a spur from the east watershed range
of the Meplay river. Having to w’ait for guides, I had nothing
particular to do that day, a very rare event in my forest w^ork ; 1

184

CBATEROPODID-5:.

devoted it to a fruitless search forbears. I had returned tired and.
rather dispirited, and was moving about among the ruined houses,
between and among which a lot of jungle was already springing up,
when, just as I passed a low bush about 3 feet high, out went one
of the above-mentioned birds; of course the bush contained a nest,
a remarkably neat cup-shaped affair, below and outside of fine tmgs,
then a layer of roots, above which was a lining of the steins of
the fiower of the ‘theckay’ grass. It contained three eggs on
the point of hatching, out of which I was only able to save one.
It is one of the loveliest eggs I have seen; in colour I can liken it
only to a peculiar pink granite that is so common at home in Ireland.
Its ground-colour T should say was white, but it is so thickly spotted
with pink and claret that it is hard to describe. It measured 0*85
X 0-61 inch.”

Captain Wardlaw Eamsay whites in ‘The Ibisk—“I found* a
nest containing two eggs in April at the foot of the Karen hills
in Burma.”

I have seen too few eggs of this species to say much about them.
What I have seen were rather elongated ovals pretty markedly
pointed towards the small end. The shell fine, but with only a
slight gloss; the ground a pinky creamy white, everywhere very
finely freckled over with red, varying from brownish to maroon,
and again still more thickly with pale purple or purplish gi’ey,
this latter colour being almost confluent over a broad zone round
the large end.

292. Spizixus canifrons, Blyth, The Finch-billed Bulbul,
Spizixus canifrons, Bl.j Hume, Cat. no. 453 bis.

Colonel Godwin-Austen says :—“ BjoizLvos cayiifrons breeds in the
neighbourhood of Shillong, in May. Young birds are seen in
June.” *

* Traciiycomus ociirocepiialus (Grm.). The Yellow-orowned Bulbicl,
Trachycomns ochrocephalns ( Gm,\ Hime, Cat. no. 449 bis.

As this bird occurs in Tenasserim, the following description of the nest and
eggs found a short distance outside our limits wifl pi'cve interesting.

Mr. J. Darling, Junior, writes :—I found the nest of this bird on the 2nd
July at Kossoom. The nest was of the ordinary Bulbul type, but much larger,
and like a very shallow saucer. The foundation was a single piece of some
creeping orchid, 3 feet long, coiled round; then a lot of coils of fern, grass, and
nio.ss-roots. The nest was 4 inches in diameter on the inside, the walls J inch
thick, and the cavity 1 inch deep. It was built 10 feet from the ground, in a
bush in a very exposed position, and exactly where any ordinary Bulbul would
have buiit,’^

The eggs of this species are of the ordinary Bulbul type, rather broad at the
large end, compressed and slightly pyriform, or more or less pointed, towards
the small end. The shell fine and smooth, but with only a moderate amount of
gloss. The ground-colour varies from very pale pinky white to a rich warm
salmon-pink. The markings are two colours: first, a red varying from a dull
brownish to almost crimson; the second, a paler colour varying from neutral tint
through purplish grey to a fuU though pale purple. The first may be called the

I OLE.

185

295. lole icterica (Striekl.). The Tellow-hvowecl Bidhul.

Criniger ictericus, StricJd.j Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 82 5 Hume, Rough Draft
N. E. no 450.

The Tellow-browed Bulbul breeds apparently throaghout the
liilly regions of Ceylon and the southern portion of the Peninsula of
India. 1 have never taken the nests myself, and 1 have only de¬
tailed information of their nidihcation on the Nilghiris, which they
ascend to an elevation of from 6000 to 6500 feet, and where they lay
from March to May.

A nest of this species, taken by Mr. Wait near Coonoor on the
20th of March, is a small shallow cup hung between two twigs,
measuring some 3^ inches across and | inch in depth. It is com¬
posed of excessively fine twigs and lined with still finer hair-like
grass, is attached to the twigs by cobwebs, and has a few dead
leaves attached by the same means to its lower surface. It is a
slight structure, nowhere I should think above 5 inch in thickness,
and apparently carelessly put together: but for all that, owing to
the fineness of the materials used, it is a pretty firm and compact
nest. It is not easy to express it in words ; but still this nest
differs very considerably in appearance from the nests of any of
the true Bulbuls with which I am acquainted, and more approaches
those of Hi/josijpetes,

Mr. Wait sends me the following note :—

“ This bird, although very common on the Nilghiris at elevations
of from 4000 to 5000 feet, is a very shy nester, and its nest, which
is not easily found, is, as far as my experience goes, invariably
placed in the top of youug thin saplings at heights of from 6 to 10
feet from the ground. The saplings chosen are almost always in
thick cover near the edge of dry water-courses. They generally
lay during May, but I have found nests in March. In shape the
nest is a moderately deep cup, nearly hemis[)herical, with an in¬
ternal diameter of from 2*5 to 3 inches—a true Bulbul’s nest, com¬
posed of grass and bents and lined with finer grasses. The nest
is always suspended by the outer rim between two lateral branches,
and never, I belieA^e, built in a fork as is so common in the case of
many other Bulbuls. They lay only two eggs, and never, I believe,
more. The eggs are loiigish ovals, rather pointed at one end,
a dull white or reddish white, more or less thickly speckled and
spotted or clouded with pale yellowish or reddish brown; occa¬
sionally the eggs exhibit a few very fine black lines.”

primary markings rthe others, which seem to be somewhat beneath the surface
of the shell, the secondary ones. Yarying as both do in different eggs, all the
primary markings of any one egg are almost precisely the same shade; and the
same is the case with the secondary ones, and there is always a distinct harmony
between both these and the ground tint. As for tlie markings, they are generally
much the most dense, in a more or less confluent mottled cap, round one end,
generally the largest, and are usually more or less thinly set elsewhere. In some
eggs all the markings are rather coarse and sparse, in others fine and more
thickly set. Two eggs measured 1*06 by 0*76 and 1’03 by 0*73.

1S6

CRATEROPODID.’E.

Miss Cockbiirn, writing from Kotagherry, says “ The Yellow-
browed Bulbul is common on the less elevated slopes of the
Nilf^hiris, where it is often seen feeding upon guavas, loquots, pears,
peaches, &c. They lay generally in April and May.

‘‘ Their nests are constructed very much like those of the common
Bulbuls, except that, instead of being placed in the forked branches
of trees, they are suspended between two twigs, and fastened to
them by cobwebs, the inside beiug neatly lined with fine grass. T wo
nests of this bird were found, each containing two fresh eggs, of a
pretty pinkish salmon colour, with a dark ring at the thick end ; but
another nest had three nearly ivliite eggs! The whole structure of
the nests was slight and thin, and the eggs could be plainly seen
through. Tlie notes of the Yellow-browed Bulbul are loud and
repeated often.”

Writing on the birds of Ceylon, Colonel Legge remarks:—“ I
once found the nest of this bird in the Pasdun-Korale forests in
August; little or nothing, however, is known of its breeding-habits
in Ceylon, so that it most likely commences earlier than that month
to rear its brood. My nest was placed in the fork of a thin sapling
about 8 feet from the ground. It was of large size for such a bird,
the foundation being bulky and composed of small twigs, moss, and
dead leaves, supporting a cup of about 2| inches in diameter, which
was constructed of moss, lined with fine roots ; the upper edge of
the body of the nest v’as woven round the supporting branches.
. The bottom of the nest was in the fork.’^

The eggs of this species sent to me by Mr. Wait from Coonoor
are totally unlike any other egg of this family with which I am
acquainted. They remind one more of the eggs of Stoixivola
welanops or one of the Niltavas than anything else. The eggs are
moderately long and rather perfect ovals, almost devoid of gloss,
and with a dull white or pinkish-white ground, speckled more or
less thickly over the whole surface with rather pale brownish red or
piuk. The speckliugs becoming confluent at the large end, where
they form a dull irregular mottled cap. Other s]:)eeimens received
from Miss Cockburn from Kotagherry exhibit the same general
characters; butthe majority of them are considerably elongated eggs,
approaching, so far as shape is concerned, the Hypsi^yetes type. In
some eggs only the faintest trace of pale pinkish mottling towards
the large end is observable; in others, the whole surface of the egg
is thickly freckled and mottled all over, but most densely at the
large end, with salmon-pink or pale pinkish brown.

Ill length the eggs vary from 0*9 to 1-03, and in breadth from 0*64
to 0*7.*

* Pycnonotus akaijs (Horsf.). The Yellow-vented BulhvL
Otocompsa analis {Horsf.Hume, Cat. uo. 452 sex.

• Juinor, writes “I found the nest of this Bulbul at Salano-

m the Malay peninsula, on the 14lh February. The nest was built in a bush in
.seeoiulary jungle, with a few trees scattered about. It was in a fork G feet from
the ground. The foundation was of dried leaves, then hne twigs, and lined

PYClS'OTfOTXJS.

187

299. Pycnonotus finlaysoni, Strickl. Fwlayson's Btvi^-^e-tliroated

Bulbul.

Ixus finlaysoni (^StncJd.), Hmiu, Cat. no. 452 ter.

Major C. T. Bingham says :—“On the 22nd May, 1S77, while
wandering about collecting in the jungles below the Circuit-house
at Maulmain, I came across a neat, though thinly made, cup-sliaped
nest in the fork of a tall sapling, some 12 feet above the ground.
Coining closer, I perceived it contained eggs, wliich were plainly
visible through the frail structure of the sides. On looking about
to find the owner, I saw a couple of Pycnonotus finlaysoni flitting
about uneasily in a tree close at hand; so I hid myself a few yards
off, and was almost immediately rewarded by seeing one of them
(it turned out to be the female) fly down on to the nest, and seat
herself on the eggs. Approaching cautiously, I managed to shoot
her as she slipped off; but, on taking down the nest, I found 1 had
fired too soon, as one of the eggs (there were but two) was smashed
by a pellet of shot. The nest was rather a deep cup, and, notwith¬
standing its flimsy sides, strongly made of grass-roots, lined nith A'ery
fine black roots of fern. The one unbroken egg was rather.roundish
in shape, of a dull whitish and claret colour, mixed and spotted and
clouded with deeper vinous red, chiefly at the larger end.”

Mr. J. Darling, Junior, found the nest of this Bulbul on more than
one occasion at Taroar in the Malay penmsula. He writes :—“ I
shot this bird off a nest with two eggs on the 8th Pebruary; the
nest was in a bush 5 feet from the ground; the foundation was of
leaves and fine grass, lined with fine grass and a few cocoanut fibres.
The nest was 3 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. The eggs
were too hard-set to blow.

“ On the 10th Eebruarj^ I took another nest of Pycnonotus finlay¬
soni at Taroar. The nest wus built in a small shrub 3 feet from the
ground, in a fork ; foundation of dead leaves, built of fine twigs and
fibrous bark ; lined with fine grass-bents and moss-roots. Egg-cavity
2| inches in diameter, 1| deep ; walls | inch thick, bottom | inch.

with fine grass-bents. There was a good deal of cobweb in the construction,
it was an exact facsimile of many nests of Otocompsa fusoicaudata from the
Nilgherry Hills. The egg-cavity was 3 inches in diameter and 2-^- inches deep ;
the walls were inch thick, the bottom 1 inch.’’

The eggs are of the usual variable Bulbul type, some broader and more regular,
some more elongated, some more or less pyriform. The shell as in others, and
apparently rarely showing any very perceptible gloss. The ground-colour pinky
white to a warm pink ; the markings, specks, and spots, or, when three or four
of these latter have coalesced, cccasionally small blotches of a rich maroon-red
intermixed with spots and specks and clouds of pale purple. The markings
always apparently pretty thickly set everywhere, but almost invariably most
densely in a zone about the larger, end, where they become at times more or less
confiueut. Of course as in others of the genus, in some eggs all the markings
are very fine and speckly, while in others they are somewhat bolder. In some
the red greatly predominates; in others, again, the grey underlying clouds are
^ery widely extended, and form by far the most conspicuous part of tlie
markings, giving a grey tinge to the entire egg. The eggs vary from 0*82 to
0*91 in length and from 0*61 to 0*(.)5 in breadth.

188

CEATEEOPODID-^E.

“ Found a nest of Pycnonotus finlayson% with two fresh eggs, on
the 16th March. The nest was built in a thin small sapling, feet
from ground, on the top of a thinly wooded hill; the nest was of
the ordinary Bulbul type, hut better put together and neater. The
foundation was of broad fibrous bark and twigs, lined with fine
grass-stalks.”

The eggs vary in shape from broad ovals a good deal pointed to¬
wards one end, to pyriform and elongated shaped, very obtuse even
at the small end. The shell is fine and compact, in some has a fine
gloss, in others it is rather dull. The ground-colour is a beautiful
pink, sometimes with a creamy tinge, and the markings are bold
blotches, spots, and streaks of a maroon of varying degrees in rich¬
ness, and of a subsurface-looking purple, varying to almost inky
grey. In some eggs the maroon, in some the purple or grey seems
to predominate ; in some eggs the markings seem pretty equally
distributed over the egg; in others they form a more or less con¬
spicuous zone about the larger end. The eggs measure from 0*85
to 0‘92 in length by 0*6 to 0*7 in breadth.

300. Pycnonotus davisoni (Hume). Davison’s Stride-throated

BuTbul,

Ixus davisoni, Rume ; Rtwie, Cat, no. 462 qiiat.

Mr. Oates writes from Kyeikpadein in Pegu :—A nest of this
bird was found on the 1st June, and another on 6th of the same
month, each containing two fresh eggs. The females, which were
shot ofi the nest, showed, however, no signs on dissection of being*
about to lay more.

“ The nest is a flimsy structure, built of the stems of small weeds
and lined with grass. A few fine black tree-roots are twisted round
the inside of the egg-chamber. The outside and inside diameters
measure 4 and 3 inches, and the depths are similarly 3 and 1|.
Both nests were placed low down about 4 feet from the ground—
one in a bush, and the other in a creeper.

“ The eggs vary much in size. One pair measure *92 and *88 by
•60 and *65, and the other *83 and *82 by *65 and *61 respectively;
the ground-colour of all is a pinkish white. In one pair the shell-
blotches of washed-out purple are spread over the whole egg, and
the surface-spots and dashes of carneous red are also equally spread
over the whole shell. In the other pair the shell-marks are grouped
round the larger end to form a broad ring, and the whole egg is
thickly speckled and spotted with bright reddish. The eggs are very
slightly glossy.”

301. Pycnonotus melanicterus (Gm.). The Black-eadded BuTbul.
Eubigula melanictera (Gw 2 .), Rume, Cat. no. 455 his.

Colonel Legge writes^ In April 1873 I received from a
friend in Ceylon three ef gs of this bird; but I was unable
to identify them until Jajijely, when I had an opportunity of

PYCifONOTUS.

189

comparing them with a clutch taken last year in the Western
Province, and about which there was no doubt. In the latter
case the nest was fixed on the top of a small stump, and was a
loose structure of grass and bents; in shape rather a deep cuj);
and contained two eggs of a reddish-white ground-colour, profusely
speckled with reddish brown (in one example contluent round the
obtuse end, in the other distributed over the whole surface) over
freckles of bluish grey. Dimensions: 0*70 by 0*58, 0*78 by 0*57.
The other nest was made of grass on a foundation of dry leaves and
lierbaceoLis stalks, loosely lined with fine hair-like tendrils of
creepers. The eggs were of a reddish-white ground, thickly covered
throughout with brownish-red and dusky red spots, becoming
somewhat confluent round the obtuse end. In form they are regular
ovals, and measure 0*7S by 0*6, 0*79 by 0*58.’’

305. Pycnonotus luteolns (Less.). The White-hrowed BalhuL

Ixos luteolns (Less.)j Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 84; Ilume, Rour/h Draft
N. l5' E. no. 452,

Common as is the White-browed Bulbul in Midnapoor, through¬
out the Tributary Mehals, along the Eastern Ghats, and again, it
appears, in Bombay, only two of my correspondents appear as yet
to have procured the nest or eggs.

Mr. Benjamin Aitken, writing from Bombay under date the 11th
June, says:—“I now send you a nest of PyGnonotas lutcolus with
two eggs. I took it this morning from a thickly foliaged tree in
a garden. It was placed on the top of the main stem of the tree,
which had been abruptly cut ofi about 5 feet from the ground, where
the stem was about 3 inches thick. The nest was begun tliis day
week, Thursday, and the first egg w’as laid the day before yt'sterday
(Tuesday). The bird is a very common one in gardens in Bom])ay,
though I never saw it in Bcrar nor even in Poona. They build iii
situations similar to, but ]:)erhaps rather more slieltered than, tliose
chosen by the Common Bulbul; but I remember finding one nest
placed at a height of only 2 feet from the ground.

“This present nest was begun, as already mentioneil, last
Thursday, just two days after the first severe thiiiuler-sliower
preliminary to the monsoon, now fairly on us.

“ I draw your attention to the manner in which the nest has btien
tied at one place to a twig to prevent its being blown off if s very
(apparently) insecure site. 1 was obliged to take the nest, as I was
leaving at once, otherwise one or perhaps two more eggs would
have been laid.”

The nest is a rather loose straggling structure, exteriorly com¬
posed of fine twigs. The cavity, hemisphencal in shape, is carefully
lined with fine grass-stems. Outside it is very irregularly sliaped,
and many of the twigs used are miieh too long and hang down
several inches from the nest; but on one sidetiie outer frame\\()rk
has been firmly tied with wool and a liltle cobweb to a li\’(*. twig to
which the leaves, now withered, are still attached. Ko roots or
hair have entered into the composition of this nest.

190

OEATEBOrODIDJE,

Mr. E. Aitken writes :—“I once found a nest in Bombay, not
many feet above the level of the sea of course.

The first egg was laid on 14th September. The nest was built
in a bush on the edge of an inundated field, but in our garden.
It was fixed to a thin waving branch underneath the bush, W'hicli
completely overshadowed it. It was only 2 feet from the ground,
a cup just large enough to hold the body of the bird, whose head
and tail always projected over the edge; and it was made of thin
twigs and neatly lined with coir. The bird laid two eggs and then
deserted the nest. One of these, which I took, was thicker and
rounder than a Bulburs, and thickly spotted with claret-coloured
spots, which gathered into a ring at the larger end.

“ The eggs were laid on successive days. I think the birds had
already had one brood (in another nest), for I saw apparently the
same pair followed by a young one not long before.’’

Dr. Jerdon says:—“ 1 found the nest in my garden at Nellore.
It was rather loosely made with roots, grass, and hair, placed in a
■ hedge, and the eggs, four in number, were reddish white, with
darker lake-red spots, exceedingly like those of the Common Bulbul.'’

Colonel Legge, in his ‘Birds of Ceylon,’ tells us that this Bulbul
breeds in the west and south-west of Ceylon from December to
June, the months of April and May, however, appearing to be tlie
favourite time. On the eastern side of the island it breeds during
the north-east rains.

The eggs answer well enough to Dr. Jerdon’s description, but
to an oologist’s eye they are excessively un-lilce those of the
Common Bulbul; shape, tone of colour, and character of markiims
ahke differ.

In shape they are decidedly elongated ovals. The shell is very
fine and smooth, and moderately glossy. The ground is reddish
wlnte, and this is profusely speckled and blotched (the blotches
being chiefly confined, however, to a broad irregular zone round
the broader end) with a deep but certainly, I should say, noi lake-
red, but much nearer what one would get by mixing brown with-
vermilion. ^ Besides these red markings sundry clouds and spots of
a pale greyish lilac are intermingled in a zone, and one or two spots
of the same colour may be traced elsewhere.

The eggs measure 0*92 by 0*62, and 0*97 by 0*63.

30(5. Pycnonotus blanfordi (Jerd.). BlanforcVs Bulhul
Ixus blanfordi {Jerd.\ Hume, Cat. no. 452 quint.

Mr. Oates writes from Pegu:—“Nest in a small tree, well
concealed by leaves, about 7 feet from the grouiid, near Peo'u. A
very neat cup measuring 3 inches diameter externally and ^2- in-
ternaUy. The depth 1| inch outside and inside. ‘The sides of
the nest, though very strongly woven, can be seen through The
materials consist of small fine branchlets of weeds, and the inside

neatly lined with grass. One or two dead leaves, or rather
fragments, are used in the exterior walling.

o

PYCJS'ONOTUS.

191

Tile nest was found on the 25th May, and contained tlu’ee eggs
sliglitly incubated. The ground-colour is a fresh pink, but witli
little gloss. The whole egg is covered with a profusi .n of dark
purplish-red spots, more thickly disposed at the thick end, but
everyv^'here frequent. In addition there are some underlying and
much paler smears. The three eggs measured respectively *75, *78,
and *77 in length, by *63, *62, and *61 in breadth.

“ Subsequently I found five other nests, from the 1st April to
the 20th June, all similar to the one described. Eggs invariably
three. Average size of twelve eggs *82 by *6.”

The nests of this species that I have seen have been very slight
flimsy structures, neai’ly hemispherical cups, composed of fine
twigs and the leaf-stalks of pemiated leaves a little bound together
with cobwebs and thinly lined with fine hair-like grass. In some
cases a leaf or two has been attached to the outer surface to aid
the concealment of the nest. The nest is very loosely woven just
like a sieve, as a rule nowhere more than 0*25 inch thick, and with
a truly hemispherical cavity, diameter about 2*5, depth about 1*25.

The eggs are of the ordinary Bulbul type, but not amongst the
more richly-coloured examples of these ; in shape and size they
vary a good deal, but ty]3ically they seem to be moderately broad
ovals slightly compressed towards the small end. The shell is fine
and smooth, but has scarcely any appreciable' gloss; the ground is
pale pink or pinky white. At the large end the markings are
dense, forming in some eggs an almost confluent zone, in others a
mottled cap ; they consist of irregular-shaped spots and specks of
deep red and pale subsurface-looldng greyish purple; over the rest
of the surface of the egg outside the zone or cap the markings are
much smaller in size and much more thinly scattered, and it is
observable that the secondary purple markings are to a great extent
confined to the zone or cap, as the case may be, and its immediate
neighbourhood.

Occasionally the markings, which seem always to be small and
speckly, are very s]3arsely set, leaving comparatively largo portions
of the surface unmarked; and occasionally eggs are met with in
which the primary markings are wholly wanting, and there is
nothing but a pale reddish-purple cloudy mottling over the greater
portion of the surface of the egg.*'

* Pycnonotus i*lumosus, 331, 27ie Large Olivo Bulbul.

Ixus plumosiis Hume, Cat. no. 452 sept.

Mr. W. Davison writes :—“ I found one nest of this Bulbul at Kossooui: it
was of the ordinary Bulbul typo and placed in a small but dense clump of cane,
about 18 inches from the ground. The parent birds were very vociferous when
the nest was approached.”

The eggs of all these Bulbuls,'though they arc separable when individually
compared, follow so closely the Siimc typo of colouring that it is almost impossible
to make their dislinctions apparent by any verbal descriptions.

The eggs of the present species are like those of so many others, moderately
broad ovals, obtuse at the largo end, somewhat compressed towards the small

192

SITTID^.

Family SITTIDiE.

315. Sitta Hmalayensis, Jard. <fc Selbj. The White-
tailed^ Nuthatch,

Sitta Iiimalayensis, J, & S,, Jerd, B. Ind, i, p. 385; Hume. Rough
Draft N i D, no. 248.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and drawings this species
begins to lay in April, constructing a shallow saucer-like nest of
moss lined with moss^roots, in holes of trees at no great elevation
from the ground. One such nest, the measurements of which are
recorded, was 3*25 inches in diameter and 2 in height externally ;
the cavity was 2*25 inches in diameter and 1*25 inch in depth.
They lay three or four pure white eggs slightly speckled with red,
which measure about 0*72 inch in length by 0*55 inch in width.
They breed once a year, and both sexes assist in incubating the
eggs and rearing the young.

Mr. E. Thompson says :—“ In Kumaon the White-tailed Hut-
hatch breeds in May and Tune, laying five or six eggs, in holes in
trees, especially in oaks.”

Colonel Gr. E. L. Marshall writes :—This bird is an early breeder
in Naini Tal; a nest found on the 25th April contained half-fledged
young. It was in a natural hollow of a tree about 10 feet from

end, at times slightly pyriform. The shell very fine, smooth and thin, but
strong, and generally "with an appreciable though not at all cons])ic,uous gloss.

The ground-colour is pink or pinky white, and they are very thickly speckled
and spotted everywhere, but extremely densely so, and there blotched also in a
broad irregular zone, round the large end with rich reddish maroon and dull
greyish or inky purple—the rich colour predominating in some eggs, the dull
colour in others; and in some the markings being all extremely fine and spcckly,
while in others they are rather bolder. Two eggs measure 0 9 by 0‘66.

PycNONOTus SIMPLEX, Less. Moore’s Olive Bulbul.

Ixus brunneus (BL), Hume, Cat. no. 452 oct.

Mr. W. Davison says:—“ I took a nest of P. simiilex in some rather thick
jungle at Xiang. The nest, of the ordinary Bulbul type (in fact it might easily
have passed for a nest of Oiocom-psa), was placed in the fork of a small sapling
about 6 feet from the ground. The nest contained two eggs. The female was
shot from the nest.”

The eggs are moderately elongated, rather regular ovals, some specimens
having a slight pyriform tendency. The shell is fine and compact, and seems
to have generally an appreciable hut not striking gloss. The ground-colour
appears to have been creamy pink, and it is very thickly freckled and speckled
all over with a rich maroon, in amongst which tiny clouds of pale purple may
be faintly discerned ; dense as are the markings everywhere, they are generally
most so in a zone round the large end. Yery possibly this species will be found
to exhibit somewhat different types of coloration, as the eggs of all Bulbuls vai-y
very much; but certainly typically the markings of this species are much
more speckly than in most of the others, forming a universal stippling over the
entire surface. The two eggs measure 0*9 and O’SS in length by 0*62 in breadth.

SITTA.

193

^ thick trunk; the hole was closed iij) with a kind
of stin gumin}' substance, leaving only a circular entrance about an
rrn^^ just^as I liavG secu in nests of Sitta europcea,

ihe old birds were busily engaged in feeding the young. Another
nest containing young was found on the 28th April in an oak tree
at about /GOO feet elevation; both birds were feeding the young,
and the nest yas similar to the last except that in this case it was
so low down in the trunk that, sitting on the ground, I could put
my ear against the hole. Erom a thhd nest, found on the 2nd
May, the young had apparently just fled. My experience bears
out Mr. Hodgsons observations: I have often been up here in May
and June searching closely and never found a nest; this year I
came up for tlie lirsb time in April, and within a few days find
thre.o nests with young. I may add that after the 10th May all
the A^utliaiclies I liave seen were in small parties, apparently
parents with their young.”

316. Sitta cinnamomeiventris, Blyth. The Glnnamon-hellied

Nuthatch.

Sitta cinnamonieoventris, BL, Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 887.

Writing from Sikhiin, Mr. Gainmie says:—“I lately took the
nest of 8{Ua clnyiamomeiventris at 2000 feet. It was 20 feet from
the ground in a soft decaying bamboo on the edge of large jungle.
The birds had made a small hole just below an internode, and
from the next internode below had filled up the hollow of the
bamboo with alternate layers of green moss and pieces of tree-
bark of about au inch or more sc[uare to within a few inches of the
entrance-hole. Each layer of moss was about an inch thick, but
the bark layer not more than a quarter of an inch, the thickness of
the bark itself. On the top of this pile, w-hich was a foot high,
was a pad three inches wide by twm in depth, of fine moss, fur,
a feather or two, and a few insects’ wings intermixed, for the
eggs to rest on. The fur looks like that of a rat. There were four
hard-set eggs, wdaich, imfortimately, got broken in the taking.
One of them only was measurable, and it was 0*65 inch by 0-5.
I send the shell-fragments to show the coloration,”

317. Sitta neglecta, Walden. The Burmese Nuthatch,

Sitta ncglecta, Wald., Hume, Cat. no. 250 bis.

The Burmese Hiithatch probably breeds throughout Pegu and
Tenasserim. Of its iiidification in the latter division Major 0.
T. Bingham wuites :—“ On the 21st March, w^anderiiig about in a
deserted clearing, I saw a couple of Nuthatches (Sitta neglecta)
flying to and from a tree, carrying food apparently. Watching
them closely with a pair of binoculars, I saw them disappear near
a knot ill a branch. The tree was a dead dry one and rather
difficult to climb, but a peon of mine went up and reported five
young ones unfledged, the nest-hole being 6 inches deep, and the

VOL. I.

194

SiTTIDJS.

opening, which was Ske^hTanernatw^

'The young lay on a lay^oE broken eav •

edging of clay. ^ Eafl'left them alone,

SghSSt?

Sitta castaoeoventri,, ■®'

The la« Cagtai. £ SS'3

one or more pairs. Ihey pair eai y The nests are in

i,ests in February, laying *eir e„g^ i ^ 3 ,^^ unless

camties of trees, at no dTfficuh to find-the bird

observed in course ®°“ 5 th mud consolidated with some viscid
filling the whole cavuty > 1 ?merely leaving a small round hole
seed of a parasitical “fi “^^rdmis like piicca masonry m

for entrance. This composi marauders except

a very short time, and secm.es ^ -bottom of

theoologist. The >16®*laid. The
the cavity at no ^jg^ert their nests" as the folloumg

birds sit close and do no . ^ y ^ ^ mango-

instance will show . In ^ eggs

tree, and after watcbing the b rds y’; f J ^ ’j^jef bi the nest
had been laid I took mKL

Sd me to look at the place Sd

caught in 1873. I found another nest in Vi. n.

11 a anorner ac&u lu — i. iV st

often used to flash the sunlight irom

from the ground, and i otten iiseu xo iic.=,* --

small haiid-inirror, that I use out birds’ nesting, onto the ken hud
while she sat on her eggs. 0 nr collection contains a large sei les of

the.se eggs, the produce of some flve-and-twenty nests taken by

"'^Maior*C. T^Bingham writes;—“At Allahabad 1 found two nesIs
of "this little Nuthatch, one in July and one hi September. ^ i regret
to Iiv neither contained any eggs, though the birds were going luancl
out constantly The nests were in tiny holes m maiip-trees, the
eutraiices being stilliuore contracted by earth being plastei^liound.

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall observes:—“ A nest of the Chestnut-
bellied Nuthatch was pointed out to me at TJmballa m the next
garden to mine. It was about 12 feet above the ground in an old
mango-tree; the locality chosen was the stump of a branch which
had been cut off and had rotted down. Outside there was a grea

SITTA.

1&5

deal of masonry work as hard and firm as that on white-ant hills, in
the middle of which was a neat circular hole just large enough for
the passage of the bird. The masonry continued down inside the
hole as far as I could see; I did not break it open, as there were
nearly fledged young ones inside. I knew this because the parent
birds had been seen for some days carrying in food. I did not see
the nest till the end of May. The following spring I found another
nest at Kurnal in a bokain tree ; it was constructed after the same
fashion ; the nest itself, which consisted only of dead leaves, was not
A^ery far down. I Avas unfortunately this time (March loth) too
early for the eggs. The holes are not easy to see from the ground,
as they are most skilfully concealed from view.’’

The eggs of this species are A^ery regular, slightly elongated ovals,
scarcely compressed or pointed towards the small end at all. The
shell is fragile, and is either entirely glossless or has only a trace
of gloss. The ground-colour is Avhite, Avith at times a faint pinkish
tinge, and the markings consist of specks, spots, and splashes
(ahvays most numerous at the large end, Avhere they usually form
a more or less conspicuous though irregular cap) of dull or bright
brick-red, more or less intermingled in most specimens Avith dull
reddish lilac. The arrangement and size of the markings are very
variable. In some eggs they are all mere specks, forming a small
speckly cap at the large end, and elseAvhere very thinly scattered
about the surface ; in others many of the spots are (for the size of
the egg) large, the majority are Avell-marlced spots and not mere
specks, and the Avhole surface of the egg is pretty thickly studded
Avith them, while the broad end exhibits a large blotched and
mottled cap. The majority of the eggs are intermediate between
these two extremes.

Ill length the eggs vary from 0*61 to 0*72 and in breadth from
0*5 to 0*54, but the average of numerous specimens is 0*67 by 0*52.^'

* SiTTX TEL’iiRONOTA, Sharpe. 2%c EListcru Rock-Kathatch.

Sitta neumayeri, ’Mich., Hume, Cat. no. 248 quint.

The Eastern Rock-Niitliatch is abundant in ifaluchistan, and without doubt
breeds there. Tlie following note by Lieut. H. E. Barnes will therefore be inter*
esting. He writes from Afghanistan:—“ This Nutliateh is very common on the
hills. It appears to choose very different localities to build in. In some
instances a hole in the face of a rock is selected, and this it lines with agglu¬
tinated mud and resin, continuing the lining-case until it projects in the shape
of a cone to fully S inches. It seems fond of decorating its little palace with
feathers to a distance of 2 or even 3 feet, and it is thus a conspicuous object; but
most nests are found in boles in trees, and even here feathers are stuck into
crevices all around. They are usually well lined with camel-hair.

They breed in March and April. The eggs are usually four in number (I
have sometimes found five), oval in shape, more or less glossy white, and more
or less densely or sparsely (generally most densely towards the large end)
spotted and blotched with varying shades of chestnut to reddish brown, more
or less intermingled with pale purple and occasionally purplish grey. Some
eggs are very richly marked. Some are almost pure white. They average 0’87
by 0-57.”

The eggs of this species are typically moderately broad ovals, slightly pointed

196

SITTIBiE.

The yyuu.M ifM.

3i(to k«o,», e.m .«. i. P »i

■ X B. no. 240.

, Pnr.l- took tke eo-^ps of the White-cheeked Nuthatcli late

Captuiu Wardlaw Eainsay says writing o ^ f J

..lw,n-ved it haneiiig about a nest-hole on tlie ilst iUa\ Dur on
Tn .hI to t ike the eo-Ks some days later was unable to laid the
twe -" and he mlds, “On'lie 2:ist of June 1 shot a young bird just

iieai* tli 0 Poiwnr KotuL ^ -i i

'the fg-'s of tliis species vary somewhat in size. .In shape some
are iiiodeiniteiv elongated, some are somewhat broad ovals and all
are, more or less, compres.sed towards the smaller end, whuh,
lu.uever, is obtuse and not at all pointed. he ground is \i lute
and has a slight gloss. The niarldngs consist of small spots and
minute specks, some eggs exhibiting only the latter. In all cases
lliC inarkiiigs are most dense towards the large eiicl, where they
^a^ierallv form an irregular and ill-defined mottled cap or zone.
In colour the markings are red and pale purple, tlie red varying
from bright brickdust-red to brownish and even purplisli red,
and the purple being sometimes lilac and sometimes grey, and
here and tiiere in a single speck, almost black. In length the
eggs vary from 0*67 to 0*75 inch, and in breadth
0*55 inch.

3:25. Sitta frontalis, Horsf. The Velvet-frouted Blue Nuthatch.

Deiidrophila frontalis (Ilorsf.), Jerd. B. Ind, i, p. 388 ,* Ilumej liouyh
Dra ft K. E. no. 253.

Tlie Velvet-fronted Nuthatch lays from the middle of February
to tlie end of May. It breeds in the forest-tracts of the vSub-
llimalayan ranges, in the Central Indian forests, the Ghats of
Houiherii India, and the well-wooded slopes of the Nilghiris,
Palnis, tk'c.

It builds a compact little nest of moss and feathers in a tiny
hole in a tree, selecting, I believe, generally a natural cavity,
but certainly trimmiug the entrance and interior itself.

Mr. E. Thompson saysThis species is common in all the low
densely wooded valleys of the Sub-Himalayan ranges of Ivumaon,

towards the small end, but elongated and more or less blimt-ended pyriform
e.>:iimplos occur. The shell is extremely fine and smooth, but has only a
moderate amount of gloss in any specimen that I have seen, and in some
specimens has only a trace of this. The ground-colour is pure wThte, and
tlie eggs are generally thinly speckled, spotted, or blotched, about the broad end
onn% witu a pale red: occasionallv n. fp.w m’-avn'U-,i.i.i.v.

greyish-purple spots and blotches
’ specks and tiny spots of both red

only, will) a pale reel; oceasioiiallv a few
are intenninglecl with the other maiiiugs, aii^ mm imv

and grey sometimes exteiicl to the smaller end of the egg also. ‘ I have seen no
aueh examples myselt, but very probably in some eggs the principal markings

o’S to Ohl) hi br^dtir'-

SITTA.

197

at an elevation of from 1500 to 2500 feet. It breeds in May
and June in hollows of trees. Any small hole suits for a nest,
and it lays four or five eggs, for I have seen it with as many
young, though I never took the trouble of getting out the eggs
themselves,”

Mr. Davison says :—^‘Thi.s IN'uthateh breeds on the Nilghiris as
high up as Ootacamund, nesting in holes of trees, and layiug
three or four eggs, .spotted with chestnut, pinkish red, or reddish
brown. The nest is composed of moss, moss-roots, &c., and lined
with feathers. I am not quite certain how long the breeding-
season lasts, hut I think that it is from the middle of April to the
early part of May.”

Miss Cockburn, of Kotagherry, sends me the following account
of the first nest she took of this species :—

“ After having wished for some years to obtain the eggs of this
bird, I w'as delighted to hear from my brother that he had seen a
Nuthatch go into a small hole in a tree, and that, on looking into
it, he had seen something like a nest. I went prepared with a
chisel and hammer, but wished first to ascertain fully who the
owner of the nest was. After watching at a respectful distance
for a long time, an Indian Grey Tit flew to the hole and peeped
in. My first thought was one of great disappointment at having
ridden many miles with such high expectations to find only a
Common Titmouse’s nest; but it did not last long; the inquisitive
Grey Tit found the hole too small for him, and flew off just as
happily as he had flown to it. I continued to w'atch, and was
quite repaid by seeing a Velvet-fronted Nuthatch fly to the top of
the tree containiug the nest, and descend rapidly down the trunk
(which was about 12 or 13 feet high), as if it knew where the wee
hole was, and disappear into it. This w’as sufficient proof as to the
proprietor of the nest; I walked quietly up to the tree, and when
within a foot of it out flew the bird. My handkerchief was stuffed
into the hole to prevent any chips breaking the eggs, should there
be any; and making use of the chisel and hammer, I soon made
the hole large enough to admit my hand. The nest contained three
eggs, which I most carefully extracted one by one. The nest was
then brought out, and consisted of a quantity of beautiful green
moss, feathers (many of which belong to the bird), some soft fine
hair, and a few pieces of lichen. This nest was discovered on the
10th Pebruary. The tree it was found in grew nearly alone, at the
side of a road not much frequented.

‘‘The eggs were quite fresh, and most probably the bird would
have laid at least one more; but these were sufficient to show the
colour of the eggs, which were pure white, with dark and light red
spots and blotches, chiefly at the thick end, besides a circle of spots
like a Plycatcber’s eggs.”

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan, writing of South India, says, in ‘ The
Ibis ’:—“ It breeds in holes of trees, preferring the deserted ones
excavated by Megalamia caoiiceps. The nest is built of moss, and
lined with the fluff of hares and soft feathers. The eggs are

198

DICETJEIDJE.

always four in number, spotted with pinkish red on a white ground,
the spots being more numerous towards the larger end. They
breed in March. Dimensions, 0*71 inch long by 0'57 broad.’’

Mr. Mandelli sent me a small pad-like nest of this species
found on the 4th May in k^'ative Sikhim. It w^as placed in a
hollow of a trunk of a large tree about 3 feet from the ground. It
is composed of very fine moss felted together with a little fine
vegetable fibre, and the upper surface coated with a little fine
short silky fur, probably that of a rat.

• Major Bingham, writing from Tenasserim, says:—“ Pairly
common in the Thoungyeen valley. On the 18th February I
found a nest in a hole in a branch of a pynkado tree {Xylia clola-
hriformis), but I w^as too early for eggs.”

One egg of this very beautiful species was sent me by Miss
Cockburn. It is intermediate in size and colour between those of the
European Creeper and Nuthatch, while at the same time it strongly
recalls the eggs of Pams atricefs. In shape the egg is a broad
oval (not quite so broad, however, as those of the European
Nuthatch are), slightly compressed towards one end. The ground¬
colour is white, and the egg is blotched, speckled, and spotted,
chiefly, however, in a sort of irregular zone round the large end,
with brickdust-red and somewhat pale purple. The shell is fine
and compact, but devoid of gloss. The egg measures 0*08 by
0*55 inch.

Three other eggs from the Sikhim Terai measure 0*68 by 0*51.

Family DICEURIDiE.

327. Dicrurus ater (Hermann). The Blade Bronejo.

Dicrurus macrocercus (E.), Jerd. B, Ind. i, p. 427.

Biichanga albirictus, Ilodgs.^ Hume, Bough Draft N. B. no. 278.

The Black Drongo or Common King-Crow lays throughout
India, at any rate in the plain country; it does not appear to
breed either in the Himalayas or the Nilghiris at any height ex¬
ceeding 5000 feet.

A few eggs may be found towards the close of April, and again
during the first week of August, but May, June, and July are the
months.

It builds usually pretty high up in tall trees, in some fork not
quite at the outside, constructing a broad shallow cup, and lays
normally four eggs, although I have found five. Elsewhere I have
recorded the following in regard to its nidification :—

“ Close at our own gate is a pretty neem tree, the ‘ Melia azadi-
raditaj a species now naturalized in Provence and other parts of the
south of Erance. High up in a fork a small nest was visible, and pro¬
jecting over it on one side a black forked tail that could belong to
nothing but the King-Crow. Of this bird we have already taken

IHCETJETJS.

199

during the last six weeks at least fifty nests, and in many cases
where we had left the empty nest in statu quo, we found it a week
later with a fresh batch of eggs laid therein. Many birds will
never return to a nest which has once been robbed, but others, like
the King-Crow and the Little Shrike (Lanius vittatus), will continue
laying even after the nest has been tioice robbed. The very day after
the nest has been cleared of perhaps four slightly incubated eggs, a
fresh one that otherwise would assuredly never have seen tlie light
is Laid, and that, too, a fertile egg, wliich, if not meddled with, wilf
be hatched off in due course. It might be supposed that imme¬
diately on discovering their loss, nature urged the birds to new
intercourse, the result of which was the fertile egg, and this, in
some cases, is probably really tlie case; Martins and others of the
Swallow kind being often to be seen busy with ' love’s pleasing
labour ’ before their eggs have been well stowed away by the col¬
lector. But this will not account for instances that I have
observed of birds in confinement, who separated from the male
before they had laid their full number, and then later, just when
they began to sit deprived of their eggs, straightway laid a second
set, neither so large nor so well coloured as the first, but still
fertile eggs that were duly hatched. But for the removal of the
first set, these subsequent eggs would never have beeu developed
or laid. Kow, the theory has always been that the contact of the
sperm- and germ-cells causes the development and fertilization of
the latter. In these cases no fresh accession of sperm-cells was
possible, and hence it would seem as if in some birds the female
organs were able to store up living sperm-cells, which only work
to fertilize aud develop ova in the event of some accident render¬
ing it necessary, and which otherwise ultimately lose vitality and
pass away without action.

“ The nest of the King-Crow that we took was of the ordinary type;
in fact I have noticed scarcely any difference in the shape or mate¬
rials of all the numerous nests of this common bird that I have yet
seen. They are all composed of tiny twigs and fine grass-stems,
and the roots of the khus-khiis grass, as a rule, neatly and tightly
woven together, and exteriorly bound round wdth a good deal of
cobweb, in which a few feathers are sometimes entangled. The
cavity is broad and shallow, and at times lined with horsehair or
fine grass, hut most commonly only with khus. The bottom of the
nest is very thin, but the sides or rim rather firm and thick; in
this case the cavity was 4 inches in diameter, and about li in
depth, and contained three j)ure white glossless eggs. In the very
next tree, however (a mango, and this is perhaps their favourite
tree), was another similar nest, containing four eggs, sHghtly glossy,
with a salmon-pink tinge throughout, and numerous well-marked
brownish-red specks and spots, most numerous towards the large
end, looking vastly like Brobdiugnagian specimens of the Eocket-
bird’s eggs. The variation in this bird’s eggs is remarkable; out
of more than one hundred eggs nearly one third have been pure
white, and between the dead glossless purely white egg and a

200

JDlCJtVUIDM.

somewhat glossy, warm pinky-grounclecl one, with numerous well-
marked spots and specks o£ maroon colour, dull'-red, and red-brown
or even dusky, every possible gradation is found. Each set of
eggs, however, seems to be invariably of the same type, and v’e
have never yet found a quite wEite and a well coloured and marked
egg in the same nest.

“ These birds are very jealous of the approach of other birds
even of their own species to a nest in which they have eggs, and
many a little family would this year have been safely reared, and
their ovate cradles have escaped the plundering hands of my slii-
karies, had not attention been invariably called to the whereabouts
of the nest by the pertinacious and vicious ruslies of one or oi lu‘r
of the parents from near their nest at every feathered thing that
passed them by.’^

Captain Hutton says:—“ This species, which ap]:)eai’s to be gene¬
rally diffused throughout India, is not imcominou in the Dehra
Boon, but does not ascend the hills ; it breeds in June, laying four
eggs of somewhat variable size. They are pure white, thus differing
widely from those of the supposed D. lo7i(jimiidatus of Mussoorit*.

‘‘It is evident likewise that the eggs which Captain Tickell
assigns to this species do not belong to it. Journal As.

Soc. vol. xvii. p. 304.)

“ The nest differs from that of our hill species, beiiig larger ixnO
far less neatly made; it is placed in tlie bifurcation of the smaller
branches of a tall tree, and is composed exteriorly of the hard
semi-woody stalks of various plants, plastered oyer with cobwi^bs.
Another one was constructed entirely of tine roots, lilco the klnis-
khus used for tatties, and plastered over like the former with cob¬
webs. It is flattened or saucer-shaped, and about 5 inches in
diameter.”

Mr. F. E. Blewitt remarks:—“ It breeds from the middle of
May well into August. I do not think it has two broods in the
year, at least close observation has not proved the fact. Tn (.‘s of
various sizes are chosen indiscriminately for the nest, from the loft\'
mango and tamarind to the low-growing roonji, &c.

The nest is a peciiliaiiy slight-formed structure (occasionally I
have seen it otherwise, but this is the exception), always neatly
made. The exterior of the nest is composed of small t\vi<»-s
roots, and grass, ^yith generally a good deal of spider’s ^^■el) round’
the outer surface, llie average exterior diainoter of tlus nest is
about 0-5 inches, The cavity is frequeutlv liaod uith liorsohair.
Un three or four occasions 1 Lave seen very fine Iduis sidi.stituted
tor the hair. The average inner diameter of the nest is about ;i-4

'■egular number of eggs is four; in colour they are a lield
1 eddish white, with a few spots or blotches, hero and tlun-e ol a

i-u ^■•0 find m one nest two eggs, one of the usual si/e

the other only about one third of the sktu What is more surl
piibing, it was perfectly formed, as regards the white, and yolk.

DICRURUS.

201

The instance of sagacity related by Mr. Phillips, and quoted by
Jerdon, was related to him by the late Mr. Davis, my old Collector
of Customs.

“ I have on two or three occasions myself witnessed similar in¬
stances of sagacity. This bird, during the breeding-season, is pug¬
nacious to a degree, fearlessly attacking every bird that approaches
the tree on which the nest may be.”

Writing from the Sambhur Lake, Mr. E. M. Adam sa 3 ^s:—
“ Very common here. The King-Crow breeds here in June and
July. The eggs vary much with regard to colouring; some are
pure white without spots, some have dark brovni spots on the white
ground, whilst others have a pale rufous ground darker at the
broader end, with spots of deep rust-colour and lilac.”

Colonel Gr. K. L. Marshall writes:—At Bheem Tal, fully 4000
feet above the sea, I found two nests of this species on tlie 24th
May, one contained four eggs, and the other three ; the eggs varied
much in size, and out of the seven, six were pure white, almost
like Barbet’s eggs, and the seventh had oiily a faint sprinkling of
tiny dark spots at one end. The birds, all four of which I shot,
were typical D, with the white spot well developed. On the
same day, and in the same place, I fouudeggs of D. longkaudatus.
I record this, as it is not usual to find D. ater breeding at this
elevation. It may be noticed that the eggs of this species found
by Hutton in the Doou were all pure white, while in the plains ]
think white is more exceptional.”

Dr. Scully says:—“ In ISTepal it breeds freely at elevations of
from 4000 to 5000 feet. Three nests were taken in the valley, in
May and June; these contained each three or four pure white eggs.”

Major C. T. Bingham remarks :—1 have found many nests of
the Kiiig-Grow both at Allahabad and Delhi. In both places they
begin laying towards the end of May, and I got fresh eggs at Alla¬
habad as late as the 13th August. The nests and eggs have been
nearly always of the same type. Tlie former, a sluillow, but well-
made saucer, rather small sometimes for the size of the bird, of
grass-roots and twigs, and absolutely without lining; the hitter
white, when fresh with a pink tinge, spotted, chiefly at the larger
end, rather scantily with claret-colour and dark brown. I have
never found a pure white egg.”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes, wTibing of Eajputaua in general, tells us :—

The King-Crow breeds during May ajid June. A few nests may
be found in July, but by far the greater number are to be found
during the latter part of May and the commencement of June.”

Colonel Butler informs us that “ The Common King-Crow breeds
in the neighbourhood of Deesa during the rains. I have taken
nests on the following dates :—

June 6,1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

'‘June 7, 1875. „ ,, 4 fresh eggs.

“June 9, 1875. „ „ 2 fx'esh eggs.

„ „ „ „ 4 young birds.

“ Juno 10,1875. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

202

DICBTTEIDiE.

'' June 11, 1875. A nest contaming4 fresh eggs.

“ June 13, 1875. „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

» „ » 4 fresh eggs.

“July 8, 1875. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

‘‘July 12,1875. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“ The nest consists of a broad shallow saucer about 3| inches in
diameter measured from the inside, composed of diy twigs and
fine roots, and is invariably fixed in the fork of a tree. The bottom
of the nest, though strongly woven, is often so thin that the eggs
are visible from below. The eggs, usually four in number, are of
the Oriole type, being white or creamy bufi:, sparingly spotted and
speckled with deep chocolate or rusty brown, with, occasionally,
markings of inky purple. The markings of the eggs of this species,
like those of the Oriole, are apt to run if \s'ashed.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, writing from the Deccan, say:—
“ Common and breeds.’^

Mr. Vidal remarks of this bird in the South Konkan:— “ Abun¬
dant. Breeds in May.”

Mr. Ehodes W, Morgan, writing from South India, says in ‘ The
Ibis ’:—“ Breeds from March to the end of May, constructing a
slight cup-shaped nest in a tree. The nest is composed of fine
twigs bound together with cobwebs, and is rather a flimsy concern,
the eggs often being visible from below. It is generally placed in
Ihe fork of a branch, at from 10 to 30 feet from the ground. Tlie
eggs are three in luimher, occasionally only two, and vary very
greatly in colour, some being almost of a pure white, wdiilst* others
again are spotted and blotched, especially at the larger end, witli
claret and light purple on a rich salmon-coloured gi'ound. The
birds are very noisy in the breeding-season, keeping all intruders
off, not hesitating to attack Kites and Crows. They seem to have
an especial antipathy to the latter.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitken states that in Madras “ the King-Crow, so
conspicuous on the hacks of cattle, telegraph-wires, &c., all through
the cold and hot seasons, is conspicuous by its absence during the
breediug-season. Many of them retire to w-oods and gardens to
breed, hut even when they do not, they keep very quiet while they
have their nests. Last June there was a nest in a tree in the Thieves’
bazaar at Madras, but the birds hardly ever showed themselves out
of the tree.”

Mr. J. Inglis informs us that in Cachar “ this King-Crow is ex¬
tremely common. It breeds all through the summer. It lays four
or jive pure wLite eggs on the top of a few grasses placed in the
tork ot a tree. It is very pugnacious, and attacks birds of all sizes
ir they approach it.”

There are two very distinct types of this bird’s eggs. The one
pure w'hite and spotless, the other a pale salmon-colour, spotted
w ith a rich brownish red. These eggs unquestionably both Mong
to the same species, as I have taken them times without nuinbef
mjself and cau positively certify to their parentage; moreover
connecting links are not wanting in a large series. I have one eg<^

DionrEiTs.

203

perfectly white, with the exception of three or four blackish-hr own
spots, another with more of these spots, another with almost as
many as the ordinary spotted eggs have, the ground-colour in all
these being still pure w^hite, and the spots beiug blackish or very
deep reddish browui. Then I have others similar to those just
described, but showing a faint salmon-coloured halo round one or
tw'o of the largest spots, others in which the halo is further de^'e-
loped, and others again with the entire ground-colour an excessively
pale salmon throughout, and so on a complete series gradually
increasing in intensity of colour till we get the pure rich salmon-
buff which is at the other end of the scale. I am particular in
this description, because the eggs of this bird have been a subject
of almost as many contradictions betw’een Indian naturalists as the
chameleon of pious memory. In shape the eggs are typically a
rather long oval, somewiiat pointed towards one end. Yery much
elongated varieties are common, recalling in this respect the eggs
of Cliihia hottentotia. Spherical varieties, if they occur, must be
very rare, the enormous series I possess containing no example.
In the colour of the ground, as above remarked, there is every
possible, variety of shade betw’een pure white and a very rich
salmon-colour. In the intensity and number of the markings
there is an equally great variety. The markings, always spots and
specks, the largest never exceeding 0*1 inch in diameter, are in¬
variably most numerous towards the large end, where they are
sometimes, though rarel}^, slightly confluent. They vary from only
tw^o or three to a number too large to count, and in colour through
maijiy shades of reddish, blackish, and purplish brown, the latter
being rare and abnoinnal.

The eggs are entirely devoid of gloss, as a rule, though here and
there a slight trace of it is observable. It is this ^vant of gloss
alone that distinguishes some of the larger white, black-spotted
varieties from the eggs of the common Oriole, which they occasion¬
ally exactly resemble not only in shape, colour, and character of
marking, but even (though generally smaller) in size.

In length they vary from 0*87 to 1*15 inch, and in breadth from
0*7 to 0*85, but the average of 152 eggs measured is 1-01 by
0*75 inch. I have two dw-arf eggs of this species not included in
the above average which I myself obtained in different nests,
measuring only 0*78 by 0*5 inch, and 0*87 by 0’62 inch.

328. Dicrarus longicaudatus, A. Hay. The Indian Ashy
Dronyo.

Dicrurus longicaudatiis, A. Hay, Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 430.

Buchanga longicaiidata {A, Hay), Hume,Rough Draft N, ^5’ E. no. 280.

The Indian Ashy Drongo, a species that, with the really large
series before me from all parts of India, I find it impossible to sub¬
divide into two or more species, breeds alike in the plains, in well-
w^atered and w^ooded districts, and in the Himalayas up to an.

204

DICRITRIDiE.

elevation of 6000 to 7000 feet, and lays during the months of May
and June.

They build generally in large trees, at a considerable height from
the ground, placing their somewhat shallow cup-shaped nests in
some slender fork towards the summit or exterior of the tree.

The nest is neatly and firmly built, of fine grass-stems* slender
twigs, and grass-roots, closely interwoven, and externally bound
together with cobwebs, in which, as in the body of the nest, lichens
of several species are much intermingled. Exteriorly the nests are
from 4 to 5 inches in diameter, and from 2 to 2| in height. In¬
teriorly-they are lined with moss, roots, hairs, and fi.ne grass ; the
cavity measuring from 3 to 3-o inches in breadth, and from IT to
1*4 inch in depth. The normal number of the eggs is four.

Mr. Brooks says:—“The nest is usually fixed on the upper
surface of a thin branch about 15 to 20 feet from the ground, and
at its junction with another branch, the nest being partly embedded
in the fork of two horizontal branches. It is composed of grass,
fibres, and roots, and lined with finer grasses and a few hairs.
The nest is broader and much shallower than that of D. ater ; out¬
side it is covered with spiders’ webs and small bits of lichen.

“ The eggs are four in number, sometimes only three, and vary
much in size, shape, and colour; size 1*0 by 0*7 inch : some are
buff, blotched with light reddish bro^vn and pale purple-grey ;
others are lighter buff, almost white in fact, spotted and marked
more sparingly than the first described with the same two colours,
but each of a darker tint; others are white, marked sparingly with
spots and blotches of dark purple-brown and reddish brown, and
intermixed w'ith larger blotches of deep purple-grey, the markings
principally forming a zone at the larger end. Others, again, are
pale purplish white, spotted with dark and light purple-brown,
and intermixed with spots and blotches of purple-grey. The shape
of the egg varies as much as the colouring, some being of a fine
oval form, while others are quite pyriform. Laying in Kumaon
from the middle to end of May.”

As I shall notice further on, I think that Mr. Brooks is mistaken
about some of his eggs.

Captain Hutton remarks:—“This species, the only one that
visits Miissoorie, arrives from tlie Boon about the middle of March,
and retires again about September. It is abundant during the
summer months, and breeds from the latter end of April till the
middle of June, making a very neat nest, which is placed in the
bifurcation of a horizontal branch of some tall tree, usually an oak
tree; it is constructed of grey lichens gathered from the trees, and
fine seed-stalks of grasses, firmly and neatly interwoven ; with the
latter it is also usually lined, although sometimes a black fibrous
lichen is used; externally the materials are kept compactly to¬
gether by being plastered over with spiders’ webs. It is altogether
a light and elegant nest. The shape is circular, somewhat shallow;
internal diameter 3 inches. The eggs are three or four, generally
the latter number, and so variable in colour and distribution of

DICRTJETJS.

205

spots that until I had got several specimens and compared them
narrowly, I was inclined to think we had more than one species of
Dicriirits here. I am, however, now fully convinced that these
variable eggs belong to the same species. Sometimes they are dull
white with brick-red spots openly disposed in form of a rude ring
at the larger end; at other times the spots are riifescent claret,
with duller indistinct ones appearing through the shell ; others
are of a deep carneous hue, clouded and coarsely blotched with
deep rufescent claret; while again some are faint carneous with
large irregular blotches of rufous clay with duller ones beneath
the shell.’^

Some of Captain Hutton’s eggs which he sent me were clearly
those of Bupsipetes psaroicles (of wliich also he sent me specimens),
and the fact is that in thick foliage where the Hed-bill is not seeji
nothing is easier than to mistake this bird for Z). lonyicaitdahis. I
have taken a great many of these nests, and I never found eggs
other than of the two types to be below described.

Colonel G. F. L. Marshall writes :—“ In Kumaon this species
breeds from 4000 to 5000 feet above the sea; the eggs are laid
in the last week of May. I have never seen a nest at Naini Tal
itself (6000 to 7000 feet), but at Bheem Tal (4000 feet) I found
numerous nests within three days, in the first week of June; all
without exception had young. The next season I visited the place
in the last week of May, and found the eggs just laid.

‘‘ The nests were of the usual Dicrurus type, wedged in a fork at
heights varying from fifteen to fifty feet from the ground, but as
far as my experience goes always in conspicuous places and
generally on trees almost or quite bare of leaves. The nests
are usually only to be obtained by sawing off the hough they are
built ou.”

Long ago Captain Cock, writing from Dhurmsala, said:—“I
took a nest on the 8th of May, containing four eggs. The eggs
are regular, roundish ovals, somewhat pointed towards one end.
The ground-colour is white, here and there suffused with a faint
pinkish tinge, and it is spotted and blotched with purplish red and
pale lilac, most of the spots being gathered into an irregular zone
about the large end.”

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall, writing from Murree, says;—
Breeds in May, in almost inaccessible places, about 7000 feet up,
choosing a thin fork at the outermost end of a hough about 50 or
60 feet from the ground, and always, on trees that have no lower
branches. The nest is almost invisible from below, as it is very
neatly built on the top of the fork ; and when the female sits on
it, she places her tail down the bough so as entirely to hide her¬
self. The eggs are only to he obtained either by climbing higher
up the tree than the nest is, and extracting the eggs by means of
a small muslin bag at the end of a long stick, or else by lashing
the bough on which the nest is to an upper hough as the climber
goes along so as to make it strong enough to support him. The
nest is much neater than that of B. ater; the eggs are light

206

DICRURIDiE.

salmon-coloured, with brick-red blotches sparsely scattered over
them, and are '95 by '7 inch.”

Dr. Scully records the following note from Nepal;—“ This
species lays in the valley in May and June, the nest being placed
high up in trees, often in Pimis longifoUa, The eggs are usually
four in number, fairly glossy, in shape moderate ovals, smaller at
one end. The ground-colour is pinkish white, with a tinge of buff,
sparingly spotted and blotched with brownish red, chiefly at the
large end, where the marks tend to coalesce, so as to form an
irregular incomplete ring. Pour eggs taken on the 2Sth May
measured 1*09 to 1*12 in length, and 0^-75 to 0*76 in breadth. The
race which I ideiitify with D. himalaycuius Avas found, in very
small numbers, on the summit of Sheopuri, at an elevation of about
7500 feet, and was breeding at the time I shot my specimen, viz.
the 20th May.”

Mr. Gammie found a nest at Mongpho, near Darjeeling, at an
elevation of about 3500 feet on the 13th May. It was placed on
an outer branch of a tall tree and contained only one partially
incubated egg. The nest was a beautifully compact, but shallow
cup, placed on the upper surface of the bough, composed externally
of roots and coated with a little lichen and a great deal of cobweb.
Interiorly lined with the finest grass and moss-roots. The cavity
measured about 3 inches in diameter and scarcely more than 1 inch
in depth. At the bottom, where it rested on the bough, the nest
was not above | inch thick, and consisted only of the lining mate¬
rials. Laterally it was about | inch thick.

The egg was a broad oval, slightly compressed towards one end,
but not at all pointed. The shell very fine and with a slight gloss,
the ground-colour a delicate salmon-pink, and with a broad ring of
deep brownish-pink spots and blotches intermingled with pale
purple subsurface-looking clouds and spots round the large end.
The rest of the egg with some half-dozen similar spots.

He subsequently sent me the following note:—“ This species is
common in the Darjeeling district up to 4000 feet or so. It
rather affects the neighbourhood of bungalows, and is a very lively
neighbour, especially in the mornings and evenings. These birds
are continually quarrelling among themselves, sallying after insects,
or maidug their best attempts at singing. They are dead on Kites,
Crows, and such-like depredators. Dor several days an Owl
(Biilaca neiuarensis) was dying about near the Cinchona Bungalow
at Mongpho, and being a stupid creature at the best, and doubly
so during daylight when it had no business to be abroad, was
evidently considered fair game by the Long-tailed Drongo and
Swallow-Shrikes, and so awfully ‘ sat upon ’ by them, that its
life must have become a burden to it until it left the place in despair
of ever getting either peace or comfort about Mongpho.

“ They lay in April and May, and have but one brood in the
year. The nest is generally either built against a tall bamboo, well
up, supported on the branch of twigs at a node, or near the ex¬
tremity of a branch of a tree, sometimes on quite slender branches

BIOBURtJS.

207

of young trees, which get so tremendously wafted about by the
wind as to make the retention of the eggs or young in the nest
appear almost miraculous. When anyone meddles with the nest,
the owners make bold dashes at the head of the robber. The
Darjeeling birds are not so knoAving as their fellows of Murree,
the females of whom are said to sit on the nests with their tails
along the boughs so as to entirely conceal themselves. 1 have seen
dozens of the nests here, and never once saw the female in this
position, but always with her tail across the bough. The nest is a
compact shallow cup, measuring externally 4*5 inches across by 1-75
in height, while the cavity is 3 inches in diameter by about 1'2 in
depth. It is made of twigs bound up with cobwebs, among which
a few lichens are intermingled. The lining is a mixture of straw-
coloured root-fibres and fine branchlets of the same coloured grass-
panicles.”

Mr. Mandelli sent me nests of this species, which were tahen
at Gring, near Darjeeling, on the 26th April and on the 22iid May,
the one contained one fresh egg, the other three. They were both
placed on branches of large trees at heights of about 20 feet from
the ground. They are broad shallow cups, from 4 to 5 inches in
diameter, about 2 in height, compactly composed of fine twigs and
grass-stems, bound together with cobwebs and with many pieces of
lichen and some tiny dry leaves worlced in on the outer surface.
Interiorly, they are lined with very fine hair-lihe grass-stems. The
saucer-like cavities are about 3 inches in diameter and about 1|- in
depth.

Dr. Jerdon says :—‘‘I found its nest on one occasion, in April,
in Lower Malabar. It was shallow and loosely made with roots,
and lined with hair, about 20 feet from the ground, on the fork of
a tree; and it contained three eggs of a pinkish-white colour, with
some longish rusty or brick-red spots.”

There are two very strongly marked types of tins bird’s eggs.
The eggs of both types are moderately broad, or, at most, some-
w'hat elongated ovals, and comparatively devoid of gloss. The
first, in its colouring, exactly resembles the eggs of Cap'wmltjus
indicus ; a pinkish salmon-coloured ground, streaked, blotched,
and clouded, but nowhere densely (except toAvards the large end,
where there is a tendency to form a cap or zone), with reddish
pink, not differing Avidely in hue from, though deeper in shade
than, the ground-colour. Here and there, where the markings are
thickest, under-clouds of very faint purple occur, but these are too
feeble to attract attention, unless the egg is looked into closely.
In the other type of egg, the ground-colour is pale pinkish Avhite,
pretty boldly blotched and spotted almost exclusiA’’ely towards the
large end, where there is a broad irregular imperfect zone, with
brownish red, intermingled with blotches of very faint ink\^ purple.
My description possibly fails to make this as apparent as it should
be, but no two eggs can, to a casual observer, appear more distinct
than these two types. There is yet, according to Mr. Brooks, a
third type of this bird’s eggs; of this he has given me a single

208

BiommiDM.

example. In shape it is excessively long and narrow, of the type
of tlie eggs of Chihia hoitentotta^ but its coloration and character
of markings are unlike those of any Shrike or Drongo with which
I am acquainted, and exactly resemble those of many types of the
eggs of the several Bulbuls. The ground-colour is pinkish white,
and is thickly speckled and spotted throughout with primary mark¬
ings of rich brownish red, and feeble secondary ones of excessively
pale inky purple. This egg, moreover, possesses a degree of gloss
never observable in those of the Blmtn, and therefore, well
assured though Mr. Brooks is of the parentage of this egg which
he took with his own hands, I feel confident, having since obtained
many eggs of Hy‘psij[>etes psaroules which are exactl}^ similar to
this last described egg, that in, perhaps, indifferent light he mis¬
took this bird for a Dicnirus. I may add that the first described
type, of which I have procured numerous specimens from different
parts of the Himalayas, taking several nests with my own hands, is
most characteristic of this species.

In the type with the pinky-white ground, large or small spots
often occur about the large end of a deep purple colour, so deep
as to be almost black, and but for the absence of gloss some of
these paler eggs are very close to those of some of the Orioles.
Intermediate varieties between the two types above described occur,
but in not one of more than sixty specimens that I have examined
has there been any perceptible gloss.

The eggs vary in length from 0*85 to 1*01 inch, and in breadth
from 0*7 to 0*75 inch, but the average of fifty-one eggs is 0*95
by 0*74 inch.

329. Bicrurus nigrescens, Oates. The Tenasserhn Ashy Drongo.

Dicrums nigrescens, Oates', Oates, B. I. i, p. 815.

Mr. Oates found the nest of this Drongo in Pegu. He says:—
“ 1 found one nest on the 27th April at Kyeikpadein, near the
town of Pegu, on a small sapling near the summit. It contained
four eggs ^ ; they are without gloss; the ground-colour in all is
white. In three eggs the wdiole shell is marked with spots of pale
purple i these are perhaps more numerous at the thick end, but
not conspicuously so. The fourth egg is blotched, not spotted,
with the same colour.

“ The nest is composed of fine twigs and the dry branches of
weeds; it is lined very firmly and neatly with grass. Exterior
diameter 5 inches and depth 2; egg-chamber 3.j inches across and
1| deep. The outside of the nest is profusely covered with lichens
and cobwebs. The eggs measure from ‘S3 to *95 in length, and
*68 to *71 in wldth.^^

* I recorded the nest and eggs of this bird under the name of JBuchcLiiga
intermedia (S. F. v, p. 149). The parent birds of these eggs are fortunately still
in the British Museum, and I am able to identify them with this species, which
occurs generally throughout Teiiasserim and many parts of Lower Pegu.— Ed.

BTCRUEUS.

209

330. Dicrurus caBrulescens (Liun.). The Whltc-hdlied Dromjo.

Dicrurus CDorulescens (Z.), Jenl. B. Tncl p. 432.

Dicrurus cceruleus (MUll)j llume, Bough Draft N. <§• D. no. 281.

I liave never seen a nest of the White-bellied Drongo. Mr.
It. Thompson says:—“This bird’s breeding-habitat is from 2500
to 6000 feet in the Himalayas. It is common on the south-eastern
slopes of Nyneetal. It lays in May and JLine, placing its shallow
cup-shaped nest in some little fork near tbe top of a moderate¬
sized oak-tree, if breeding on a mountain-side, but of some tall
Aliius nipalensis, Acacicc data, or Acer ohlongum^ if nesting in deep
dells or valleys The nest appeared to be exactly like that of
D, ater; but I can say nothing very positive about it or the
eggs, as, tliougli coutiniially seeing tliem, I never, I think, took the
trouble of getting one down.”

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall, commenting on Mr. Thompson’s
remark that this Drongo is common near JNhiini Tal, says:—“My
experience on this ])oiut is negative; I have carefully searched the
south-eastern slopes of Haini Tal for four years without even
seeing the bird, so that I do not think it can be classed as a com¬
mon breeder here.”

Mr. J. Davidson informs us that on the lOfch July he saw a
brood of Dicrurus ccerulescens on the Kondabhari Grhat, just able
to -fly, Eeferring to Western Khandeish, he tells us that he saw
only two nests. They were on adjoining trees in the Akrani;
they were largish nests, not like those of Z. ater, but more resem¬
bling those of D. lougioaudatus described in ‘ Nests and Eggs.’
One nest contained three ^^oiing ones, the other was only building;
and nothing could have been more plucky than the way the old
ones defended their nest.

331. Dicrurus leucopygialis, Blyth. The White-vented Drongo.

Buchanga leiicopygialis Hume, Bough Draft N. fy E. no. 281
bis.

Colonel Legge gives us the following account of the breeding of this
Drongo, which is confined to Ceylon :—“ The breeding-season of this
Drongo is from March until May; and the nest is almost invariably
built at the horizontal fork of the branch of a large tree, at a con¬
siderable height from the ground, sometimes as' much as 40 feet.
It is a shallow cup, measuring about 2| inches in diameter by 1 in
depth, and is compactly put together, well finished round the top,
bat sometimes rather loose on the exterior, which is composed of
fine grass-stalks and bark-fibres, the lining being of fine grass or
tendrils of creepers. The number of eggs varies from two to four,
three being the most common. They vary much in shape, and also
in the depth of their ground-tint; some are regular ovals, others
VOL. I. 14

210

DICRUBII>2B.

are stumpy at the small end, while now and then very spherical
eggs are laid. They are either reddish white, ‘ fleshy,’ or pure
white, ill some cases marked with small and large blotches of faded
red, confluent at the obtuse end, and openly dispersed over the rest
of the surface, overlying blots of faint lilac-grey; others have a
conspicuous zone round the large end, with a few scanty blotches
of light red and bluish grey on the remainder; in others, again,
the markings are confined to a few very large roundish blotches of
the above colours at one end, or, again, several still larger clouds of
brick-red at the obtuse end, with a few blotches of the sauie at the
other. Dimensions from 1*0 to 0*SG inch in length, by 0*72 to 0*6S
in breadth. I once observed a pair in the north of Ceylon ^^ery
cleverly forming their nest on a horizontal forlc by first constructing
the side furthest from the angle, thus forming an arch, which was
then joined to the fork by the formation of the bottom of the
structure.

The parent birds in this species display great courage, vigour-
ously sweeping down on any intruder who may threaten to molest
their young.”

334, Chaptia aonea (Vieill.). The Bronzed Brongo.

Chaptia 03uea ( V.), Jerd. B. Bid. i, p.4.33; TIumej Rough Draft N»
E, uo. 282.

The Bronzed Drongo breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes,
in the central hills of Nepal, or rather in the plains near to these
hills, rarely quitting large woods. They begin to lay in March,
and build a broad somewhat saucer-shaped nest some 4 or 5 inches
in width and 2 to 3 in depth externally. The nest is placed in
some slender horizontal fork, to one at least of the twigs of which
it is firmly attached by vegetable fibres; it is composed of fine
twigs and grass, and bound round with cobwebs in which pieces of
lichen and small cocoons are often intermingled. Mr. Hodgson
specially notes :—June valley, Pemale, nest and eggs ; nest
on fork of upper branch of large tree, 4*5 inches wide by 2*25 deep,
cup-shaped, made of fibres of grass bound with cobweb, lining
none; three eggs, obtusely oval, the ground fawn tinged white,
blotched (especially at larger end) with fawn or reddish brown.”

It appears that four is the maximum number of eggs laid; both
sexes participate in the work of incubation and rearing the young,
but they are very jealous of the approach of any birds when they
have eggs or young, driving all such intruders away with the
utmost bravery. The eggs measure from 0-88 to 0*95 inch by
0 * 65 .

Prom Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes :—“I have found the Bronzed
Drongo breeding from April to June in the low hot valleys at
about 2000 feet above the sea. It suspends its nest in a slender
horizontal fork at 10 feet or more from the ground, and app ears,
like its frequent neighbour Bicrnrm longicaudatus, to prefer a

CHAPTIA.

211

bamboo-clump to breed in. The nest is a compact cup, neatly
made of fine grass-stalks, with an outer coating of dry bamboo-
leaves plastered over with cobwebs; it is fastened to the support¬
ing branches by cobwebs. Externally it measures 3*5 inches wide
by 2 inches deep, internally 2*5 by 1*5.

“ The usual number of eggs is three.”

Major M. Forbes Coussmaker, writing from Bangalore, tells us:—

“ I took the nest of this bird on 6th April in the Shemagah District,
Mysore. It was built on the fork of a bare branch about 20 feet
from the ground in big tree-jungle, and was composed of fine
grass, fibre, and a few dry bamboo-leaves woven together with cob¬
webs, making a small compact cup-like nesfc which measured
3 inches in diameter externally, 2*5 internally, and 1*4 deep.

“ From where I stood I saw the bird come and sit on the nest
and fly off again a dozen times at least. The eggs, three in num¬
ber, measured *9 by *05, and were pinkish white with darker pink
and light purple blotches and spots all over, principally at the
larger end.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps informs us that at Furreedpore, in Eastern .
Bengal, this species is “rather common: generally to be found
perching on the dead branches of high trees overlooldng water,
especially whenever there is a dense undergrowth of jungle. On
the 1st June, 1878, I secured a nest with three fresh eggs; it was
built on a slender twig on the outer side of a mango-tree which
was standing near a ryoFs house, and was about 15 feet off the
ground. External diameter .3i inches, depth 2; internal diameter
2^, depth 1|. Saucer-shaped ; the outside consisted of plaintain-
leaves torn up into slips, all of which were firmly bound together
by fibres of the plaintain-leaf and jute, which were wound round
the twigs and secured the nest. Inside lining was made of very
fine pieces of ‘sone’ grass. The pair were very pugnacious,
attacking any birds couiing near their nest. These birds have a
clear mellow riuging whistle.”

Mr. Oates writes from Pegu:—“ I procured one nest on the
23rd April. It was placed at the tip of an outer branch of a jack
tree, and attention was drawn to it by the vigorous attacks the
parents made on passing birds. The nest was suspended in a fork;
the outside diameter is 4 inches and inside 3, total depth 2^, and
the egg-cup is about Ig deep. The nest is composed of fine grass,
strips of plaintain-bark, and other vegetable fibres closely woven
together; the edges and the interior are chiefly of delicate branch-
lets of the finer weeds and grasses. It is overlaid at the edges,
where it is attached to the branches, with cobwebs, and a few
fragments of moss are stuck on at various points.

“ There were two fresh eggs; the ground-colour is a pale salmon-
fawn, and the shell is covered \^ith darker spots and marks of the
same. They are only very slightly glossy. The two eggs measure
0-85 by 0*62.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes from Tenasserim :—“ On the 10th
March, 1880, being encamped at the head-waters of the Queebaw-

212

MciinaD.i:.

choimg, a feeder of the Meplay, aud having an hour to spare, I
took iny gun and climbed up a steep hill to the very sources of the
(iueebaw. Here^ hanging over the trickling stream, was a nest of
G]ia]}tia cenea firmly woven and tied on to a fork in the branch oi
a little tree, at a height of about 10 feet from the ground. The
nest was of roots aud grass lined by soft fine black roots, and held
three eggs, of a rich salmon-pink, obscurely spotted darker at the
large end; they measure 0-83 by 0*61, 0*82 by 0*61, and 0*80 by
0*61 respectively.

“ On the 15th March, 1880, in the fork of a branch of a small
zimbun-tree (DUlenia imitagyna), hanging over a pathway along
the bank of the Meplay stream, I found a nest of the above species.
A neat strongly-made little cup of vegetable fibres and cobwebs,
containing two fresh eggs; gToimd-colour dull salmon, obscurely
spotted with brownish pink. Thev measure 0*86 by 0*64 and
0*88 by 0*65.’’

Mr. J. L. Darling, Jiin., records the following notes:—

“ 26th March. Eound a nest of Cha}nia amea^ building, when on
the march from Tavoy to lMwalabo, some seven miles east of Ta^'oy,
in the fork of a bamboo-i3ranch 12 feet from ground.

‘* 29th March. Took two fresh eggs of Gliajptia cenea, and shot
the bird ofi nest, about twenty-three miles east of Tavoy, in open
bamboo-land, very low elevation. The nest was built in the fork
of an overhanging branch of a bamboo some 50 feet from the
ground.

13th April. Pound a nest of Gliapiia cenea with two large young
ones. IS’est built in a tree some 40 feet from ground, in open
forest about twenty miles east of Tavoy.

22nd April. Pound a nest of Ghajgtia cenea with two large
young ones. Nest built at tlie end of a bough about 30 feet from
ground, near Tavoy.”

The nests of this species are quite of the Oriole type, more or
less deep cups suspended between the forks of small branches or
twigs of some hamhoo-clump or tree. Exteriorly they are com¬
posed of dry flags of grass, bits of bamboo-spathes, or coarse grass,
bound together with vegetable fibres and often with a good deal of
cobweb worked over them; sometimes a tiny bit or two of moss
may he found added, and often the fine thread-like flower-stems of
grass. Interiorly they are generally lined with excessi^*ely fine
grass. In one or two nests very fine black fern-roots are inter¬
mingled with the grass lining. The nests vary a good deal in size,
but are all extremely compact, and while some are decidedly mas¬
sive, nearly an inch thick at bottom, others are scarcely a quarter
of this in thickness beneath. In one the cavity is 2*5 inches broad
by 3 long, and fully 2 deep ; in another it is about 2*5 inches in
diameter by scarcely 1*25 inches in depth. In one nest four fresh
eggs were found; in another three fully incubated ones. The
nests were suspended at heights of from 10 to 30 feet from the
ground.

The eggs sent by Mr. Gammie very much recall the eggs of

CniBTA.

213

Niltava and others of the Flycatchers. They are moderately elon¬
gated ovals, in some cases slightly pyriform, in others somewhat
pointed towards the small end. The shell is fine and compact,
smooth and silky to the touch, but they have but little gloss. The
ground-colour varies from a pale pinkish fawn to a pale salmon-
pink, and they exhibit round the large end a feeble more or less
imperfect and irregular zone of darker-coloured cloudy spots, in
some cases reddish, in some rather inclining to purple, which zone
is more or less involved in a haze of the same colour, but slightly
darlver than the rest of the ground-colour of the egg.

The eggs vary in length from 0*76 to 0-SS, and in breadth from
0-G to 0*f34. The average of fifteen eggs is 0*82 by 0-61.

335. Chibia hotteutotta (Linn.). The Hair-created Drongo,

Chihia hotteutota (X.), Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 439; Rough Draft

N. D. no. 286.

Mr. E. Thompson says ;—The Hair-crested Drongo is ex¬
tremely common as a breeder in all our hot valleys (Kumaon and
Grurwhal). It lays in May and June, building in forks of branches
of small leafy trees situated in warm valleys having an elevation
of from 2000 to 2500 feet. The nest is circular, about 5 inches in
diameter, rather deep and hollow; it is composed of fine roots and
fibres bound together with cobwebs, and it is hned with hairs and
fine roots. They lay from three to four much elongated, purplish-
white eggs, spotted with pink or claret colour.’’

Dr. Jerdon remarks :—‘‘ The Lepchas at Darjeeling brought me
the nest, which was said to have been placed high up in a large
tree; it was composed of twigs and roots and a few bits of grass,
and contained two eggs, livid white, with purplish and claret spots,
and of a very elongated form.”

The Jobraj, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and figures, begins
to lay in Nepal in April. It builds a large shallow nest, 8 or 9
inches in diameter externally, with the cavity of about half that
diametei’, attached, as a rule, to the slender branches of some hori¬
zontal fork, betv\’een wMch it is suspended much like that of an
Oriole, though much shallow-er than this latter; it is composed of
small twigs, fine roots, and grass-stems bound together, and it
is attached to the branches by vegetable fibre, and more or less
coated with cobwnbs; little pieces of lichen and moss are also
blended in the nest. It lays three or four eggs, rather pyriform
in shape, measuring 1*25 by 0*86 inch, with a w'hitish or pinky-
wLitish ground, speckled and spotted pretty w^ell all over, but most
densely towards the large end, with reddish pink.

From SikhimMr.Gaininie wTites :—“I took two nests of the Hair-
crested Drongo this year in June, both at about an elevation of
1500 feet in wnoded valleys, placed well up in the outer branches
of tall, slender trees; they are of a broad saucer-shape, openly
but firmly made of roots and stems of slender climbers, and desti-

214

JHCRURIDJE.

tute of lining. There is a good deal of cobweb on the outsides of
the nests, and they were attached to the supporting branches by
the same material. One was fixed in among several upright sprays,
the other suspended in a slender fork after the manner of an
Oriole. They measured about 6 inches broad by 2^ deep externalh^
internally 4 by 1|. One nest contained four fresh eggs, the other
three partially-incubated eggs.”

Mr. Oates, writing from Pegu, says :—“ In the first week of
May I took several nests of this bird, but in all cases the nests
^vere situated in such dangerous places that most of the eggs got
broken; there were three in each nest. The position of the nest
and the nest itself are very much like those of B. paracliseus.
Comparing many nests of both species together, the only diference
appears to be that the nests of the Hair-crested Drongo are slightly
larger on the whole.

“The only two eggs saved measure 1-10 by *8 and 1*11 by *81;
they are slightly glossy, dull white, minutely and thickly freckled
and spotted with reddish brown and pale underlying marks of
neutral tint.

at the comhriaaac^ient of May all the eggs were

much incubated.”

Major 0. T. Bingham remarks :—“ During i..nb Ui ec'v.din ^-season
in the end of March and in April I saw* a great number of nesrs-
round and about Meeawiiddy in Tenasserim, but all inaccessible, as
they were invariably built out at the very end of the thinnest
branches of eng, teak, thingau (Hopea odorata), and other trees.

“ Except during those two months, I have not seen the bird
plentiful anywhere.”

Mr. 3’. E. Cripps has wmitten the following valuable notes
regarding the breeding of the Hair-crested Drongo in the Dibru-
garh district in Assam:—

“ 17th May, 1879. l^est with three fresh eggs, attached to a
fork in one of the outer branches of an otinga {Bilknict ^^entagyna)
tree, and about 15 feet off the ground.

“ 15th May, 1880. Three fresh eggs in a nest 20 feet off the
ground, and a fe\v yards from my bungalow, in an oorian (Bischoffia
javcmica, BL).

“ 5th June, 1880. IS'est with three partly-incubated eggs, in one
of the outer branches of a jack (Artocarjnis integrifolia) tree, and
about 15 feet off the ground.

“27th May, 1881. Three fresh eggs in a nest on a soom (Met-
chillis odoratissima) tree at the edge of the forest bordering the
tea. The nests are deep saucers, inches in diameter, internally
1| deep, with the sides about | thick; bub the bottom is so
flimsy that the eggs are easily seen from below, the materials being
grass, roots, and fine tendrils of creepers, especially if these are
thorny, when they are used as a lining. The nest is alwws situated
in the fork of a branch.”

The nests are large, shallow, King-Crow-like structures, often
suspended between forks, sometimes placed bet^veen four or five

215

Upright shoots, at times resting on a horizontal bough against and
attached to some more or less upright shoots. 1 hey are composed
mainly of roots thinly but firmly twisted together, have soiueiiiues
a good deal of cobweb twisted round their outer suriace, ofien a
good deal of vegetable fibre used fox' the same purpose, and, though
they have no lining, are always comx^^®^^^ intmaorly ot‘ finer mate¬
rial than that used for the outer poi'tion of the structure. Exte¬
riorly the diameter varies from 6 to nearly / inches, the height
from nearly 2 to 2J ; the cavity is nsiially about 4 inches in
diameter and 1*5 to 1*75 in depth. X have taken the nests in IMay
and June alike in small and large trees, at elevations oi iroin 10 to
30 feet from the ground.

Typically the eggs are rather broad ovals, a good deal pointed
towards the small end, hut they vary a great deal botli in size and
shape, are occasioually very much elongated, and again, at times,
exhibit the characteristic pointing bnt feebly. I ho ground-colour
varies from greyish white to a delicate pale ])ink; as a ruh^ the
markings are small and inconspicuons frecklings and spocklings of
pale purple reddish where the ground is pink, greyish wliero it is
white, tolerably thickly set about the largo end and somewhat
sparsely elsewhere; but in some eggs these markings are every¬
where almost obsolete. lumany thei'e is a dull pale purplish cloud
underlying the primary markings, extending over the greater part
of the large end of the egg. Not nxi comm only a few specks and
spots of yellowish brown are scattered hero and there about the
egg. In one egg before me the mar'kings are larger, more decided,
and fewer in number—distinct spots, some of them one tenth of
an inch in diameter; and in this egg the si)ots are decidedly
brownish red, while intermixed with them arc a few specks and
clouds of inky purple. The ground in this case is a pale pinky
white.

As a rule the eggs are entirely devoid of gloss, but one or two
have a very faint gloss.

The eggs measure from 1-01 to 1‘21. in length, and from 0-79 to
0*86 in breadth; but the average o£ twenty-nine eggs is 1*12
by 0-81.

338. Dissemurulus lophorMims (VieilL). 2Vtc Geylon Blade
Drongo.

Dissemuroides lophorhinus (F.), Cat. no. 283 qiiat.

Colonel Legge says, in his ‘ Birds of Ceylon ’:—“ This species
breeds in the south of Ceylon in the beginning of April. 1 have
seen the young just able to fly in the Opate forests at the end of
this month ; but I have not succeeded in getting any information
concerning its nest or eggs.’’

DISSEMITRTriiUS.

215

upright shoots, at times resting on a horizontal bough against and
attached to some more or less upright shoots. They are composed
mainly of roots thinly but firmly twisted together, have sometimes
a good deal of cobweb twisted round their outer surface, often a
good deal of vegetable fibre used for the same purpose, and, though
they have no lining, are always composed interiorly of finer mate¬
rial than that used ibr the outer portion of the structure. Exte¬
riorly the diameter varies from 6 to nearly 7 inches, the height
from nearly 2 to ; the cavity is usuaily about d inches in
diameter and 1*5 to 1*75 in depth. I have taken the nests in May
and June alike in small and large trees, at elevations of from 10 to
.‘10 feet from the ground.

Typically the eggs are rather broad ovals, a good deal pointed
towards the small end, but they vary a great deal both in size and
shape, are occasionally very much elongated, and again, at times,
exhibit the characteristic pointing but feebly. The ground-colour
varies from greyish white to a delicate pale pink; as a rule the
markings are small and inconspicuous frecklings and speckliugs of
])ale purple reddish wliere the ground is pink, greyish where it is
white, tolerably thickly set about the large end and somewhat
sparsely elsewhere ; but in some eggs these markings are every¬
where almost obsolete. In many there is a dull pale purplish cloud
underlying the primary marldngs, extending over the greater part
of the largo end of the egg. Not uncommonly a few specks and
spofcvS of yellowish brown are scattered here and there about the
egg. In one egg before me the markings are larger, more decided,
and fewer in number—distinct spots, some of them one tenth of
an inch in diameter ; and in this egg the spots are decidedly
browiiish red, while intermixed with them are a few specks and
clouds of inky purple. The ground in this case is a pale pinky
white.

As a rule the eggs are entirely devoid of gloss, but one or two
have a very faint gloss.

Tlio eggs measure from 1-01 to 1*21 in length, and from 0*79 to
0-8() in breadth ; but the average of twenty-nine eggs is 1-12
by 0*81.

338. Dissenmnilus lopkorlmius (Yieill.). The Ceylon Blade
Dronyo,

Dissemuroides lophorhimis (F”.), HumOj Cat. no. 283 qnat.

Colonel Legge says, in his ‘Birds of CeylonThis species
breeds in tlie south of Ceylon in the beginning of April. I have
seen the young just able to fiy in the Opatc forests at the end of
this month ; but I have not succeeded in getting any information
concerning its nest or eggs.’"

216

DiciiirRiD.!:.

339. Bhringa remifer (Temm.), The Lesser liacJcct-tailed Lrone/o.

Bhiinga remifer {Temm.), Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 434.

Bliringa tenuirostrisj Hodc/s., Hume, Bough Draft N. ^5* D. no.

0£ the Lesser Eacket-tailed Droiigo Mr. E. Thompson says:—

This elegant Drougo is somewhat common in our lower Kiimaoii
ranges. Its lively clear and ringing notes are one o£ the greatest
charms o£ the spring season in our forests. It breeds in LL;iy and
June, and builds upon lofty trees in dense forests, usually in some
deep damp valley. Tlie nest from below loolcs just like that et a
common King-Crow—a broad shallow cup ; but I ne\'er closidy
examined either nest or eggs.’-’

Dr. Jerdon remarks :—‘‘A nest uith eggs were brought to nu^
in June, said to be of this species. The nest was loosely made ol;
sticks and roots, and contained three eggs, reddish white, with a
very few reddish-brown blotches.”

Eroni Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes:—I have taken but one
nest of this Drongo. It was suspended between tu'o small liori-
zontal forking branches ol a tall tree, some 20 feet from ground.
It is a neat, saucer-shaped structure, somewhat triangular, to lit
well up to the foih, built of fibry roots, and firmly bound lo the
branches by spiders’ webs. Tlie sides and bottom are stivnig, but
so thin that they can everywhere be seen tlirough. Externally it
measures 4*5 inches across by 1*9 in lieight; internally 3*5 by *1*3.
It was taken on the loth May at 2o00 feed', and contained thret'
partially incubated eggs.’'

A nest of this species taken by Mr. Gammie at Eishnp (elcvai ion
4800) in Sikhim, on tlie 20th May, is a very broad shallow saucer,
composed almost entirely moderately lino dark brown roots,
but with a few slender herbaceous twigs intermingled. It is sus¬
pended in the fork of two widely diverging twigs, to wliieh either
margin is attached, cluefly by cobwebs, though on one side at one
place part of the substance of the nest is wound round the tu ig ;
the cavity, which is not lined, is oval, and measures 3*25 inches by
2*75, by barely 0-75 in depth. The female seated on the nest had
long tail-feathers, so this species does not drop these fur con¬
venience in incubating.

Several nests of this species obtained in Sikhim by Messrs.
Gammie, Mandelli, &c. are all precisely similar—broad saucers,
suspended Oriole-like between the fork of a small branch. Ex¬
teriorly composed of moderately line brown roots, more or h'ss
bound together, especially those portions of them that are bound
round the twigs of the fork with cobwebs, and lined interiorly with
fine black horsehair-like roots. They seem to he always riglit up in
the angle of the fork, whereas in Oliaftia they are often some inches
down the fork, and consequently the cavity is triangular oii tlie
one side, and semicircular on the^other. The cavities measure from
3 to nearly 4 inches in their greatest diameters, and vary from 1
to 1| inch in depth; though strong and firm, and fullv ] of an

IUSSEMUEUS. 217

mch. thick at bottom, the materials are so put together that, held
up against the light, they look like a fine network.

The eggs of this species obtained by Mr. Gammie, though more
elongated in shape and somewhat larger, very closely resemble in
coloration the more ordinary type of the eggs of Dicrurus longi-
caudatvs. In shape they are elongated ovals, a good deal com¬
pressed towards the smaller end. The shell is fine, but has scarcely
any gloss. The ground-colour is a moderately u arm salmon-pink.
It is spotted, streaked, and blotched thickly about the large end
(where there is a tendency to form a cap or zone), thinly elsewhere,
with somewhat ])rowinsh red, or in some merely a darker shade of
the ground-colour ; where the markings are thickest about the large
end, in some only one or two, in others nuinorous blotches and
clouds of a dull inky purple are intermingled, and a few specks and
spots of the same colour often occur elsewhere about the egg.

Two eggs measure 1*09 by 0*75, and a third measures 0*0S by
0-75.

340. Dissemurus paradiseus (Linn.). TJu Larger llacLet-tailed

Drongo.

Edolius paradiseus (X.), Jerd, B. Ind. i, p. 435.

Edoliiis malabaricus {Scop.)^ Jerd, t c. p. 437.

Dissemurus malabaroides {Hodgs.), Ilume, Rough Draft N. <$' D.
no. 284.

Of the Larger Eacket-tailed Drongo Dr. lerdoii tells us that
he has “ had its nest brought him several times at Darjeeling;
rather a large structure of twigs and roots ; and the eggs, usually
three in number, pinkish white, with claret-coloured or purple
spots, but they vary a great deal in size, form, and colouring.
They breed in April and May.’’

The solitary egg that I possess of this species, given me by Dr.
Jerdon, is probably an exceptionally small one. It is a broad oval,
tapering a good deal towards one end, a good deal smaller than the
eggs of Ghihia liottentotta, and not very much larger than some eggs
of X, ater. Its coloration, however, resembles that of Ghihia hoi-
tentotta, and differs conspicuously, luhen comjpared iviih them (though
it may be difficult to make this apparent by description), from those
of the true Dlcruri, The ground-colour is a dead white, and it is
very thinly speckled all over, a little more thickly towards the large
end, with minute dots and spots, chiefly of a very pale inky purple,
a very few only of the spots being a dark inky purple. The texture
of the egg is fine and close, but it is devoid of gloss. This egg
measures 1*1 by 0*87 inch.

Mr. Iver Macpherson writes from Mysore:—

“ Kalcencotte State Forest, Mysore District ,—I send you six eggs,
specimens from three diffiereut nests.

“ This bird is very common in the heavy forests of the Mysore
District, but the only nest I have ever found myself was on the
2nd May, 1880, and contained two or three young birds. I could

218

DICBTJKIDJi;.

not distinctly see how manj. The nest was fixed towards the end
of a branch of a tree, at a considerable height from the ground, and
was almost impossible to get at. Had there been eggs in it I
could not have taken them.

‘‘ The breeding-season I should say w^as from the beginning of
April to the end of May.

“Three nests, each containing three eggs, were brought to me
this season on the 10th and 26th April, and 0th May, 1S80, by
Cooroobahs (the jungle-tribes in these forests); and although the
eggs in each nest vary considerably from one another, there is no
doubt in my mind that the eggs belong to one and the same species
of bird.

“ It is a bird so well known in these forests that it would be
impossible to mistake it for any other.

“ In one case only was the nest brought to me, and this, which
unfortunately I did not keep, was loosely made of twigs and
roots.”

Professor H. Littledale, quoting Mr. J. Davidson, informs us that
this species breeds in the east of Grodhra, and therefore probably
throughout the Panch Mehals.

Mr. J. Inglis, writing from Cachar, says:—“ The Bhimraj is
very common, frequenting thick jungle; it often goes in company
with other birds, which it mimics to perfection. It lays about four
eggs in a shallow nest made of grass similar to the above; it is very
easily tamed. The hill-tribes use the long tail-feathers for orna¬
menting their head-dresses.’’

Mr. Oates writes from Pegu:—“ I have taken the eggs of this
species on all dates, from the 30th April to the 16th June.

“ The nest is placed in forks of the outer branches of trees at all
heights from 20 to 70 feet, and in all cases they are very difficult
to take without breaking the eggs.

“ The nest is a cradle, and the w^hole of it lies below the fork to
which it is attached. It is made entirely of small branches of
w^eeds and creepers, finer as they approach the interior. The egg-
cup is generally, but not always, lined with dry grass.

“ The outside dimensions are 6 inches in diameter and 3 deep.
The interior measures 4 inches by 2. In one nest the sides are
bound to the fork by cotton thread in addition to the usual
weeds and creepers.

“The eggs have very little or no gloss, and differ among them¬
selves a good deal in colour. In one clutch the ground-colour is
white, spotted and blotched, not very thickly, with neutral tint
and inky purple, chiefly at the larger end. Other eggs are pinkish
salmon, and the shell is more or less thickly or thinly covered with
pale greyish purple or neutral tint, and brownish-yellow or orano-e-
brown spots and dashes. ^

“ They vary in size from 1*2 to 1*06 in length, and *85 to *8 in
breadth.”

Major 0. T. Bingham has the following note:—“ About five
miles below the large village of Meplay, in the district of that name,

DISSEMUEXJS.

219

the main stream of the Meplay river is joined by a tributary, the
Theedoquee. On the 4th April I was wading across the mouth of
the latter, when my attention was attracted by seeing a pair of the
above birds dart from a small tree growing at the very point of the
fork where the streams met, and sweep down at my dog, not
actually striking him, but nearly doing so. Of course, I made for
the tree, and sure enough there, about 15 feet from the ground, in
a fork, was a large mass of twigs, above which was placed a neatly
made cup-shaped nest, lined with line black roots, and containing
three fresh eggs, densely spotted, chiefly at the larger end, with
yellowish brown and sepia, on a ground-colour of dull greenish
white. The whole time the peon I had sent up was climbing up
and getting the nest, the two birds kept sweeping round and
round with harsh cries. I secured them both for the identification
of the eggs.”

The eggs of this species are typically rather long ovals, gene¬
rally a good deal pointed towards the small end. They are dull
eggs, and never seem to have any perceptible gloss. The ground¬
colour varies from white to a rich warm pink. The markings are
of all sizes and shapes, from large blotches to the tiniest specks,
and they vary in every egg, being thickly set in some, thinly in
others, but as a rule the largest and most conspicuous markings
are about the large end. Again, in colour the markings vary very
much : they are red, purplish red, reddish brown, pale purple, and
inky grey; generally the eggs exhibit both coloured markings
reddish and lilac, but sometimes the white-grounded eggs have
only these latter. Some of the pink eggs are strikingl}^ handsome,
and remind one of those of some of the Bulbuls. Others are dull
eggs with only a few irregular grey clouds about the large end,
thinly interspersed with brownish-red spots, usually darker about
the centre, and elsewhere excessively minutely and thinly speckled
vith spots too sumll to render it possible to say wliat colour they
are.

An egg I received from Darjeeling measures IT by 0*87 ; others
received from Myuall from Mr. Bourdillon, and the Kakencotte
Borest, Mysore, from Mr. I. Maepherson, vary in length from 1T6
to IT, and in breadth from 0'84 to 0*75. Three eggs, taken in
Pegu by Mr. Oates, measure from IT to 1*05 in length, by 0*83
to 0*81 in breadth, and are smaller than those the dimensions of
which he himself records above.

220

CERTHIIDiE.

Family CERTHIID^.

341. Certhia Mmalayana, Yigors. T7ie Himalayan Tree-Greener,

Certhia liimalayana; Vig., Jerd. JS. Ind. i, p. 380 ; Hime, Rough
Draft N, JB. no. 243.

Writing from Miirree of the Himalayan Tree-Creeper^ Colonel
C. H. T. Marshall says:—“ This is a most cliffieult nest to find, as
the little bird always chooses crevices where the bark has been
broken or bulged out, some 40 or 50 feet from the ground, and
generally on tall oak-trees which have no branches within 40 feet
of their roots. There were young in the few nests we found.
Captain Cock secured the eggs in Kashmir; they are very small,
being only 0*6 by 0*45; the ground is white, with numerous red
spots. The nests we found were in the highest part of Murree,
about 7200 feet.”

Two eggs of this species which I possess measure 0*69 and 0*68
respectively in length, by 0*5 in breadth.

342. Certhia hodgsoni, Brooks. Hodgson’s Tree-Greener,

Certhia hodgsoni, Brooksj Humoj Rough Draft H. D. no. 243 bis.

Hodgson’s Tree-Creeper is the supposed G, familiaris obtained
by Dr. Jerdon in Cashmir, of which he gave me two specimens.

Mr. Brooks says “ It was seen at Gulmurg and also at Sona-
miirg, where Captain Cock took a few nests. The egg is much
more densely spotted than that of the English Creeper, so as
almost to hide the reddish-white ground-colour. Size 0*59 to 0*65
inch long by 0*48 inch broad; time of laying, the first week in
June.”

The egg is of smooth texture, without gloss, of a purplish-white
ground-colour, and fully spotted all over with light browmish red,
especially at the larger end. Numerous spots of reddish grey or
pale inky purple are intermingled with red ones.

In shape the egg varies from a somewhat elongated oval, more
or less compressed towards the smaller end, to a comparatively
broad oval, also slightly compressed tow’ards the latter end. In
all the eggs that I have seen, the markings were more or less con¬
fluent towards the large end. Their dimensions are correctly
recorded by Mr. Brooks.

347. Salpornis spilonota (Erankl.). The BnoUed-Grey
Greener,

Salpornis spilonota (Franhl.), Jerd. JB. I. i, p. 382.

Mr. Cleveland found a nest of this species at Hattin, in the
Gurgaon district, on the 16th April, The nest was placed on a

ANOllTllirilA.

221

large ber-tree in a patch oh‘ preserved jungle, at a Iieiglit of about
10 feet from the grouiicL It was cup-shaped, placed on the upper
surface of a horizontal bough at the angle formed between this
and a vertical shoot, to which it was attached on one side, the
other three sides being free. The nest itself is unlike any other
that I have seen. It is composed entirely of bits of leaf-stalks,
tiny bits of leaves, chips of bark, the dung of caterpillars, all
cemented together everywhere with cobwebs, so that tlie nhole
nest is a firm but yet soft and elastic mass. The nest is cup¬
shaped, but oval and not circular; its exterior diameters are 4 and
3 inches respectively ,* its greatest height 2 inches; the cavity
measures 2*6 by 2*2, and IT in depth.

The texture of the nest, as I have already said, is extremely
peculiar ; it is extremely strong, and though pulled off the bough
on which it rested and the off-shoot to which it was attached, is as
perfect apparently as the day it was found, bearing on the lower
surface an exact cast of the inequalities oi‘ the bark on which it
rested; hut it is soft, yielding, and llabby in the hand, almost as
much so as if it was jelly. The nest contained two almost full-
grown nestlings and one addled egg.

This egg is a very regular oval, slightly broader at one end, the
shell fine and fairly glossy; the ground-colour is pale greenisli
white ; round the large end there is an irregular imperfect zone of
blackish-brown specks and tiny spots, and round about these is
more or less of a brown nimbus, and over the rest of the egg a
very few specks and spots of blackish, dusky, and pale brown are
scattered. It measures 0*GS by 0*53.

Another nest was found about 15 feet up a tree. It was partly
seated on and partly wedged in between the fork of two thick
oblique branches, to tiie rough bark of wliicli the bottom only was
firmly cemented with cobwebs, the sides, as in the case of the first
nest, being quite free and detached from its surroundings. As
regards dimensions and composition, the latter nest was an exact
countei’part of that first taken. It contained two partially fledged
nestlings.

352. Anorthura neglecta (Brooks). The Caslnnir Wren.

Troglodytes ueglecta, Brooks^ JTume, Cat. no. 333 bis.

Troglodytes uipaleusis, llod^s.^ Rough Draft N. E. no. 333.

The Cashmir Wren breeds in Gashmir in May and June at
elevations of from 6000 to nearly 10,000 feet. I Lave never seen
the nest, though I possess eggs taken by Captain Cock and
Mr. Brooks in Cashmir. The latter says :—“ Only two nests of
this bird were found (both at Griilmurg), one having four eggs and
the other three. In the latter case the full number was not laid,
as the nest, when first found, was empty; on three successive
moimings an egg was laid and then they were taken.

“ In shape they vary as much as do those of the English Wren,

222

CEETHIIDJE.

and like them they are white, sometimes minutely freckled with
pale red and purple-grey specks, which are principally confined to
the large end, with a tendency to form a zone. Other eggs are
plain white, without the slightest sign of a spot; but these, I think,
must be the exception, for the egg of the English Wren is usually
spotted. The egg has very little gloss, and the ground-colour is
pure white.’^

The eggs are very large for the size of the bird. There appear
to be two types. The one somewhat elongated ovals, slightly
compressed towards the lesser end; the others broad short ovals,
decidedl}^ pointed at one end. Some eggs are perfectly pure un¬
spotted white; others have a dull white ground, with a faint zone
of minute specks of brownish red and tiny spots of greyish purple
towards the large end, and a very few markings of a similar cha¬
racter scattered about the rest of the surface. All the eggs of the
latter type vary in the amount and size of markings ; these latter
are always sparse and very minute. The pure white eggs appear
to be less common. The eggs have always a slight gloss, the pure
white ones at times a very decided, though never at all a brilliant
gloss.

In length they vary from 0*61 to 0*7 inch, and in breadth from
0*5 to 0*52 inch.

Mr. Broolvs subsequently wrote:—‘‘ The Cashmir Wren is not
uncommon in the pine-woods of Cashmir, and in habits and
manners resembles its European congener. Its song is very
similar and quite as pretty. It is a shy, active little bird, and
very difficult to shoot. I found two nests. One was placed in the
roots of a large upturned pine, and was globular with entrance at
the side. It was profusely lined with feathers and composed of
moss and fibres. The eggs were white, sparingly and minutely
spotted with red, rather oval in shape; measuring 0*66 by 0*5.
A second nest was placed in the thick foliage of a moss-grown fir-
tree, and was about 7 feet above the ground. It was similarly
composed to the other nest, but the eggs wei'e rounder and plain
white, without any spots.”

355. Urocichla caudata (Blyth). The Tailed Wren,

Pnoepyga caudata (^Blyth), Jerd. B. Ind, i, p. 490; Hume, Bough
Draft N. ^ K no. 331.

The Tailed Wren, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, lays in
April and May, building a deep cup-shaped nest about the roots
of trees or in a hole of fallen timber; the nest is a dense mass of
moss and moss-roots, lined with the latter. One measured was
3*5 inches in diameter and 3 in height; internally, the cavity was
1*6 inch in diameter and about 1 inch deep. They lay four or
five spotless whitish eggs, which are figured as broad ovals, rather
pointed towards one end, and measuring 0*75 by 0*54 inch.

REGTJLIDiE.

223

356. Pnoepyga alMventris (Hoclgs.). The Scahj-hreasted Wren.

Pnoepyga sq[iiamata {Gould)j Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 4S8.

Prom Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes :—“I found two nests of tlie
Scaly-breasted Wren this year within a few yards of each other.
Tliey were in a small moist ravine in the Eishap forest, at 5000
feet above sea-level. One was deserted before being quite finished,
and the other was taken a few days after three eggs had been laid.
The two nests were alike, and both were built among the moss
growing on tlie trunks of large trees, within a yard ot* the ground.
The only carried material was very fine roots, which were firmly
interwoven, and tlie ends worked in with the natural moss. These
fine roots were worked into the shape of a half-egg, cut lengtli-
waj^s, and placed with its open side against the trunk, wliieh tlius
formed one side of the nest. Near the top one side was not quite
close to the trunk, and by this irregular opening the bird entered.
Internally the nest measured 3 inches deep by 2 in width- .1
killed the female oft* the eggs; she had eaten a caterpillar, spiders,
and other insects.”

Mr. Maudelli found a nest of this species at Pattabong, elevation
5000 feet, near Darjeeling, on the 19th May, containing three
fresh eggs. The nest was placed amongst some small bushes j)ro-
jectiug out of a crevice of a rock about three feet from the ground.
It was completely sheltered above, but was not hooded or domed ;
it was, for the size of the bird, a rather large cup, composed of
green moss rather closely felted together and lined with fine
blackish-brown roots. The cavity measured about 2 inches in
diameter and 1 in depth.

The eggs of this species seem large for the size of the bird ; they
are rather broad at the largo end, considerably pointed towards
the small end. They are pure white, almost entirely devoid of
gloss, and with very delicate and fragile shells.

The eggs varied from 0*72 to 0*78 in length, and from U-54 to
0-57 in breadth.

Family REGULIDiE.

358. Eegulus cristatus, Koch. The Goldcrest.

Eegulus himakyeusis, Bli/th, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 20G j ITmiey JRoiif/h
Draft N. B. no. 5S0.

All I know of the uidification of this species is that Sir E. C.
Buck, C.S., found a nest at Eogee, in the Sutlej Valley, on the Sth
June, on the end of a deodar branch 8 feet from the ground and
partly suspended. It contained seven young birds fully fledged;
no crest or signs of a crest were observable in the young. Both
the parent birds and the nest were kindly sent to me.

224

SYLYIIBJE.

The nest is a deep poach suspended Itoiii several twigs, with
the entrance at tlie top, and composed entirely of fine lichens
wo^^en or iuterwined into a thick, soft, flexible tissue of from three
eighths to half an inch in thickness. Externally the nest was
about to 4 inches in depth, and about 3 inches in diameter.

Family SYLVIIDiE.

363. Acrocephalus stentoreiis (H. & E.). The Indian
Great Beed-Warhler.

Acrocephalus briiiniescens {Jerd.), lord. B. hid. ii, p. 154.

Calamodyta steutorea {II. J?.), Hume.^ Rouc/h Draft N. ijj’ D.
no. 515.

Both Mr. Brooks and Captain Cock succeeded in securing the
nests and eggs of the Indian Grreat Reed-Warbler in Cashmere.
Common as it is, my own collectors failed to get eggs, though they
brought plenty of nests.

The nest is a very deep massive cup hung to the sides of reeds.
A nest before me, taken in Cashmere on the 10th Tune, is an in¬
verted and slightly truncated cone. Externally it has a diameter
of 3^ inches and a depth of nearly 6 inches. It is massive, but
by no means neat; composed of coarse water-grass, mingled with
a few dead leaves and fibrous roots of water-plants. The egg-
cavity is lined with fl.ner and more compactly woven grass, and
measures about 1| inch in diameter and inches in depth.

It breeds in May and June; at the beginning of July all the
nests either contained young or were empty. Eour is the full
complement of eggs.

Mr. Brooks noted in epist. :— Srinuggtor, 10th June. I went
out early this morning on the lake here to look for eggs of Aero-
eephalus stentoreiis., but it came on to rain so heavily that I only
partially succeeded. I took three nests, two with three eggs each,
and one with four young ones, the latter half-hatched. The eggs
very much resemble large and boldly-marked Sparrows’ eggs.
They are smaller than the eggs of A. arundinaceus., but very similar.
The latter have larger clear spaces without spots than those of our
bird. I neither saw nor heard any other aquatic warbler.”

Later, in a paper on the eggs and nests he had obtained in Cash-
mere, he stated that this species ‘‘ breeds abundantly in the Cash-
mere lakes. The nest is supported, about IS inches above the
water, by three or four reeds, and is a deep cup composed of grasses
and fibres. The eggs are four, very like those of A. arundinaeeus,
but the markings are more plentiful and smaller.”

Captain Cock writes to me that “ the Large Reed-Warbler is very
common in the reeds that fringe all the lakes in Cashmere. It
breeds in June, builds a largish nest of dry sedge, woven round
five or six reeds, of a deep cup form, which it places about 2 feet

ACBOCEPHALTJS.

225

above the water. It lays four or five eggs, rather blunt ovals,
equally blunt at both ends, blotched with olive and dusky grey on
a dirty-white ground.’'

Mr. S. B. Doig, who found this bird breeding in the Eastern
Narra in Sind, writes :—“ On the 4th August, while my man was
poling along in a canoe in a large swamp on the lookout for eggs,
he passed a small bunch of reeds and in them spotted a nest \\’ith
a bird on it. The nest contained three beautiful fresh eggs. A
few days later I joined him, and on asking about these eggs he
described the bird and said he had found several other nests of the
same species, but all of them contained young ones nearly hedged.
I made him show me some of these nests, all of which were
situated in clumps of reed, in the middle of the swamp, and in
these same reeds I found and shot the young ones which, though
fledged, were not able to fly. These I sent with one of the eggs
to Mr. Hume, who has identified them as belonging to this species.
The nests were composed of frayed pieces of reed-grass and fine
sedge, the latter being principally towards the inside, thus forming
a kind of lining. The nests were loosely put together, w'ere about
3 iuches inner diameter, inch deep, the outer diameter being
6 inches. They were situated about a foot over water-line in the
tops of reeds growing in the water.”

Colonel Legge says;—“This species breeds in Ceylon during
June and July. Its nest was procured by me in the former month
at the Tamara-Kulam, and was a very interesting structure, built
into the fork of one of the tall seed-stalks of the rush growing
there; the walls rested exteriorly against three of the branches of
the fork, but were worked round some of the stems of the flower
itself which sprung from the base of the fork. It was composed
of various fine grasses, with a few rush-blades among them, and
was lined with the fine stalks of the flower divested, by the bird I
conclude, of the seed-matter growing on them. In form it was a
tolerably deep cup, well shaped, measuring 2i inches in internal
diameter by 2 in depth. The single egg which it contained at the
time of my finding it was a broad oval in shape, pale green, boldly
blotched with blackish over spots of olive and olivaceous brown,
mingled with linear markings of the same, under which there wei*e
small clouds and blotches of bluish grey. The black markings
were longitudinal and thickest at the obtuse end. It measured
0-89 by 0-67 inch.”

The eggs of this species, as might have been expected, greatly
resemble those of A. arimdinaceus. In shape they are moderately
elongated ovals, in some cases almost absolutely perfect, but gener¬
ally slightly compressed towards one end. The sliell, though fine,
is entirely devoid of gloss.

The ground-colour varies much, but the two commonest types
are pale green or greenish white and a pale somewhat creamy stone-
coloui-. Occasionally the grouud-colour has a bluish tinge.

The markings vary even more than the ground-colour. In one
type the ground is everywhere minutely, but not densely, stippled

YOL. I. 15

226

SYLTIID^.

with minute specks, too minute for one to be able to say of what
colour; over this are pretty thickly scattered fairly bold and well-
marked spots and blotches of greyish black, inky purple, olive-
brown, yellowish olive, and reddish-umber brown; here and there
pale inky clouds underlay the more distinct markings. In other
eggs the stippling is altogether wanting, and the markings are
smaller and less well-defined. In some eggs one or more of the
colours predominate greatly, and in some several are almost entirely
wanting. In most eggs the markings are densest towards the
large end, where they sometimes form more or less of a mottled,
irregular, ill-defined cap.

In length the eggs vary from 0*8 to 0*97, and in breadth from
0*58 to 0*63; but the average of the only nine eggs that I measured
was 0*89, nearly, by rather more than 0*61.

366. Acrocephalus dumetorum, Elyth. Blythes Eeed^Warhhr.

Acrocephaliis dumetonmi, Bl.^ Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 155.

Calamodyta dumetoriina (J?/.), HimCj Bough Draft N. <§* no. 516.

Blyth’s Eeed-Warbler breeds, I believe, for the most part along
the course of the streams of the lower Himalayan and sub-Hima-
layan ranges, and in suitable localities on and about these ranges ;
such at least is my present idea. They are with us in the plains
up to quite the end of March, and are back again by the last day
of August, and during May at any rate they may be heard and
seen everywhere in the valleys south of the first snowy range.

Mr. Brooks remarks that ‘‘ this species was excessively common
on the Hindoostan side of the Pir-pinjal Bange, but I have never
seen it in Cashmere. I think it breeds in the low valleys by the
river-sides, for it was in very vigorous song there at the end of
May.” This is my experience also, and probably while many may
go north to Central Asia to breed, a good many remain in the
localities indicated.

Captain Hutton says :—“ This species arrives in the hills up to
7000 feet at least, in April, when it is very common, and appears
in pairs with something of the manner of a Phylloscopus, The
note is a sharp tchick^ icliiclc, resembling the sound emitted by a
flint and steel. .

‘‘ It disappears by the end of May, in which month they breed;
but, owing to the high winds and strong weather experienced in
that month in 1848, many nests were left incomplete, and the
birds must have departed without breeding.

“ One nest, which I took on the 6th May, was a round ball with
a lateral entrance; it was placed in a thick barberry-bush growing
at the side of a deep and sheltered ditch; it was composed of
coarse dry grasses externally and lined with finer grass. Eggs
three and pearl-white, with minute scattered specks of rufous,
chiefly at the larger end. Diameter 0*62 by 0*5.”

The late Mr. A. Anderson wrote the following note On the

ACROOEPHALTJS.

227

fifth day after leaving Naini Tal—ever mindful of my friend
Mr. Brooks’s parting advice to me (in reference to the part of the
country which required to be investigated), ‘ avoid the lower hills
as the plague’—I reached Takula, which is the first march beyond
Aim ora on the road to the Pindari glacier, late on the evening of
the 10th of May. It rained heavily all that night, so that I was
obliged to halt the next day, my tents being far too wet to be
struck, and the distance to the next halting-place necessitating a
start the first thing in the morning.

Takula is at an elevation between 5000 and 6000 feet; it is
beautifully wooded, with a small mountain-stream flowing right
under the camping-ground, and the climate is delightful. All
things considered, I was not soriy at having an opportunity of
exploring such productive-looking ground ; and before it was fairly
daylight the next morning operations were commenced in right
earnest. To each of my collectors I apportioned off a well-wooded
mountain-slope, reserving for my own hunting-ground (as I had
not yet got my hill-legs) the water-courses and ravines in the im¬
mediate vicinity of my camp.

N'ot more than 20 yards from where my tent stood, there is a
deep ravine clothed on both banks with a dense jungle of the larger
kind of nettle (Q-ircmlinia Jieterophylla : such nettles too!), the hill-
dock (Rumea 7iepalensis\ and wild-rose trees. Wending my way
through this dark, damp, and muggy nullah to the best of my
ability, I came upon the nest of this interesting little bird; it was
placed in the centre of a rose-bush, at an elevation of some two
feet above the bank and about four feet from where I stood, but
yet in a most tantalizing situation, inasmuch as it was necessary to
remove several thorny branches before an examination of the nest
was possible.

“ The act of cutting away the branches alarmed my sombre little
friend (I knew that the nest was tenanted, as the bill and head
were distinctly visible through the lateral entrance), and out she
darted with such a ‘ whir ’ that anything lilve satisfactory identifi¬
cation for a bird of this sort w^as utterly hopeless. The nest con¬
tained four beautiful little eggs, so that to bag the parent bird was
a matter of the first importance; all my attempts, however, first
to capture her on the nest and next to shoot her as she flew off,
were equally futile, her movements being as rapid and erratic as
forked lightning. And here let me give a word of advice to my
brother ornithologists : Never attempt to shoot a wary little hird
in the act of leaving its nest, as you only run the risk, and mortifi¬
cation I may add, of wounding perhaps an unknown bird, in which
case she will never again return to her nest; but lie in amhush for
her with outlying scants, a7id maJce ce^lain of her as she is returnmg
to her nest. She will first alight on a neighbouring tree, then on
one closer, coming nearer and nearer each time; finally, she will
perch on the very tree or bush in which the nest is built, and
while taking a look round to see that all is well before making a
final ascent, you have yourself to blame if you fail to bag her. All

228

STLVIIDiE.

this sounds very cruel; but if a bird must be shot for scientific
purposes, it is surely preferable to kill it outright than to let it die
a lingering death. Thus it was that I eventually succeeded, even
at the expense of being devoured alh'e by midges and mosquitoes ;
but then had I not the satisfaction of knowing that to become the
happy possessor of cmthentic eggs of Acroce^yhalus dumetoram was
in itself sufficient to repay me for my hill excursion !

I cannot, however, pretend to lay claim to originality in the
discovery of the breeding-habits of this bird, for Hutton’s de¬
scription of the nest and eggs taken by him so fully accords with
my own experience, that it is but fair to conclude he was correct
in his identification. I would add, however, with reference to his
remarks, that the nest above alluded to was more dli^timl than
spherical^ being about the size and shape of an Ostrich’s egg, that
it was constructed throughout of the largest and coarsest blades- of
various kinds of dry grass, the egg-cavity being lined with grass-
bents oi: a finer quality, and that it was domed over, having a
lateral entrance about the middle of the nest. The whole struc¬
ture was so loosely put together as to fall to pieces immediately it
was removed.

“ The eggs, four in number, are pure white, beautifully glossed,
aud well covered with ruFous or reddish-browji specks, most-
numerous at the obtuse end. Owing to its similarity to a number
of eggs, particularly to those of the Tilmous(‘ group, it is just one of
those that I would never feel comfortable in accepting on trust.

“ It w'as a remarkable coincidence that the very day I took this
nest my post brought me part iv. of the P. Z. 8. for 1874, con¬
taining Mr. Dresser’s iiit-eresting paper on the niditicatioii oF the
Ilypolais and Acvoceplialus groups; and iF I understand him rightly,
he is certainly correct in his surmise as to the eggs of Aoroceiyhalus
dumetorum approaching those of the Hypolais group.

“ My good luck, as regards Blyth’s Eeed-Warbler, did not end
here, for on the following day, at Bagesur, at an elevation of only
3000 feet, I again encountered a pair of these birds, finding their
nest on the banks of the Surjoo. The position, shape, and archi¬
tecture of this nest were identical with the one I have above de¬
scribed, but the eggs unfortunately had not been laid. The little
birds, on this occasion, were quite fearless, hopping from stem to
stem of the dense undergrowth which throughout the Bagesur
valley fringes both banks of the river, every now and again making
a temporary halt for the purpose of picking insects off the leaves,
with an occasional which Hutton resembles to the

‘ sound emitted by a flint and steel,’ but all the time enticing me
away from the site of their dwelling-place. In this way they led
me a wild-goose chase several times up and down the river-bank
before I was able to discover the whereabouts of their nest.”

Captain Hutton sent me three eggs of this species. The eggs
are otherwise unknown to me, and I describe them only on
Captain Hutton’s authority. The eggs are rather broad ovals, very,
smooth and compact in texture, but with little or no gloss. They

aCROCEPHALTJS.—TRIBUEA.

229

are pure white, very thinly speckled with reddish and yellowish
brown, the markings being most numerous towards the large end,
and even there somewhat sparse and very minute. They measure
respectively 0*65 by 0*52, 0*65 by 0-51, and 0*62 by 0-51.

367. Acrocephalus agricola (Jerd.). T/ie Paddy-jleld Heed-
Warbler,

Acrocephalus agricolus (Jerd.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 156.

Calamcdyta agricola (Jerd.), Hume, Rough Draft N. E. no. 517.

The Paddy-field Eeed-Warbler nests apparently occasionally in
May and June in the valleys of the Himalayas, the great majority
probably going further north-west to breed.

Yery little is known about the matter. I have shot the birds
in the interior of the hills in May, but I have never seen a
nest.

Mr. Brooks, however, says:—^‘Near Shupyion (Cashmere) I
found a finished empty nest of this truly aquatic warbler in a
rose-bush which was intergrown with rank nettles. This was in
the roadside where there was a shallow stream of beautifully clear
water. On either side of the I’oad were vast tracts of paddy
swamp, in which the natives were busily engaged planting the
young rice-plants. The nest strongly resembled that of Curnica
cjarrula. The male with his throat puffed out was singing on the
bush a loud vigorous pretty song like a Lesser Whitetlmoat’s, but
more varied. I shot the strange songster, on w^hich the female
flew from the nest. This was the only pair of these interesting
birds that I met with. I think, therefore, that their breeding in
Cashmere is not a common occurrence.”

This nest, now in my collection, was found on the 13th June,
at an elevation of about 5500 feet, in the Valley of Cashmere. It
is a deep, almost purse-like cup, very loosely and carelessly put
together, of moderately fine grass, in amongst which a quantity
of wool has been intermingled.

371. Tribura thoracica (Blyth). The B'poUed Bush-Warbler.

Dumeticola affinis {Ilodgs.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 158.

Dumeticola bnmneipectiis, Bl., Hume, Rough Draft N. ^ JE.
no. 519 bis.

]Mr. Hodgson gives a very careful figure of a female bird of this
species, together with its nest and egg, but he labels it underneath
affinis. As we know, he described affinis as having spots on the
breast; but he further notes that at the same place at which he
obtained the female, nest, and eggs, he also got a male bird with
spots on the breast; in fact, in other words, he seems to have come
to the conclusion that Dumeticola affinis was the male and that
Dumeticola brunneipectus,^h\Qkh.Q did not separately name, though
he has beautifully figured it, was the female. I have specimens of

230

SYLVIIDiE.

both, but the sexes were not ascertained ; still I doubt whether
the two birds can possibly be merely different sexes of the same
species. Anyhow, the female bird which he figures (No. 826) is
really Irunneipectiis^ and under that name I notice the nest and
eggs on which the female figured was captured. Mr. Hodgson
iiotes Goscdnthan, In the snows ; female and nest.

“ August 2ncL —Nest in a bunch of reeds placed slantingly : ovate
in shape; aperture at one side; placed about half a foot above the
ground, made of grasses and moss, 4 or 5 inches in diameter ex¬
teriorly, interiorly between 2 and 3 inches.’’ The eggs are figured
as moderately broad ovals, measuring 0*65 by 0*48, of a uniform
deep cinnabar-red, reminding one of the eggs of Prinia socialise but
much deeper in colour^.

Mr. Mandelli sends me three nests of this species, all found near
Tendong, in Native Sikhim, at an elevation of about 9000 feet, on
the 15th, 17th, and 21st July. The nests contained two, two, and
three fresh eggs respectively, and were placed, two of them in
small brushwood, and one in a clump of rush or grass, from 9 to
IS inches above the ground. They seem to have all been rather
massive little cups, composed exteriorly of broad grass-blades
rather clumsily w^ound together, and lined with rather finer, but
by no means fine grass. In two of them some dead leaves have
been incorporated in the basal portion.

They are rather dirty, shabby-looking nests, obviously made of
dead materials, old withered and partially-decayed grass, and not
with fresh grass ; they seem to have measured 3 inches in diameter,
and 2*5 in height externally ; the cavity was perhaps 1*5 to 1*75
in diameter, and 1 inch more or less in depth.

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes:—“Nest among scrub in
small bush, 2 feet from ground, at 5000 feet above the sea. Found
on the 3rd June, when it contained two eggs; taken on the 5th,
with four eggs. I dissected the bird killed ofi the nest, and found
it to be a female; in her stomach were the remains of a few
insects. The nest is cup-shaped, loosely made of dry leaves and
grass, lined with, for the size of the bird, coarse grass-stalks. Ex¬
ternally it measures 3*5 inches in breadth by 2*5 deep ; internally
2 broad by 1*5 deep.”

This nest taken by Mr. Gammie near Eungbee on the 5th June,
1875, at an elevation of about 5000 feet, contained four eggs. It
was a massive little cup about 3 inches in diameter externally, and
with an internal cavity about 2 inches in diameter and 1| inch
deep; was rather loosely put together, externally composed of dead
leaves and broad flags of gTass, internally lined with grass-stems.

The eggs of this species are very regular broad ovals, the shells

* There can be no doubt, I think, that T. affinis and T, hnmnei^ectus are the
same^ species as T. thoracica. I reproduce Mr. Hodgson’s note on the nesting
of this species together with Mr. Hume’s remarks, but I feel sure that the nest
described by Mr. Hodgson and the egg figured by him cannot belong to the
present species.— Ed.

TiMBITBA.—OETH0T03MUS.

281

fine but glossless, the ground-colour a dead white, thickly speckled
and spotted about the large end, thinly elsewhere, with somewhat
brownish and again purplish red. The markings are all very fine
and small, but where they are closely set at the large end there a
few little pale purplish-grey specks and spots are intermingled.

The eggs measure 0*68 by 0-55.

The eggs of this species obtained by Mr. Mandelli in the neigh¬
bourhood of Darjeeling in July are so similar to those obtained by
Mr. Gammie, and of which he sent me the parent bird, that
no second description is necessary. They are a shade smaller,
but the difference is not more than is always observable in even
the same species. They measure 0*67 in length, and 0*53 to 0*55
in breadth.

372. Trihura luteiventris, Hodgs. The Broivn Bush-WarUer.

Tribui'a luteoventris, Hodr/s.^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 161 j Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ JE, no. 522.

A bird unquestionably belonging to this species^, the Brown
Bush-Warbler, was sent me along with a single egg from JNfative
Sikhim. The bird was said to have been killed off the nest (which
was not preserved), which was found, at an elevation of about
12,000 feet, in low brushwood about 3 feet from the ground.

The egg is a very regular, rather broad oval, has only a faint
gloss, and is of a very rich deep maroon-red, slightly darker at the
large end.

The egg measures 0*62 by 0*49.

374. Orthotomus sutorius (Eorst.). The Indian Tailor-^hird.

Orthotomus longicauda {Gm.), Jerd, B, Ind. ii, p. 165 j Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ E, no. 530.

The Indian Tailor-bird^ breeds throughout India and Burma,
alike in the plains and in the hills {e, (j., the Himalayas and Nil-
giris), up to an elevation of from 3000 to 4000 feet.

The breeding-season lasts from May to August, both months
included; but in the plains more nests are to be found in July,
and in the hills more, I think, in June, than during the other
months.

The nest has been often described and figured, and, as is well
known, is a deep soft cup enclosed in leaves, which the bird sews
together to form a receptacle for it.

* I do not place much confidence in the authenticity of the egg of this bird
sent to Mr. Hume. Being a Warbler with twelve tail-feathers, it is unlikely to
lay a red egg, and besides this the eggs of the allied species, T. thoracica, as
found by trustworthy observers like Messrs. Gammie and Mandelli, are known
to be white speckled with red, in spite of Mr. Hodgson’s figure representing
them to be deep cinnabar-red.— Ed.

t The notes on this bird’s breeding are so very numerous that I am^com-
pelled to omit several of them.—E d.

282

SYLVIID.^.

It is placed at all elevations, and I have as often found it high
upon a mango-tree as low down amongst the leaves of the edible
egg-plant {8oVmum esculentiim).

The nests vary much in appearance, according to the number
and description of leaves which the bird employs and the manner
in which it employs them; but the nest itself is usually chiefly com¬
posed of fine cotton-wool, with a few horsehairs and, at times, a
few very fine grass-stems as a lining, apparently to keep the wool
in its place and enable the cavity to retain permanently its shape.

I have found the nests with three leaves fastened, at equal
distances from each other, into the sides of the nest, and not joined
to each other at all.

I have found them between two leaves, the one forming a high
back and turned up at the end to support the bottom of the nest,
the other hiding the nest in front and hanging down well below it,
the tip only of the first leaf being sewn to the middle of the second.
I have found them with four leaves sewn together to form a canopy
and sides, from which the bottom of the nest depended bare ; and
I have found them between two long leaves, whose sides from the
very tips to near the peduncles were closely and neatly sewm to¬
gether. Tor sewing they generally use cobweb; but sillc from
cocoons, thread, wool, and vegetable fibres are also used.

The eggs vary from three to four in number; but I find that out
of twenty-seven nests containing more or less incubated eggs, of
which I have notes, exactly two thirds contained only three, and
one third four eggs.

About the colour of the eggs there has been some dispute, but
this is owing to the birds laying two distinct types of eggs, which
will be described below. Hutton’s and Jerdon’s descriptions of
the eggs, ivliite spotted with rufous or reddish brown, are quite
correct, but so are those of other writers, who call them hluisli
green, similarly marked. Tickell, who gives them as “ pale greenish
blue, with irregular patches, especially towards the larger end,
resembling dried stains of blood, and irregular and hroheyi lines
scratched round, forming a zone near the larger end,” had of course
got hold of the eggs of a Franldinia. I have taken hundreds of
both types, and I note that, as in the case of Dicrurus ater, eggs of
the two types are never found in the same nest. All the eggs in
each nest always belong to one or the other type.

The parent birds that lay these very diflterent looking eggs cer¬
tainly do not differ ; that I have positively satisfied myself,

I quote an exacu description of a nest w^hich I took at Bareilly,
and which was recorded on the spot:—

“ Three of the long ovato-lanceolate leaves of the mango, w’hose
peduncles sprang from the same point, had been neatly drawn
together with gossamer threads run through the sides of the leaves
and knotted outside, so as to form a cavity like the end of a netted
purse, with a wide slit on the side nearest the trunk beginning
near the bottom and widening upw^ards. Inside this, the real
nest, nearly 3 inches deep and about 2 inches in diameter, was

ORTHOTOMTJS.

233

neatly constructed of wool and fine vegetable fibres, the bottom
being thinly lined with horsehair. In this lay three tiny delicate
bluish-white eggs, with a few pale reddish-brown blotches at the
large ends, and just a very few spots and specks of the same colour
elsewhere.”

Dr. Jerdon says :—“The Tailor-bird makes its nest with cotton,
wool, and various other soft materials, sometimes also lined with
hair, and draws together one leaf or more, generally two leaves,
on each side of the nest, and stitches them together with cotton,
either woven by itself, or cotton-thread picked up, and after passing
the thread through the leaf, it makes a knot at the end to fix it.
I have seen a Tailor-bird at Saugor watch till the native tailor had
left the verandah where he had been working, fly in, seize some
pieces of the thread that were lying about, and go off in triumph
with them ; this was repeated in my presence several days running.
I have known many different trees selected to build in ; in gardens
very often a guava-tree. The nest is generally built at from 2 to
4 feet above the ground. The eggs are two, three, or four in
number, and in every case which I have seen were white spotted
with reddish brown chiefly at the large end.... Layard describes
one nest made of cocoanut-fibre entirely, with a dozen leaves of
oleander drawn and stitched together. I cannot call to recollection
ever having seen a nest made with more than two leaves.. . .Pen¬
nant gives the earhest, though somewhat erroneous, account of the
nest. He says : ‘ The bird picks up a dead leaf and, surprising to
relate, sews it to the side of a living one.’ ”

I have often seen nests made between many leaves, and I have
seen plenty with a dead leaf stitched to a yet living one; but in
these points my experience entirely coincides with that of the late
Mr. A. Anderson, whose note I proceed to quote :—

“ The dry leaves that are sometimes met with attached to the
nest of this species, and w'hich gave rise to the erroneous idea that
the ‘ bird picks up a dead leaf and, surprising to relate, sews it to
the side of a living one,’ are easily accounted for.

“I took a nest of the Tailor-bird a short time ago‘(llth July,
1871) from a brinjal plant {Solanum esculeatum\ which had all
the appearance of having had dry leaves attached to it. The nest
originally consisted of three leaves, but two of them had been
pierced (in the act of passing the thread through them) to excess,
and had in consequence not only decayed, hut actually seixtrated
from the stem of the ]olant. These decayed leaves were hanging
from the side of the nest by a mere thread, and could have been
removed with perfect safety. Perhaps instinct teaches the birds
to injure certain leaves in order that they may decay ?

“Jerdon says that he does not remember ever having seen a nest
made with more than two leaves. I have found the nest of this
species vary considerably in appearance, size, and in the number
of leaves employed, and, I would also add, in the site selected, as
well as in the markings of the eggs, which latter never exceed
four in number.

234

SYLTnDJE.

“ The nest already described was built hardly 2 feet off the groimd,
was rather clumsy (if I might use such an compression), and was
composed of three leaves. The eggs were white, covered wdtli
brownish-pink blotches almost coalescing at the large ^ end.
Another nest, taken in my presence (July, again, which is the
general time) from the verg to^y of a high tree, was enclosed inside
of one leaf, the sides being neatly sewn together, and the cavity at
the bottom lined with w^ool, down, and horsehair. These eggs
(four) are covered, chiefly at the larger ends, with minute red
spots.

“ A third nest seen by me was composed of seven or eight
leaves^’

Captain Hutton tells us that he has seen many nests. ^ All were
“ composed of cotton, wool, vegetable fibre, and horsehair, formed
in the shape of a deep cup or purse, enclosed between two long
leaves, the edges of which were sewed to the sides of the nest, in
a manner to support it, by threads spun by the bird.”

He adds that the birds, though common at their bases, do not
ascend the hills ; but this is a mistake, for I have repeatedly taken
nests at elevations of over 3000 feet; and Mr. Gammie, wTiting
from Sikhim, says :—“ "We often find nests of this species near my
house at Mongphoo (which is at an elevation of about 3500 feet).
I took one there on the 16th May, which contained four hard-set
eggs. It was in a calicarpa tree and betw’een tv'o of its long ovate
leaves, the terminal halves of w^hich were sewn together by the
edges, so as to form a purse in which the real nest was placed.
Yellow silk of some wild silkw'Orm was the sewing material
used.”

Again, writing from the Hilgiris, Miss Cockburn remarks:—
“ The Tailor-bird is seldom met with on the highest ranges, but
appears to prefer the warmer climates enjoyed at the elevation of
about 3500 or 4000 feet. They often build in the coffee-trees ; a
nest now before me w^as built on a coffee-tree, two of the leaves of
w^hich were bent down and sewn together. The threads are of
cobweb, and the cavity is lined with the down of seed-pods and
fine grass. At the back of the nest the leaves are made to meet,
but are a little apart in front, so as to form an opening for the
birds to hop in and out. The depth of the nest inside is 2^ inches.
It was found in the month of June, and contained four eggs, which
were w’hite spotted wdth light red.”

Of its breeding in Nepal, Dr. Scully tells us :—It breeds freely
in the valley at an elevation of 4500 feet. I took many of its
nests in the Eesidency grounds, Eani Jangal, &c., in May, June,
and July.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes :—“ The Indian Tailor-bird breeds
in April, May, and June, both at Allahabad and at Delhi. The
nest formed of one, two, and occasionally three, leaves neatly sewn
so as to form a cone, and lined with the down of the madar, is well
known.”

Colonel Butler has furnished me with the following note:_

ORTHOTOMXJS.

235

“ The Tailor-bird breeds, I fancy, at least twice in the year, as I
have seen young birds early in the hot weather both at Mount
Aboo and in Deesa, and I have also taken nests in the rains. The
nest is usually constructed with much skill and ingenuity. One
nest which I took on the 3rd September at Mount Aboo consisted
of three leaves cleverly sewn together with raw cotton, leaving a
moderate-sized entrance on one side near the top, the inside being
lined exclusively'with horsehair and fine dry fibres.

“ I captured the hen bird with a horsehair noose fixed to the
end of a long thin rod as she left the nest. Another nest which I
took in Deesa on the 3rd September, 1876, was composed almost
entirely of raw cotton wnth a scanty lining of horsehairs and dry
grass-stems. It was fixed to the outside twigs of a lime-tree, two
of the leaves of which were sewn to it; two dead leaves were also
attached to the nest, one being sewn on each side as a support to
the cotton. It was cup-shaped and open at the top, much like a
Chaffinch’s nest.”

Mr. Oates remarks :—‘‘ This is a common bird in Burma in the
plains, and possibly also on the hills, though I did not observe it
on the latter. I found the nest of this species containing young
birds in the Thayetmyo cantonment on the 12th August. In the
Pegu plains it appears to nest from the middle of May to the end
of August.”

The eggs are typically long ovals, often tapering much towards
the small end. The shells are very thin, delicate, and semitrans¬
parent, and have but little gloss.

The ground-colour is either reddish white or pale bluish green.
Of tlie two types, the reddish white is the more common in the
proportion of two to one. The markings consist of bold blotchings
or sometimes ill-defined clouds (in this respect recalling the eggs
of Frinia inoTnata\ chiefly confined to the large end; and specks,
spots, and splashes, extending more or less over the whole surface,
typically of a bright brownish red, varying, however, in different
examples both in shade and intensity. The markings have a strong
tendency to form a bold, irregular zone’ or cap at the large end,
and in some specimens the markings are entirely confined to this
portion of the egg’s surface.

The eggs, which have a reddish-white ground, though smaller
and of a much more elongated shape, closely resemble those of
Suya fuliginosa.

In length the eggs vary from 0*6 to 0*7, and in breadth from
0*45 to 0*5; but the average of fifty eggs measured is 0*64
by 0*46.

375. Orthotomus atrigularis, Temm. The Blaclc-nedked
Tailor-hird.

Orthotomus atrigularis, Temm., Hume, Cat. no. 530 bis.

Mr. Mandelli sends me a nest which he assures me belongs to
this species, and the bird he sent me for identification certainly

236

STLVIIDJE.

did so belong. Tbe nest was found near the great Eanjit Eiver
on the-18th July, and then contained three fresh eggs. The
nest, which is a regular Tailor-bird’s, composed entirely of the
finest imaginable panicle-stems of flowering grass, is a deep cup
placed in between two living leaves, which have been sewn together
at the tips and along the margins from the tip for about half their
length, so as to provide a perfect pocket in which the nest rests.
The leaves of which the pocket is composed were the terminal ones
of the twigs of a sapling, and only about 3 feet from the ground.
The leaves are large oval ones, each about 7 inches in length ; they
have been sewn together with wild silk carefully knotted, exactly
as is the practice of the common Tailor-bird.

The eggs of this species are not separable from others of 0. mto-
rius, and though they may possibly average somewhat larger, I have
not seen enough of them to be able to make sure of this ; and as
regards shape, colours, and markings the description given of the
eggs of 0. sutoriiis applies equaUy to eggs of this species,

380. Cisticola volitans, Swinh. The Golden-headed
Fantail- Warbler,

This species was not known to Jerdon, nor was it known to
occur in Burma at the time that I issued my Catalogue. Mr.
Oates, writing of the breeding of this bird in Southern Pegu,
where it is eounuon, says :—Breediug-operations commence in the
middle of May ; on the 2Sth of this 'mouth I found two nests, one
containiog four eggs slightly incubated, and the other two, quite
fresh.

“ The nest is a small bag about 4 inches in height and 2 or 3 in
diameter, with an opening about an inch in diameter near the top.
The general shape of the nest is oval. It is composed entirely of
thewhite feathery flowers of the thatch-grass. The walls of the
nest are very thin but strong. The nest is placed about one foot
from the ground in a bunch of grass, and, in the two instances
where I found it, against a weed, with one or two leaves of which
the materials of the nest were slightly bound.

‘‘ The eggs are very glossy pale blue, spotted all over with large
and small blotches of rusty brown. I have no eggs of G. cursitans
which match them, in that species the spots being always minute
and thickly scattered over the shell, whereas in C, volitans the
marks are large and fewer in number. Six eggs measured in
length from *54 to *57, and in breadth from *42 to *43.”

381. Cisticola cursitans (Prankl.). The Rufous Fantail-
Warhler,

Cisticola schoenicola, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 174; Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ E, no. 539.

The Eufous Pantail-Warbler breeds pretty well all over India
and Ceylon, confining itself, as far as my experience goes, to the

CXSTICOLA.

237

low country, and never ascending the mountains to any great
elevation.

The breeding-season lasts, according to locality, from April to
October, but it never breeds with us in dry weather, always laying
during rainy months. Very likely at the Nicobars, where it rains
pretty well all the year round, March being the only fairly dry
month, it may breed at all seasons.

I have myself taken several, and have bad a great many nests
sent to me. With rare exceptions all belonged to one type. The
bird selects a patch of dense fine-stemmed grass, from 18 inches
to 2 feet in height, and, as a rule, standing in a moist place; in
this, at the height of from 6 to 8 inches from the ground, the nest
is constructed; the sides are formed by the blades and steins of
the grass, in situ, closely tacked and caught together with cobwebs
and very fine silky vegetable fibre. This is done for a length of
from 2 to nearly *3 inches, and, as it were, a narrow tube, from 1
to T5 in diameter, formed in the grass. To this a bottom, from
4 to 6 inches above the surface of the ground, is added, a few of
the blades of the grass being bent across, tacked and woven together
with cobwebs and fine vegetable fibre. The whole interior is then
closely felted with silky down, in Upper India usually that of the
miidar (Calotro^ns liamiltoni). The nest thus constructed forms a
deep and narrow purse, about 3 inches in depth, an inch in dia¬
meter at top, and at the broadest part below. The tacking
together of the stems of the grass is commonly continued a good
deal higher up on one side than on the other, and it is through or
between the untacked stems opposite to this that the tiny entrance
exists. Of course above the nest the stems and blades of the grass,
meeting together, completely hide it. The dimensions above given
are those of the interior of the nest; its exterior dimensions can¬
not be given. The bird tacks together not merely the few stems
absolutely necessary to form a side to the nest, but most of the
stems all round, decreasing the extent of attachment as they recede
from the nest-cavity. It does this, too, very irregularly ; on one
side of the nest perhaps no stem more than an inch distant from
the interior surface of the nest will be found in any way bound up
in the fabric, while on the opposite side perhaps stems fully 3
inches distant, together with all the intermediate ones, will be
found more or less webbed together. Occasionally, but rarely, I
have found a nest of a different type. Of these one was built
amongst the stems of a common prickly labiate marsh-plant which
has white and mauve flowers. There was a straggling framewmrk
of fine grass, firmly netted together with cobwebs, and a very
scanty lining of down. The nest was egg-shaped, and the aperture
on one side near the top. Mr. Brooks, I believe, once obtained a
similar one; but the vast majority of the others that any of us
have ever got have been of the type first described, which corre¬
sponds closely with Passler’s account.

Five is the usual complement of eggs ; at any rate I have notes
of more than a dozen nests that contained this number, and in

238

SYLVIIDiE.

more than half the cases the eggs were partly incubated. I have
no record of more than five, and though I have anj number of
notes of nests containing one, two, three, and four eggs, yet these
latter in almost all these cases were fresh.

Mr. Blyth says that this species is “ remarkable for the beautiful
construction of its nest, sewing together a number of growing stems
and leaves of grass, with a delicate pappus which forms also the
lining, and laying four or five translucent white eggs, with reddish-
brown spots, more numerous and forming a ring at the large end,
very like those of Ortliotomus sutorius. It abounds in suitable
localities throughout the country.”

I must here note that Mr. Blyth never paid special attention to
eggs, or he would have hardly said this, because the character of
the markings are essentially difierent. Those of the Tailor-bird
are typically hlotcliy^ of the present species specJdy.

Colonel W. Vincent Legge writes to me from Ceylon that “ in
the Western Province it breeds from May until September, and
constructs its nest either in paddy-fields or in guinea-grass plots
attached to bungalows.

“ The nest is so beautiful and so neatly constructed that perhaps
a short description of it will not be out'of place. 'A framework of
cotton or other fibrous material is formed round two or three
upright stalks, about 2 feet from the ground, the material being
sewn into the grass and passed from one stalk to the other until a
complete net is made. This takes the bird from one to two days
to construct Several blades, belonging to the stalks round
which the cotto]i is passed, are then bent down and interlaced
across to form a bottom on which, and inside the cotton network, a
neat little nest of fine strips of grass torn off from the blade is
built; this is most beautifull}’’ lined with cotton or other downy
substance, which appears to be plastered with the saliva of the bird,
until it takes the appearance and texture of soft felt.

“ The average dimensions of the interior or cup are 2 inches in
depth by in breadth. The whole structure is generally com¬
pleted in about five days, and the first egg laid on the fifth or sixth
day from the commencement. The number of eggs varies from
two to four, most nests containing three. The time of incubation
is, as a rule, from nine to eleven days.

I have found but little variation in the eggs of this species
either as regards size or colour. They are white or pale greenish
white, spotted and blotched in a zone round the larger end with
red and reddish grey, a few spots extending towards the point:
axis 0*63 inch ; diameter 0*51 inch.

“ From close observation I can certify that this and many other
small birds do not here sit during the daytime. I scarcely ever
found a Cisticola on the nest between sunrise and sunset.”

* Numbei*s of these birds used to build in a guinea-grass field attached to
my bungalow at Colombo, and I had full opportunity of watching the con¬
struction of the nest on many occasions.—W. Y. L.

CISTICOLA.

239

Colonel E. A. Butler writing from Deesa says :—“ The Eiifous
Eantail-Warbler breeds in the plains during the monsoon, making
a long bottle-shaped nest of silky-white vegetable down, with an
entrance at the top, in a tuft of coarse grass a few inches from the
ground. I have taken nests on the following dates:—

‘‘ July 29, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

Aug. 1, 1876. „ „ 5 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 5,1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 5,1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 5,1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 5,1876. „ „ 5 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 7,1876. „ „ 5 fresh eggs.

“Aug. 8,1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

And he adds the following note :—“ Belgaum, 22nd July, 1879.
Four fresh eggs. Same locality, numerous other nests in August
and September.”

Major C. T. Bingham notes:—“ I have not yet observed this
bird at Delhi. At Allahabad I procured one nest in the beginning
of Mai'ch, shooting the birds. The nest was made of very Sue dry
grass, and contained four small white eggs, speckled thickly with
minute points of brick-red. The average of the four eggs is 0*60
by 0*41 inch.”

Mr. Cripps informs us that in Eastern Bengal this bird is very
common and a permanent resident. Eggs are found from the
beginning of May to the end of June, in grass-jungle almost on
the ground. The nest is a deep cup, externally of fine grasses,
internally of the downy tops of the sun-grass.

In the Deccan, Messrs, Davidson and Wenden state that it is
“ common in all grass-lands. It breeds in the rainy season.”

Mr. Oates, writing on the breeding of this bird in Pegu, says :—
“The majority of birds begin laying at the commencement of
June, and probably nests may be found throughout the rains. I
procured a nest on the 2ud of ISTovember, a very late date I imagine.
It contained four eggs.”

I have taken the eggs of this bird myself on many occasions. I
have had them sent me with the nest and bird by Mr. Brooks from
Etawah, and Mr. F. B. Blewitt from Jhansi. From first to last I
have seen fully fifty authentic eggs of this species. All were of
one and the same type, and that type widely different from any
one of those that Dr. Bree, following European ornithologists,
figures. Dr. Breeds three figures all represent a perfectly spotless
egg—one pink, the other bluish white, and the third a pretty dark
bluish green. Our eggs, on the contrary, are shotted; the ground
is w'hite with, when fresh and unblown, a delicate pink hue, due
not to the shell itself, but to its contents, which partially show
through it. Occasionally the white ground has a faint greenish
tinge.

Every egg is spotted, and most densely so towards the large end,
with, as a rule, excessively minute red, reddish-purple, and pale
purple specks, thus resembling, though smaller, more glossy, and

240

SYLTIIBjE.

far less densely speckled, the eggs of Frctnklmia hucJianani, These
are beyond all question the eggs of oiir Indian species, and the only
type of them that I have yet observed ; but the question remains
—Is our Indian Prlnia cursitans, Franklin, really identical with
the European C, scliosnicola, Bonaparte ? ^—and this can only be
settled by careful comparison of an enormous series of good speci¬
mens of each bird. For my part I personally have little doubts as
to the identity of the two. At the same time differences in the
eggs may indicate difference of species. Thus of the closely allied
(7. volitans, Swiuhoe, the latter gentleman informs us that “ the
eggs of our bird vary from three to five, are thin and fragile, and of
a pa^e clear greenish blue’’ t. He called it (7. schoenicola when he
wrote, but he really referred to the Formosan bird, which he has
since separated.

The eggs of course vary somewhat. Of one nest I wrote at the
time I found it—“ The eggs are a rather short oval, slightly pointed
at one end, with a white ground, thickly sprinkled with numerous
specks and tiny spots of pale brownish red. They measured *58
by *46.” Of another I say—“ The ground had a faint pearly tinge,
and there was a well-marked, though irregular and ill-defined, zone
towards the large end, formed by the agglomeration there of
multitudinous specks, which in places were almost confluent.” Of
another set—“The eggs were much glossier and had a china-
white ground; but instead of a multitude of small specks over the
whole surface, they had nearly the whole colouring-matter gathered
together at the large end in a cap of bold, almost maroon-red spots,
only a very few spots of the same colour being scattered over the
rest of the egg.”

The eggs measure from *53 to *62 in length, and from *43 to *48
in breadth; but the average dimensions of a large iiumber measured
were *59 by *46.

382. Franklinia gracilis (Frank!.). FrcmlcUn's Wren-Warbler,

Prinia gracilis, Frankl, Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 172; Fume. Rouqli
Draft N. E. no. 536.

Prinia hodgsoni, BL^ Jerd. t. c. p. 173; Fioone, t. c. no. 638.

I have never myself succeeded in finding a nest of Franklin’s
Wren-Warbler, but my friend Mr. F, E. Blewitt has sent me no
less than forty nests and eggs, with the parents; so that, although
the eggs belong to two, I might even say three, very different types,
I entertain no doubt that he is correct in assigning them to the
same species, the more so as, although the eggs vary, the nests

* The Indian and European birds are now generally allowed to be perfect ly
identical, notwithstanding the alleged difference in the colour of the eggs ; and
Mr. Hume is now, I think, of this opinion.—E d.

t But C. volitans, or the closely allied race which occurs in Pegu, assuredly
lays spotted eggs. I found two nests of this bird, both with spotted eggs {vide
p. 236 ).—Ed.

FRANKLINIA.

241

are identical. He has sent me several notes in regard to this
species. He says :—“ On the 1st July, three miles south of the
village of Doongurgurh in the Haipoor District, I found a nest of
Draoklin’s Wren-Warbler, containing three fresh eggs. It was on
rocky ground between a footpath and a water-course, about 2 feet
from the ground, and firmly sewn to a single leaf of a miirori
plant. The nest was constructed exclusively of very fine grass,
with spiders’ web affixed in places to the exterior. It was some¬
what cup-shaped, 3*3 inches in depth and 2*4 in breadth externally.
The egg-cavity w’as about 1*4 in diameter, and about the same
depth. The eggs were a delicate pale unspotted blue.

“ About 100 yards from the first, a second precisely similar, and
similarly situated, nest of this same species was found, which con¬
tained three hard-set eggs, exactly similar in shape, texture, and
gi'ound-colour to those in the first nest, but every where excessively
finely and thickly speckled with red, the specks exhibiring a strong
tendency to coalesce in a zone round the large end.

“ On the 12th and 13th July we obtained ten nests of Eranklin’s
Wren-Warbler, all in the neighbourhood of Doongurgurh. Trom
what I have seen, I gather that this species breeds from the middle
of June to the middle of August in this part of the country.
They appear to resort to tracts at some little elevation, where the
murori and kydia bushes are abundant, and where grass grows
rapidly in the early part of the rains. The nests, very ingeniously
made, are invariably sewn to one or two leaves in the centre of one
of the above-named bushes, the entrance above, just as in the nest
of an Ortliotomus. They are placed at heights of from a foot to
3 feet from the ground. Fine grass, vegetable fibres, and other soft
materials are chiefly used in their construction, a little cobweb
being often added. The eggs are laid daily, and four is the normal
number, though three hard-set ones are sometimes found. The
nest is prepared annually. As far as I know they have only one
brood. Both parents unite in building the nest and in hatching
and feeding the young.

“ Of the ten nests now taken four contained speckled and six
unspeckled eggs. The two types are never found in the same nest.
I send all the nests, eggs, and birds.”

Dr. Jerdon says :—I found the nest of this species at Saqgor,
very like that of the. Tailor-bird but smaller, made of cotton, wool,
and various soft vegetable fibres, and occasionally bits of cloth, and
I invariably found it sewn to one leaf of the kydia, so common in
the jungles there. The eggs were pale blue, with some brpwn or
reddish spots often rarely visible.”

Colonel E. A. Butler writes from Deesa :—

“ July 26, 1876. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs.

Aug. 1, 1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

Aug. 15, 1876. „ „ 2 fresh eggs.

‘‘ Sept. 3, 1876. „ „ 4 incubated eggs,

All of the above nests were exactly alike, being composed of
fine dry grass without any lining, felted here and there exteriorly

VOL. I. 16

242

SYLYIIDjE.

with small lumps of woolly vegetable down, and built between two
leaves carefully sewn to the nest in the same way as the nests of
Orthotoonus sutoriiis. The eggs, three or four in number, are white,
sparingly speckled with light reddish chestnut, with a cap more or
less dense of the same markings at the large end. All of the eggs
in the above-mentioned nests were of this type. I found the nests
ill a grass Beerh near Deesa, studded over with low ber bushes
(Zizi/phus jifjiiba), generally about 2 or 3 feet from the ground, and
in similar situations to those selected by Prinia sooialis,^ often
amongst dry nullahs overgrown with low bashes and long grass.”

Mr. Yidal notes in his list of the Birds of the South Konkan :—
‘‘ Common in mangrove-swamps, reeds, hedgerows, thickets, and
bush-jungle throughout the district. Breeds during the rainy
months.”

Mr, Oates writes from Pegu:—“ Nest with three fresh eggs on
the 19th August; no details appear necessary except the colour
ot* the eggs, since this bird appears to lay two kinds of eggs. ' My
eggs are very glossy, of a light blue speckled with minute dots of
reddish brown, more thickly so at the large end than elsewhere.”

The nests sent by Mr. Blewitt are regular Tailor-birds’ nests,
composed chiefly of very fine grass, about the thickness of fine
human hair, with no special lining, carefully sewn with cobwebs,
silk from cocoons, or wool, into one or two leaves, which often
completely envelop it, so as to leave no portion of the true nest
visible.

The eggs belong to at least two very distinct types. Both are
typically rather slender ovals, a good deal compressed towards one
end; but in both somewhat broader and more or less pyriform
varieties occur. In both the shell is exquisitely fine and glossy ;
in some specimens it is excessively glossy. In both the ground¬
colour is a very delicate pale greenish blue, occasionally so pale that
the ground is all but white—in one type entirely iinspeekled and
unspotted, in the other finely and thickly speckled everywhere, and
towards the large end more or less spotted, \Wth brownish or
purplish red. The markings are densest towards the large end,
where they either actually form, or exhibit a strong tendency to
form, a more or less conspicuous speckled, semi-confluent zone.

Out of fifty-six eggs, twenty-one belong to the lattei- type. As
in Dicrurus ater, the two types never appear to be found in the
same nest; but the nests in which the two types are found are
precisely similar, and the parent birds are identical.

In length the eggs vary from 0*53 to 0*62, and in width from
0*4 to 0*45; but the average of fifty-six eggs is 0*58 by 0*42.
There is no difference whatever in the size of the two types.

383. Franldinia rufescens (Blytb). Beavan's Wren-Warhler,
Prinia beavani, Wald., Hume, Cat. no. 538 bis.

Mr. Oates, who found the nest of this 'Warbler in Pegu, says:—

rJlANKLINIA.

243

“ June 29tli. Found a nest sewn into a broad soft leaf of a weed
in forest about 2 feet from the ground. The edges ol; the leaf are
drawn together aud fastened by white vegetable fibres. The nest
is composed entirely of fine grass^ no other material entering into
its couipositioij. For further security the nest is stitched to the
leaves in a few places; tlie depth of the nest is about 3 inches, and
internal diameter all the way down about IJ. Eggs thi’ee, very
glossy, pale blue, with specks and dashes of pale reddish brown,
chiefly at the larger end, where they form a cap. Size *58, *62, -61,
by -47.’^

Mr. Mandelli sends me a regular Tailor-bird’s nest as that of
this species. It was found below Yendong in Native Sikhim on
the 1st May, and contained three fresh eggs. The nest itself is a
beautiful little cup, composed of silky vegetable down and exces¬
sively fine grass-stems, and a very little black hair firmly felted
together, and is placed between two living leaves of a sapling neatly
sewn together at the margins with bright yellow silk.

The eggs are rather elongated, very regular ovals. The shell
stout for the size of the egg, but very fine and compact, and with
a moderate gloss. The ground-colour is a very delicate pale
greenish blue. At or round the larger end there is very generally
a mottled cap or zone (more commonly the latter) of duller or
brighter brownish red, while in-egular blotches, streaks, spots, and
specks of the same colour, but usually a slightly paler shade, are
more or less sparsely scattered over the rest of the surface of the
egg, sometimes they are almost wholly wanting. Occasionally the
zone is at the small end.

The eggs measure from 0*60 to 0*62 in length, by 0*43 to 0*48
in breadth ; but the average of six eggs is 0*61 by 0*45.

384. FranMinia buchanani (Blyth). T/ie liitfous-frouted
Wren- Warbler,

Franldinia buchanani {Blyth), Jerd, B. Ind, ii, p. 186; Hume, Rough
Draft N, ^ E. no. 651.

The lliifoUS-fronted Wren-Warbler breeds throughout Central
India, the Central Provinces, the North-western Provinces, the
Punjab, and Eajpootana. It affects chiefly the drier and warmer
tracts, and, though said to have been obtained in the Nepal Terai,
has never been met with by me either there or in any very moist,
Svvampy locality. The breeding-season extends from the end of
May until the i)egmning of September.

The nests, according to my experience, are always placed at
heights of from a foot to 4 feet from the ground, in low scrub-
jungle or bushes. They vary greatly in size and shape, according
to position. Some are oblate spheroids with the aperture near the
top, some are purse-like and suspended, and some are regular
cups. One of the former description measured externally 5 inches
in diameter one way by 3^ inches the other. One of the suspended

244

SYLVIIBJE.

nests was 7 inches long by 3 wide, and one of the cup-shaped nests
was nearly 4 inches in diameter and stood, perhaps, at most
2^ inches high. The egg-cavity in the different nests varies from
1| to 2| inches in diameter, and from less than 2 to fully 3 inches
in depth. Externally the nest is very loosely and, generally,
raggedly constructed of very fine grass-stems and tow-like vegetable
fibre used in different proportions in different nests; those in which
grass is chiefly used being most ragged and straggling, and those
in which most vegetable fibre has been made use of being neatest
and most compact. In all the nests that I have seen the egg-cavity
has been lined with something very soft. In many of the nests the
lining is composed of small felt-like pieces of some dull salmon-
coloured fungus, with which the whole interior is closely plastered ;
in others there is a dense lining of soft silky vegetable down; and
'in others the down and fungus are mingled. They lay from four
to five eggs, never more than this latter number according to my
experience.

“ At the end of June 1867,” writes Mr. Brooks, “ I took two
nests of this bird at Chunar in low ber bushes about 2 feet from
the ground. They were little spheres of fine grass with a hole at
the side. One contained four eggs; these were of a greyish-white
ground or nearly pure white, finely speckled over with reddish
brown, some of the eggs exhibiting a tendency to form a zone
round the large end, and others with a complete zone.”

“At Sambhur,” Mr. Adam says, “ this "Wren-Warbler is always
found wherever there are low bushes. It breeds just before the
rains, but I have not recorded the date. I had a nest with the
bird and five eggs sent to me. The eggs are pale bluish white,
with reddish-brown spots and freckles all over them.”

“ During July, August, and the early part of September,” re¬
marks Mr. W. Blewitt, “I found a great number of the nests and
eggs of this bird in the jungle-preserves of Hansie and its neigh¬
bourhood. The nests, of which I have already sent you several,
were mostly in ber {Zizyphus jujuha) and hinse (Capj)aris apliylla)
bushes, at heights of from 3 to 4 feet from the ground. Eive was
the largest number of eggs that I found in any one nest.”

Major C. T. Bingham remarks :—“ I found several nests of this
bird in the beginning of October at Delhi in the jberberry bushes
so plentiful on the Eidge. Both nests and eggs are very like those
oE Cisticola cursitans before described; the only difference I could
find was that the entrance in the nest of C, mrsitans that I found
was at the top, and. in all the nests of F. huclianani at the side
rather low down; the nests of the latter are also firmer and more
globular in shape. The eggs are, to my eye, identical in colour
and form.”

Mr. G-. Eeid informs us that at Lucknow it is fairly common
and a permanent resident. It makes an oblong, loosely constructed
nest with the aperture near the top, and lays three or four white
eggs minutely spotted with dingy red.

Mr. J. Davidson writes that in Western Ivhandeish this Warbler

FRAN-KLIIS-IA.

245

is the commonest bird, breeding about Dhulia in July, August, and
September.

Colonel E. A. Butler writes :—“ I found a nest of the Eufous-
fronted Wren-Warbler at Deesa on the 27th July, 1875. It was
in a grass beerh, and placed in a heap of dead thorns overgrown
with grass and about a foot from the ground. It was composed
externally of dry grass-stems, with lumps of silky white vegetable
down (Calotropis) scattered sparingly over the whole nest. The
lining consisted of very fine dry grass neatly put together and
felted with silky down, and a considerable amount of the dull
salmon-coloured fungus or lichen referred to in the ‘ Eough Draft
of Nests and Eggs,’ p. 359. In shape the nest is nearly spherical,
being slightly oval however, with a small aperture near the top.
The entrance was 1 clinches in diameter,and the nest itself roughly
measured from the outside 4| inches in length and 4 in width.
The eggs, usually four in number, ai'e white, closely speckled over
with pale rusty red, intermingled with a few pale \vashed-out inky
markings, in some cases at the large end, which is surrounded by a
zone clear and well-marked in some instances, less distinct in
others. I found other nests in the same neighbourhood as
below:—

‘‘ Aug. 24, 1875,
^‘July 20, 1876.
‘‘July 28, „
“Aug. 4, „

“ Aug. 5, „
“Aug. 5, „
“Aug. 5, „

“Aug. 8, „

“Aug. 14, „

A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

1? d ,, ,,

55 4 young birds.

55 55 4 fresh eggs.

55 55 4 ,, ,,

4

55 55 ^ 55 55

55 55 ^ 55 55

55 55 ^ 55 55

55 55 ^ 55 55

“ In every one of the above instances the nest was exactly similar
to the one I have described, and built in the same kind of situation,
i» e. in heaps of dead thorns overgrown with long grass. The
eggs are all much the same, the spots being larger in some than in
others and more numerous in some cases than in others. In one
set I have the ground is very pale bluish white (skimmed milk)
instead' of being pure white. As a rule the eggs are almost
exactly like the eggs of 0, cursitans^ and if mixed I doubt very much
if any person could separate them. On examining the salmon-
coloured fungus-lining it appears to me to be nothing more nor
less than small pieces of dried her leaves, and I have never
examined a nest without finding some of this material at the
bottom of it.”

“The Enfous-frented 'Wren-Warbler,” writes Lieut. Barnes,
“ breeds in Eajpootana during July, August, and the early part of
September. The nest, composed of grass, is loosely constructed,
and placed in low bushes or scrub.”

The eggs vary somewhat in size and shape ; a moderately broad
oval, slightly compressed towards the larger end, being, however,

246

SYLYIIDiE.

the commonest type. Examining a large series, it appears that
variations from this type are more commonly of an elongated than
a spherical form. The eggs are of the same character as those
of Qisticola cursitans (p. 286), but yet differ somewhat. The
eggs are many of them fairly glossy, the shells very delicate
and fragile; the ground-colour white, usually slightly greyish,
but in some specimens faintly tinged with very pale green or
pink. Typically they are very thickly and very finely speckled all
over with somewhat dingy red or purplish red. In three out of
four eggs the markings are densest and largest towards the large
end ; and, to judge from the large series before me, at least one
in four exhibits a more or less well-defined mottled zone or cap
at this end, formed by the partial confluence of multitudinous
specks.

In some specimens the markings are pale inky purple, and in
some slightly purplish brown, but these are abnormal varieties.
In one or two eggs fairly-sized spots and blotches are intermingled
with the minute speekhngs, but this also is rare. Of course in
different specimens the density of the speckling varies greatly: in
some eggs not a fifth of the surface is covered with the markings,
while in some it appears as if there were more of these than of the
ground-colour.

In length the eggs vary from 0*55 to 0*66, and in breadth from
0*43 to 0*52; but the average of eighty-seven eggs is 0*62 by
0*48.

385. Franklinia cinereicapilla (Hodgs.). Hodyson's Wren-
Warbler,

Prinia cinereocapilla, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Jnd. ii, p. 172; Hume, B.ouqh
Draft N. ^ li.-ao.HZ7.

Captain Hutton says*:—“In this species the structure of the
nest is somewhat coarser than inP. steiuarti, and it is more loosely
put together, but like that species it is also a true Tailor-bird.

“ In the specimen before me two large leaves are stitched
togetlier at the edges, and betw^een these rests the cup-shaped nest
composed of grass-stalks and fine roots, as inP. steivarti, and with¬
out any lining, while, being more completely surrounded by or
enfolded in the leaves, the cottony seed-down which binds to¬
gether the fibres in the others is here dispensed with.

‘‘ The eggs were three in number, of a pale bluish hue, irrorated
with specks of rufous-browm, and chiefly so at the larger end, where
they form an ill-defiued ring.

* I reproduce this note as it appeared in the ‘ Bough Draft/ but I liave no
faitb in the identification of this rare bird by Capt Hutton. Mr. Hume is
apparently of the same opinion, as he does not quote the Dhoon as one ot‘ the
localities in which this species occurs (S. R is, p. 28(5). It may be well,
however, to point out that Mr. Brooks procured this sjDecies at Dhunda*
in the Bhagirati valley, so that it is not unlikely to occur in the Dhoon.— Ed. '

LATICILLA.

247

“The eggs ineasared 0*62 by 0*44.

“ The nest was foancl hanging on a large-leafed annual shrub
growing in the Dhoon, and was placed about 2 feet from the
ground. It was taken on 22nd Jiilj.’^

386. LaticiUa buriiesi (BL). The Long-tailed Grass-Warbler.

Eurycercus burnesii^ BL, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 74.

Mr. S. B. Doig appears to be the only ornithologist who has
found the nest of the Long-tailed Grass-Warbler. Writing of the
Eastern Narra District, in Sind, he says :—

“ This bird is in certain localities very numerous, but invariably
confines itself to dense thickets of reed and tamarisk jungle. The
discovery of my first nest was as follows:

“ On the 13th March, wdiile closely searching some thick grass
along the banks of a small canal, I heard a peculiar twittering which
I did not recognize. After standing perfectly still for a short
while, I at length caught sight of the bird, which I at once identified
as L. hurnesi. Leaving the bed of the canal in which I was walking
and making a slight detour, I came suddenly over the spoil-bank
of the canal on to the place where the bird had been calling.
My sudden appearance caused the bird to get veiy excited, and it
kept on twittering, approaching me at one time until quite close
and then going a^vay again a short distance; I at once begaii
searching for its nest, and out of the first tussock of grass I touched,
close to where I was standing, flew the female, who joined her mate,
after which both birds kept up a continuous and angry twittering.
On opening out the grass, I found the nest with three fresh eggs
in it, placed right in the centre of the tuft and close to the ground.
The eggs were of a pale green ground-colour, covered with large
irregular blotches of purplish brown, and not very unlike some of
the eggs of Passer flavicoUis. After this I found several nests, but
they w’ere all building, and were one and all deserted, though in
nmny instances I never touched the nest, often never saw it, as on
seeing the birds flying in and out of the grass with building material
in their bills I left the place and returned in ten days’ time, but
only to find the nest deserted. In one case where a single egg had
been laid, I found that the bird before deserting the nest had broken
the egg. In July I again got a nest and shot the parent birds;
the eggs in this nest were quite of a di:fferent type, being of a very
pale cream ground-colour, with large rusty blotches, principally
confined to the larger end- The nests of this bird are composed
of coarse grass, the inside being composed of the finer parts ; they
are 4 to 5 inches external diameter and 2^ inches internal diameter,
the cavity being about inches deep. The months in which they
bi*eed are, as far as I at present know, March, June, and September.
The eggs vary in size from *65 to *80 in length and from *50 to *55
in breadth. The average of seven eggs is *72 in length and *54
in breadth.”

248

STLVIID^.

The eggs o£ this species vary somewhat in size and shape, but
they are typically regular rather elongated ovals, rather obtuse at
both ends, and often slightly compressed towards the small end.
The shell is fine and compact and has a slight gloss; the ground¬
colour is sometimes greenish white, sometimes faintly creamy.
The eggs are generally pretty thickly and finely speckled and
scratched all over, and besides the fine markings there are a greater
or smaller number of more or less large irregular blotches and
splashes, chiefly confined to the large end. These markings, large
and small, are brown, very variable in shade, in some eggs reddish,
in some chocolate, in some raw sienna, &c. Besides these primary
markings most eggs exhibit a number of paler subsurface secon¬
dary markings, varying in colour from sepia to lavender or pale
purple; these are mostly confined to the large end (though tiny
spots of the same tint occur occasionally on all parts of the egg),
where with the large blotches they often form a more or less con¬
spicuous and more or less confluent but always ill-defined zone or
even cap. Here and there an egg absolutely wants the larger
blotches, but even in such cases the specklings are more crowded
about the large end, and these with the lilac clouds still combine
to indicate a sort of zone.

The eggs I possess of this species, sent me by Mr. Doig, vary
from 0*71 to 0*81 in length by 0*52 to 0*59 in breadth; but the
average of seven eggs is 0*72 by 0*55.

388. Graminicola hengalensis, Jerd. The Large GrasH-WarUer.

Graminicola hengalensis, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 177.

Drymoica hengalensis {Jerd.), Hume, Rough Draft N. ^ E. no. 542.

Long ago the late Colonel Tytler gave me the following note on
this species :—“ I shot these birds at Dacca in 1852, and sent a
description and a drawing of them to Mr. Blyth. They were named
after my esteemed friend Jules Yerreaux, of Paris. They are not
uncommon at Dacca in grass-jungle. I think the bird Dr. Jerd on
gives in his ‘Birds of India’ as Graminicola hengalensis, Jerdon,
No. 542, p. 177, vol. ii., is meant for this species. The genus
Graminicola, under which he places this bird, appears to be a genus
of Dr. Jerdon’s own, for it is not in Gray’s ‘ Genera and Subgenera
of Birds in the British Museum,’ printed in 1855. If it is the same
bird as Dr. Jerdon’s, then my name, which I communicated in
1851-52 not only to Mr. Blyth but also to Prince Bonaparte and
M. Jules Yerreaux, and which was published in my Fauna of Dacca,
has, it seems to me, the priority.”

The birds are identical. Jerdon gave me one of his Cachar
specimens, and I compared it with Tytler’s types, and certainly
Tytler’s name was published ten years before Jerdon’s {vide Ann.
& Mag. Nat. Hist., Sept. 1854, p. 176); but no description was
published, and I fear therefore that the name given by Colonel
Tytler cannot be maintained, unless indeed, which I have been

MEGALUHUS.

249

unable to ascertain, either Bonaparte or Verreaux figured or de¬
scribed the specimens Tytler sent them in some French work.

1 have only one supposed nest of this species, brought me from
Dacca by a native collector who worked there for me under Mr.
F. B. Simson. Fie did not take it himself; it was brought to him
with one of the parent birds by a shikaree. The evidence is,
therefore, very bad, but I give the facts for what they are worth.

The nest is a rather massive and deep cup, the lower portion
prolonged downwards so as to form a short truncated cone. It is
fixed between three reeds, is constructed of sedge and vegetable
fibre firmly wound together and round the reeds, and is lined with
fine grass-roots. It measures externally 5 inches in height and
nearly 4 inches in diameter, measuring outside the reeds which are
incorporated in the outer surface of the nest. The cavity is about
2| inches in diameter and nearly 2 inches deep. It contained four
eggs, hard-set; only one could he preserved, and that was broken
in bringing up-country ; so 1 could not measure it, but the shell
was a sort of pale greenish grey or dull greenish white, rather
thickly but very faintly speckled and spotted with very dull purplish
and reddish brown, with some grey spots intermingled. The nest
was obtained (no date noted) between the middle of July and the
middle of August. I note that the eggs were on the point of
hatching, so that the fresh egg would probably be somewhat brighter
coloured.

389. Megalurus palustris, Horsf. The Striaied Marsh-Warbler,

Megalurus palustris, Horsf., Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 70; liouc/h

Draft N. cS* E. no. 440.

JN'othiug has hitherto been recorded of the nidification of the
Striated Marsh-Warbler, although it has a very wide distribution
and is very common in suitable localities.

The Striated Marsh-Babbler, as Jerdon calls it, has nothing of the
Babbler in it. It rises perpendicularly out of the reeds, sings
rather screechingly while in the air, and descends suddenly. It has
much more of a song than any of the Babblers, a much stronger
flight, and its sudden, upward, towering flight and equally sudden
descent are unlike anything seen amongst the Babblers.

Mr. E. C. Nunn procured the nest and an egg of this species
(which along with the parent birds he kindly forwarded to me) at
Hoshungabad on the 4th May, 18G8. The nest was round, com¬
posed of dry grass, and situated in a cluster of reeds between two
rocks in the bed of the Nerbudda. It contained a single fresh egg.

Writing from Wan, in the Pegu District, Mr. Oates remarks :—
found a nest on the 19th May containing four eggs recently
laid. The female flew oflt only at the last moment, when my pony
was about to tread on the tuft of grass she had selected for her
home.

‘‘ The nest was placed in a small but very dense grass-tuft about
a foot above the ground. It was made entirely of coarse grasses.

250

SYLYIID-TS.

aucl assimilated well with the dry and entangled stems among which
it lay. The mest was very deep and purse-shaped. It was about

8 inches in total height at the back, and some 2 inches lower in
front, the upper part of the purse being as it were cut oft slantingly,
and thus leaving an entrance which was more or less circular. The
width is 6,I inches, and the breadth from front to back 4 inches.
The interior is smooth, lined with somewhat finer grass, and
measures 4 inches in depth by 3 inches from side to side, and by
2 inches from front to back.

Mecjalarus ixtlusiris is very common throughout the large plains
lying bet^^*eeu the Pegu and 8ittang E,ivers. At the end of May
they were all breeding. The nest is, how ever, difficult to find, owing
to the vast extent of favourable ground suited to its habits. Every
yard of the land produces a clump of grass likely enough to hold a
nest, and as the female sits still till the nest is actually touched, it
becomes a difficult and laborious task to find the nest.”

He subsequently remarks:—‘‘ May seems to be the month in
which these birds lay hei'e. The nest is very often placed on the
ground under the shelter of some grass-tuft.^’

Mr. Cock burn writes to me :—I found a nest of this bird on
the north bank of the Bramaputra, near Sadija. One of the birds
darted off the nest a foot or two from me in an excited way, which
led me to search. The nest was almost a perfect oval, with a slice
taken ofi at the top on one side, built in a clump of grass, and only

9 or 10 inches from the ground. It was made of sarpat-grass, and
lined internally with finer grasses. The grass had a bleached and
washed-out appearance, while the clump was quite green. This
was on the 29th May. I noticed at the same time that the nest
was not interwoven with the living grass. I removed it easily with
the hand.”

Mr. Cripps says:—‘‘ They breed in April and May in the
Hibrugarh district, placing their deep cup-shaped nests in tussocks
of grass wherever it is swampy, in some instances the bottoms of the
nests being wet. Eoiir seems to be the greatest number of eggs in
a nest.”

The eggs are much the same shape and size as those of Acroce-
jph(tlus stcntoreus. They have a dead-white ground, thickly speckled
and spotted with blackish and jjurplish brown, and have hut a slight
gloss; the speelding, e\^erywffiere thick, is generally densest at the
large end, aud there chiefly do spots, as big as an ordinary pin’s
head, occur. At the large end, besides these specklings, there is a
cloudy, dull, irregular cap, or else isolated patches, of very pale
inky purple, w’hich more or less obscure the ground-colour. In
the peculiar speckly character of the markings these eggs recall
doubtless some specimens of the eggs of the different Bulbuls, bub
their natural affinities seem to be with those of the Acrocephalimp.

The eggs vary from 0*8 to 0*97 in length, and from 0*61 to
0-69 in breadth ; but the average of twelve eggs is 0*85 by 0*64.

SCIIOE NICOLA..

251

390. Sclicenicola platyura (Jercl.). The Broad-tailed Grass-
'Wavl)le)\

Sclicenicola platyura Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 73.

Colonel E. A. Eiitler discovered the nest of the Broad-tailed
Grass-Warbler at Belganm. He writes:—

“ On the 1 st September, 1880,1 shot a pair of these birds as
they rose out of some long grass by the side of a rice-field; and,
thinking there might be a nest, I commenced a diligent search,
which resulted in my finding one. It consisted of a good-sized
ball of coarse blades of dry grass, with an entrance on one side,
and was built in long grass about a foot from the ground. Though
it was apparently finislied, there were unfortunately no eggs, but
dissection of the hen proved that she would have laid in a day or
two. On the 10 th instant I found another nest exactly similar,
built in a tussock of coarse grass, near the same place; but this
was subsequently deserted without the bird laying. On the
19th September I went in the early morning to the same patcli
of grass and watched another pair, soon seeing the hen disap])ear
amongst some thick tussocks. On my approaching the spot she
flew off the nest, which contained four eggs much incubated. The
nest \vas precisely similar to the others, but with the entrance-hole
perhaps rather nearer the top, though still on one side. The situa¬
tion in the grass was the same—in fact it was very similar in every
respect to the nest of Dnjmoeca insigim. The eggs are very like
those of Molpastes hcemorrlious^ but smaller, having a purplish-white
ground, sprinkled all o^^er with numerous small specks and spots of
purple and purplish brown, with a cap of the same at the large end,
underlaid with inky lilac.

“These birds closely resemble Chcetorms striatits in their actions
and habits, and in the breeding-season rise constantly into the air,
chirruping like that species, and descending afterwards in the same
way on to some low bush or tussock of grass, sometimes even on to
the telegraph-wires. They are fearful little skulks, however, if
you attempt to pursue them, and the moment you approach disap¬
pear into the grass like a shot, from whence it is almost impossible
to flush them again unless you all but tread on them. It is
perfectly marvellous the way they will hide themselves in a patch
of grass when they have once taken refuge in it; and although
you may know within a yard or two of where the bird is, you may
search for half an hour without finding it. If you shoot at them
and miss, they drop to the shot into the grass as if killed, and
nothing will dissuade you from the belief that they are so until,
after a long search, the little beast gets up exactly where you haxe
been hunting all along, from almost under your feet, and darts off
to disappear, after another short flight of fifteen or twenty yards,
in another patch of grass, from whence 3^011 may again try in Aaiii
to dislodge it.”

The eggs of this species, though much smaller, are precisely of
the same type as those of MeijaluTus palustris and Chadornis

252

SYLVI1D.T3.

striatxis; moderately broad ovals with a very fine compact shell,
with but little gloss, though perhaps rather more of this than in
either of the species above referred to. The ground-colour is
white, with perhaps a faint pinkish shade, and it is profusely
speckled and spotted with brownish red, almost black in some spots,
more chestnut in others. Here and there a few larger spots or
small irregular blotches occur. Besides these markings, clouds,
streaks, and tiny spots of grey or lavender-grey occur, chiefly about
the large end, where, with the markings (often more numerous
there than elsewhere), they form at times a more or less con¬
fluent but irregular and ill-defined cap.

One egg measured 0*73 by 0*6.

391. Acanthoptila nepalensis (Hodgs.). The S'piny Warller.

Acanthoptila iiipalensis {Hodgs.), Jerd. JB. Ind. ii, p 57.

Acanthoptila pellotis, Hodgs., Hume, Rough Draft N. E. no. 431 bis.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and figures, this species
builds, in a fork of a tree, a very loose, shallow grass nest. One
is recorded to have measured 4*87 in diameter and 1*75 in height
externally, and internally 3*37 in diameter and an inch in depth.
The eggs are verditer-blue, and are figured as 1*1 by 0*65,

I may here note that Acanthoptila pellotis and A. leucotis are
totally distinct, as Mr. Hodgson’s figures clearly show. Hodgson
published A. leucotis apparently under the name of A. nipalensis, so
that the two will stand as A. pellotis and A. nipalensis^.

392. Chsetornis locustelloides (BL). The Bristled Grass-WarUer.

Chaetornis striatus {Jej'd.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 72: Hume, Rough
Draft N. E. no. 441.

Dr. Jerdon remarks that Mr. Blyth mentions that the nest of
the Grrass-Babbler, as he calls it, nearly accords with that of Mala-
cocercus, and that the eggs are blue.

I cannot find the passage in which Blyth states this, and I
cannot help doubting its correctness. This bird, like the preceding,
is not a bit of a Babbler. I have often w^atched them in Lower
Bengal amongst comparatively low grass and rush along the
margins of ponds and jheels, not, as a rule, a:ffecting high reed or
seeking to conceal themselves, but showing themselves freely
enough, and with a song and flight wholly unlike that of any
Babbler.

They are very restless, soaring about and singing a monotonous
song of two notes, somew^hat resembling that of a Pipit, but clear
and loud. They do not soar in one spot like a Sky-Lark, as
Jerdon says, but rise to the height of from 30 to 50 yards, fly

* I do not agree with Mr. Hume on this point. It seems to me that this
bird has both a summer and a winter plumage, and Hodgson’s two names refer
to one and the same bird.— Ed.

CHyETOHNIS.

253

rapidly right and left, over perhaps one fourth of a mile, and then
suddenly drop on to the top of some little bush or other convenient
post, and there continue their song.

Mr. Brooks remarks On the 2Sth August, 1869,1 observed
at the side of the railway, at Jheeiijuck Jheel, on the borders of
the Etavvah and Oawnpoor Districts, several pairs of Qhcetoniis. A
good part of the jheel was covered with grass about IS inches high,
and to this they appeared partial, though occasionally I found them
among the long reeds. The part of the jheel where they were
found was drier than the rest, there being only about an inch of
water in places, while other portions Avere quite dry.

“I noticed the bird singing while seated on a bush or large
clump of grass, and sometimes it perched on the telegraph-
wires alongside of the line of railway, continuing its song while
perched.

“By habits and song it seems more nearly allied to the Pipits
than the Babblers. Males shot early in {September were obviously
breeding, and a female shot on the 13th of that month contained a
nearly full-sized egg.”

It does not do to be too positive, but I should be inclined to
believe that the eggs are not uniform coloured, blue and glossy like
a Babbler s, but dull, dead, or greenish white, with numerous small
specks and spots

Colonel E. A. Butler, who was the first to discover the eggs of
the Bristled G-rass-Warbler, writes :—

“ The Grass-Babbler is not uncommon about Deesa in the rains,
at which season it breeds. I found a nest containing four eggs on
the 18th August, 1876. It consisted of a round ball of diy grass
with a circular entrance on one side, near the top, was placed on
the ground in the centre of a low scrubby bush in a grass Bheerh,
and when the hen-bird flew off, which was not until I almost put
my foot on the nest, I mistook her for Arijya octudaia. On looking,
however, into the bush, I saw at once by the eggs that it was a
species new to me. I left the spot and returned again in about an
hour’s time, when, to my disappointment, I found that three of the
eggs had hatched. The fourth egg being vstale, I took it and added
it to rny collection. The eggs are about the size of the eggs of
A. caudata, but in colour very like those of FraMvnia huchanaiii^
namely, white, speckled all over with reddish brown and j)a]e
lavender, most densely at the large end. This bird has a peculiar
habit in the breeding-season of rising suddenly into the air and
soaring about, often for a considerable distance, uttering a loud
note resembling the words ‘ chirrup, chirrup-chirrup,’ repeated all
the time the bird is in the air, and then suddenly descending slowly
into the grass wdth outspread wings, much in the style of Mirafra
erythroptera. This bird is so similar in appearance, when flying
and hopping about in the long grass, to A, caudaia, that I have no

^ The discovery of this bird’s eggs has proved Mr. Hume to be right in his
conjecture.— Ed. '

254

SYLVIID^.

doubt it is often mistaken for that species. I have invariably found
it during the rains in grass Bheerhs overgrown with low thorny
bushes {Ziz'ijjpliiis jitjuha, &c.). Whether it remains the whole
year round 1 cannot say ; at all events, if it does, its close resem¬
blance to A, caiiclata enables it to escape notice at other seasons.’’

Mr. Cripps, writing from Fureedpore, says :—“ Very common in
long grass fields. Permanent resident. It utters its soft notes
while on the wing, not only in the cold season but the year through ;
it is very noisy during the breeding-time. Breeds in clumps of
grass a few inches above as well as on the ground. I found five
nests in the month of May from 23rd to 2Sth : one was on the
ground in a field of indigo ; the rest were in clumps of ‘ sone ’ grass
and from the same field composed of this grass. One nest con¬
tained three half-fiedged young, and the rest had four eggs
slightly incubated in each. Although they nest in ‘ sone ’ grass
which is rarely over three feet in height, it is very difficult to
find the nest, as the grass generally overhangs and hides it. Only
when the bird rises almost from your feet are you able to discover
the whereabouts. On several occasions I have noticed this species
perching on bushes.”

The eggs, which, to judge from a large series sent me by Mr.
Cripps, do not appear to vary much in shape, are moderately broad
ovals, more or less pointed towards one end. The shell is fine and
fragile but entirely devoid of gloss ; the ground-colour is white
with a very faint pinky or lilac tinge, and they are thickly speckled
all over with minute markings of two different shades—the one a
sort of purplish brown (they are so small that it is difficult to make
certain of the exact colour), and the other inky purple or grey. In
most eggs the markings are most dense at or about the large end,
and occasionally a spot may be met with larger than the rest, as big
as a pin’s head say, and some of these seem to have a reddish tinge,
while some are more of a sepia.

The eggs vary from 0*75 to 0*86 in length and from 0*59 to 0*62 in
breadth, but the average of twelve eggs is almost exactly 0*8 by 0 6.

394. Hypolais rama (Sykes). Syka’s Tree-Warbler.

Phyllopneuste rama (Sy7ces), Jerd. B. Bid. ii, p. 189.

Idima caligata, Licht., Tlume^ ItoxKjh Draft N. ^ D. no. 553.

I have never myself obtained the nest and eggs of Sykes’s Tree-
Warbler, P. rama, apud Jerd.^ On the 1st April, at Etawah, my
friend Mr. Brooks shot a male of this species off a nest ; and I saw
the bird, nest, and eggs within an hour, and visited the spot later.
The nest was placed in a low thorny hush, about a foot from the
ground, on the side of a sloping bank in one of the larg:e dry ravines
that in the Etawah District fringe the Eiver Jumna for a breadth

^ I reproduce the note on this bird as it appeared in the ‘ Eouo-b. Draft/ but
I think some mistake has been made, as Mr. Hume himself suggests. Full re¬
liance, however, may be placed on Mr. Doig’s note, which is a most interesting
contributioa.—Ei).

HYPOLAIS. 255

o£ from a mile to four miles. The nest was nearly egg-shaped, with
a circular entrance near the top. It was loosely woven with coarse
and fine grass, and a little of the fibre of the ‘‘sun’’ {Croialcirla
jiincea), and very neatly felted on the whole interior surface of
the lower two thirds with a compact coating of the down of
fiowering-grasses and little bits of spider’s web. It was about 5
inches in i's longest and oi inches in its shortest diameter. It
contained three fresh eggs, which were white, very thickly speckled
with brownish pink, in places confluent and having a decided ten¬
dency to form a zone near the large end. Three or four days later
we shot the female at the same spot.

A similar nest and two eggs, taken in Jhansi on the 12th August,
were sent me mth one of the parent birds by Mr. F. H. Blewitt,
and, again, another nest with four eggs was sent me from Hosh-
ungabad.

There ought to be no doubt about these nests and eggs, the more
so that I have several specimens of the bird from various parts
of the North-Western Provinces and Central Provinces killed in
August and September, but somehow I do not feel quite certain
that we have not made some mistake. Beyond doubt the great
mass of this species migrate and breed further north. I have never
obtamed specimens in lime or July; and if these nests really, as
the evidence seems to show, belonged to the birds that were shot on
or near them, these latter must have bred in India before or after
their migration, as w'ell as in Northern Asia.

Though one may make minute differences, I do not think either
of the three nests or sets of eggs could be certainly separated from
those of Franhlinia hitchanani^ which might well have eggs about
both in April and August; and I am not prepared to say that in
each of these three cases Ily^yolais rama^ which frequents pre¬
cisely the same kind of bushes that F. hucJiancmi breeds in, may
not accidentally have been shot in the immediate proximity to a
nest of the latter, the owner of which had crept noiselessly away,
as these birds so often do.

Dr. Jerdon says :—“ I have obtained the nest and eggs of this
species on one occasion only at Jaulnah in the Dekhan ; the nest
was cup-shaped, made of roots and grass, and contained four pure
white eggs.”

I do not attach undue weight to this, for Dr. Jerdon did not care
about eggs, and was rather careless about them ; but still his state¬
ment has to be noted, and the whole matter requires careful inves¬
tigation.

Mr. Doig found this species breeding on the Eastern Narra in
Sind. He wTites :—“ I first obtained eggs of this bird in March
187b. The first nest was found by one of my men, who afterwards
showed me a bird close to the place begot the eggs, which he said
was either the bird to which the nest and eggs belonged or one of
the same kind. This I shot and sent to Mr. Hume with one of the
eggs to identify. Sometime after I again came across a lot of
these birds breeding, and this time lay in wait myself for the bird to

256

SYLVIID.5i:,

come to the nest and eggs, and when it did T shot it. This I also
sent to Mr. Hume to identify. Some time after I heard from Mr.
Hume, who said that there must be some mistake, as the birds sent
belonged to two different species,viz. Sylvia affitm and Hypolais rcima^
and were both, he believed, only cold-weather visitants. This year
I again ‘ went for ’ these birds and again sent specimens of birds
and eggs to Mr. Hume, who informed me that the birds now sent
were H. mma, and that the eggs must belong to this species.
Soon after this Mr. Brooks saw the eggs \^dth Mr. Hume and iden¬
tified them as being those of/7. rama and identical with eggs he saw at
home collected by, I think, Mr. Seebohm of this species in Siberia.
Only fancy a bird breeding on theNarra of all places, especially in
May, June, and July, in preference to Siberia! Locally they are
very numerous, as I collected upwards of 90 to 100 eggs in one
held about eight acres in size. They build in stunted tamarisk
bushes, or rather in bushes of this kind which originally were cut
down to admit of cultivation being carried on, and which after¬
wards had again sprouted. These bushes are very dense, and
in their centre is situated the nest, composed of sedge, with a
lining of fine grass, mixed sometimes with a little soft grass-reed.
The eggs are, as a rule, four in number, of a dull white ground¬
colour with brown spots, the large end having as a rule a ring
round it of most delicate, hue, hair-like brown lines, something
similar to the tracing to be seen on the eggs of JDrymoeca inornata.
The egg in size is also similar to those of that species.’^

The eggs of this species vary from broad to moderately elongated
ovals, but they are almost always somewhat pointed towards the
small end; the shell is fine but as a mile glossless ; here and there,
however, an egg exhibits a faint gloss. The ground-colour is
whitish, never pure white, with an excessively faint greenish,
greyish, creamy, or pinky tinge. The markings are very variable in
amount and extent, but they are always black or nearly so and pale
inky grey; perhaps typically the markings consist of a zone of
black hair-lines twisted and entangled together, in which irregular
shaped spots and small blotches of the same colour appear to have
been caught, which zone is underlaid and more or less surrounded
by clouds, streaks, and spot.s of pale inky grey. This zone is typically
about the large end, but in one or two eggs is near the middle of
the egg and in one or two is about the small end. Outside this
zone a few small specks and spots, and rarely one or two tiny
blotches, of both black and grey are thinly scattered; occasionally,
however, the hair-lines so characteristic of this egg are almost en¬
tirely wanting, there is no apparent zone, and the markings, spots,
and specks are thinly and irregularly distributed about the entire
surface ; here and there the whole of the dark markings on the egg
are entirely confined to the zone, elsewhere only pale lilac specks are
visible. Occasionally together with a well-defined zone numerous
specks, spots, and a few hair-line scratches of black are intermingled
with faint purplish-grey spots, and pretty thinly scattered every¬
where.

SriiYIA.

257

The eggs vary from 0*53 to 0*68 in length and from 0*46 to
0-51 in breadth; but the average of a very large number is 0*61 by
0-49.

402. Sylvia afldnis (Blyth). The Indian Lesser White-throated

Warbler,

Sylvia ciirriica (Gm.), apud Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 209.

Sterparola curriica {Lath.), Hume, Bough Draft N. ^ E. no. 583.

Of the nidilication of the Lesser Whitethroat withiu our limits,
I only know that it was found in May, breeding abundantly in
Cashmere in the lower hills, by Mr. Brooks. He did not notice it
comparatively high up; for instance at Goolmerg, which, though
not above 90*00 feet high, is at the base of a snowy range, he did
not see it at all.

It builds a loose, rather shallow, cup-shaped nest, composed chiefly
of grass, coarser on the exterior and finer interiorly, which it places
in low bushes and thickets at no great elevation from the ground.
The nest is more or less lined with fine grass and roots.

It lays four or sometimes five eggs.

Mr. Brooks writes:—“ I found this Whitethroat tolerably
numerous in Cashmere, where it appears generally distributed,
occurring at from 5500 to 6500 feet elevation or thereabouts,
It frequents places where there is abundance of brushwood or
underwood, especially along the banks of rivers or near them.

I found several nests, and they were all placed in small bushes,
and from 4 to 6 feet above the ground. One was in a bush on a
small island in the Kangan Eiver, which runs into the Sind River ;
and this nest I well remember was just so high that I could not
look into it as I stood. The nests precisely resembled in size and
structure those of G. garrida which I have seen at home, being
formed of grasses, roots, and fine fibres, and I think scantily lined
with a few black horsehairs; but I forget this now. They were
slight, thinly formed nests, very neat but strong, and had bits of
spider’s web stuck about the outside here and there. This appears
to be the decoration this bird and (7. garrida are partial to. They
were not added, I think, for the pmpose of rendering the nest
inconspicuous, for there were just enough to give the nest a spotted
appearance.

The song of this species strongly resembles that of its con¬
gener, and is full, loud, and sweet. I found the nests by the song
of the male, for he generally sings near the nest. The eggs don’t
differ from those of G. garrula in my collection.”

Major Wardlaw Ramsay says, writing of Afghanistan :—“ This
Warbler was very common and was breeding by the 27th
May. All the nests found were shallow cups, composed entirely
of dried grass, and situated in small bushes, frequently juniper,
about 2^ feet from the ground. The eggs vary much both in size
and colour—some being long ovals, nearly pure white, spotted with
pale brown towards the larger end, and others of a much rounder

VOL. I. 17

258

SYLYIlDiE.

form and a pale greenish white, thickly spotted in a broad zone
near the thicker end and smeared with very pale brown, or else
spotted and smeared with olive-brown over the whole of the thicker
end/^

The eggs are somewhat broad ovals, typically a good deal pointed
towards the lesser end. They vary, however, much both in size
and shape: some are short and broad, decidedly pointed at the small
end ; others are more elongated, and some are almost regular ellip¬
soids. The eggs have little or no gloss; the ground-colour is
white, with a more or less perceptible though very faint greenish
tinge. Typically they are very Shrike-like in their markings, the
majority of these being gathered together in a more or less dense
zone near the large end. The markings consist of small spots,
blotches, and specks of pale yellowish brown, more or less inter¬
mingled with spots and specks of dull inky purple or grey; in
many eggs there are very few markings, and these are mere spots
except ill the zone, while in others full-sized markings are scattered,
though thinly, more or less over the whole surface of the egg. In
some the zone is contiiient and blurred; in others composed of
small sharply defined specks and spots. Here and there a pretty
large yellowish-brown cloud may be met with partially or entirely
bounded by a narrow hair-iike black line. Tiny black specks now
and then occur, and little zigzag lines that might have been bor¬
rowed from a Bunting s egg; but these are not met with in probably
more than one out ot ten eggs.

In length the eggs vary from 0*6 to 0*75, and in breadth from
0*48 to 0*55; but the average of sixteen eggs is 0*66 by 0*5.

406, Phylloscopus tytleri, Brooks. Tytlers Willoiu-Warbler.

Phylloscopus tytleri, Brooksj Hume, Rough Draft N. (§' D no. 560
Ms.

Tytier’s Willow-Warbler, as yet a rare bird in collections, and
which appears only to straggle clown to the plains of Upper India
during the cold season, was found by Captain Cock breeding at
Sonanierg (9400 feet elevation) in the Sindh Valley, Cashmere, in
J une.

Mr. Brooks, who discriminated the bird, said of it and its nidifi-
cation :—“ In plumage resembling P. viridaoius, but of a richer and
deeper olive ; it is entirely without the ‘ whitish wing-bar,’ which
is always present in viridanus, unless in very abraded plumage.
The wing is shorter, so is the tail; but the great difference is in
the biU, which is much longer, darker, and of a more pointed and
slender form in P. tytleri. The song and notes are utterly differ¬
ent, so are the localities frequented. P. viridanus is an inhabitant
of brushwood ravines, at 9000 and 10,000 feet elevation; while
P. tytleri is exclusively a pine-forest Plvylloscoinis. In the places
frequented by P. vmdanus, it must build on the ground, or very
near it; but our new species builds, 40 feet up a piue-tree, a compact
half-domed nest on the side of a branch.

PHYLLOSCOPUS,

259

Captain Cock shot one of this species oflP the nest at Sonamerg
with four eggs. The bird he sent to me, and gave me two oE the
eggs. Eegarding the nest he says : ‘ I took a nest, containing four
eggs, about 40 feet up a pine, on the outer end of a bough, by means
of ropes and sticks, and I shot the female bird. I do not know
what the bird is. I thought it was P. viridanus, but I send it to
you. The nest was very deep, solidly built, and cup-shaped.

plain white.’ In conversation with Captain Cock he after¬
wards told me that he had watched the bird building its nest. It
was rather on the side of the branch, and its solid formation re¬
minded him of a Groldfinch’s nest. It was composed of grass, fibres,
moss, and lichens externally and thickly lined with hair and feathei's.
The eggs were pure unspotted white, rather smaller than those of
Hegidoides occipitalis. Two of them measured ’58 by *48 and *57
by *45. They were taken on the 4th June.”

Captain Cock himself writes to me:—“Of all the birds’nests
that I know of, this is one of the most difficult to find. One day
in the forest at Sonamerg, Cashmere, I noticed a Warbler fly into a
high pine with a feather in its bill. I watched with the glasses
and saw that it was constructing a nest, so allowing a reasonable
time to elapse (nine days or so) I went and took the nest. It was
placed on the outer end of a bough, about 40 feet up a high pine,
and I had to take the nest by means of a spar lashed at right
angles to the tree, the outer extremity of which was supported by a
rope fastened to the top of the pine. The nest was a very solid,
deep cup, of grass, fibres, and lichens externally, and lined with hair
and feathers. It contained four white eggs, measuring 0*58 by
0*48.

“ I shot the female, which I sent to Mr. Brooks for identification.

“ I forgot to add that this nest, the only one I ever found, was
taken early in June.”

The egg of this species closely resembles that of some of the
species of Alrornis —a moderately broad oval, slightly pointed at
the small end, pure white, and almost glossless. The only specimen
I have seen measures 0*58 by 0*45.

410. Phylloscopus fuscatus (Blyth). The Duslcy Willow-Warller,

Phylloscopus fiiscatus (Blyth), Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 191.

Ilorornis fiil'siventer, Hodgs., Hume, Bough Draft N. ^ E. no. 523.

Mr. Blyth long ago stated in ‘ The Ibis ’ that Horornis fulviventris
was identical with P. fuscatus

Subsequently I procured several specimens which were quite

* It is with considerable hesitation that I reproduce this note. Horornis
fidviventris with which Jerdon identified the bird, the nest of which he de¬
scribes, is certainly P. fitscatus. The only doubt I have is whether Jerdon, who
apparently had not seen a specimen H fulviventris, rightly identified his bird
with it. With this explanation the note is republished as it appeared in the
‘ Rough Draft.’—En.

260

SYLVIID-E.

distinct from P. ftiSGcttas, structurally as well as in plumage
answering perfectly to Hodgson’s description.

I wrote to Dr. Jerdon mentioning this fact, and he replied “ I
also am not satisfied of the identity of this species {H. fiilviventris)
with Fhylloscopiis fuscatus. I have recently got at Darjeeling what
1 take to be Ilorornis fulviventris^ and it is somewhat smaller
in all its dimensions, but I had not a typical P. fuscatus with which
to compare it. Specimens measured 4| to 4| inches ; expanse
inches ; wing 2 to 2^ inches. I procured the nest and eggs in
July; the nest, cup-shaped, on a bank, composed of grass chiefly,
with a few fibres ; and the eggs, three in number, pinky white,
w-ith a few reddish spots.”

It is certainly not P. f uscatus (though possibly some specimens of
P. fuscatus in the British Museum may bear a label formerly
attached to a bird of this species), nor any other Horornis or
Horeites included in Dr. Jerdon’s work, all of which I have.
Mr. Blyth possibly went by Mr. Hodgson’s specimens in the British
Museum, but some confusion has, it is known, somehow crept in
amongst these ; and I have no doubt myself that Horoniis fulvi-
ventris is a good species, and that it was the nest and eggs of this
species which Dr. Jerdon found

415. Phylloscopus proregulus (Pall.). Pallas’s Willow-Warhler,

Beguloides chloronotus (Hodcjs.), JercL B. I. ii, p. 197.

Reguloides proregulus (Pall.), Kume^ Rough Draft N, D. no. 566.

Captain Cock has the honour of being the first to take, and, I
believe, up to date the only oologist who has ever taken, the nest
and eggs of Pallas’s Willow-Warbler. Mr. Brooks tried hard for
the prize, but he searched on the ground and so missed the nest.
He wrote to me from Cashmere, just about the time (June 1871)
that Captain Cock found the nest he obtained:—‘‘ I have been
utterly unable to do anything with P. proregulus, I shot a female,
with an egg nearly ready to lay, when I first went to Goolmerg,
but though I often heard the males singing, I never could find any
indication of the nesting female. The feeble song, like that of
P. sihilatrix, alluded to by Blyth as being that of P. superciliosus^
is not that of this latter bird, but of P. proregulusP

Later, in the Journal of the Asiatic Society, he noted that
“ Captain Cock took the nest and eggs at Sonamerg. It builds,
like the Golden-crested Eegulus, up a fir-tree, at from 6 to 40 feet
eleA^ation, on the outer ends of the branches. The nest is of moss,
wool and fibres, and profusely lined with feathers. Eggs, four or

* I omit the article on Ahrornis chloronotus, Hodgs., which appeared in the
‘ Bough Draft ’ under number 574 bis. There is no manner of doubt that
Hodgson got the wrong nest, a nest of a Sunbird, and figured it as that of tliis
bird.—^E d.

PHTLLOSCOPUS.

261

five, pure wliite, profusely spotted with red and a few spots of
purple grey. Size, 0'53 by 0-43.”

Later still he added in ‘ The This : ’—“ Captain Cock writes from
Sonamerg: ‘The second day I found my first nest with eggs. It
was the nest of P. 'proregulus, I shot the old bird. Three eggs.
These nests are often placed on a bough high up in a pine-tree, and
are domed or roofed, made of moss and lined with feathers. I
took another one to day with five eggs, and shot the bird just as
it was entering its nest. This was on a bough of a pine, but low
down. I know of two more nests of P. proy^egulus, all on pine-
trees, from which I hope to take eggs.’

“ After describing the nest of P. and saying that it w’as

lined with the hair of the musk-deer, he adds: ‘ In this the
nest differs from that of P. proregulus, which lines its nest with
feathers and bits of thin birch-bark ; and the nest of P. proregulus
is only partly domed.’

“I measured four eggs of P. proregulus which Captain Cock
kindly ga^•e me, and the dimensions are as follows : *55 by *44, *53
by *43, *53 by *43, and *54 by *43. They are pure white, richly
marked with dark brownish red, particularly at the larger end,
forming there a fine zone on most of the eggs. Intermingled with
these spots, and especially on the zone, are some spots and blotches
of deep purple-grey. The egg is very handsome, and reminds one
strongly of those of Fanis cristatus on a smaller scale. The dates
when the eggs were taken are 30th May and 2nd June, and the
place Sonamerg, which is four inarches up the valley of the Sindh
Eiver.”

Captain Cock himself tells me that he “ took several nests of this
bird at Sonamerg in Cashmere in pine-forests. It breeds in May
and June, making a partially domed nest, which is sometimes
placed low down on the bough of a pine-tree, sometimes on a small
sapling pine where the junction of the bough with the stem takes
place, and at other times high up on the outer end of a bough. It
lays five eggs, like those of P. liumii only smaller. The nests I
found were all lined with feathers and thin birch-bark strips. I
never found a hair-lining in any of this bird's nests. The outer
portions of the nest consisted of moss and lichen, arranged so as
to harmonize with the bough on which it was placed. The nests
are compact httle structures.”

Mr. Brooks, writing of the valley of the Bhagirati river, says :—
‘‘ Common in the alpine parts of the valley. It breeds about Derail,
Bairamghati, and Gangaotri, in the large moss-grown deodars.”

The eggs of this species closely resemble those of P. Tiumii, but
are smaller, and, to judge from a few specimens taken by Captain
Cock that I have seen, they are somewhat shorter and broader.

Texture smooth, without any perceptible gloss. Ground-colour
pure white, spotted freely and principally towards the larger end
with red: brick-dust red would perhaps scarcely be a correct term.
The colour would be obtained by mixing a little brown and a good
deal of purple with vermilion, or by mixing Indian red with a

262

SYLVIIDjE.

little Yenetian red. At the larger end they have an irregular zone
ot' small, more or less confluent, spots and specks of this red,
mingled with reddish or brownish purple, and a few specks and
spots of the red scattered over the rest of the surface of the
egg.

This egg may also be well described, as regards colour and mode of
marking, by saying that it resembles the illustration in Hewitson’s
work of the eggs of Parus cristatus, except that the egg of P. prore-
f/ulus has a distinct zone of nearly confluent spots, and their colour
is more of a brownish red than those shown in the plate above
referred to, which by-the-by do not correctly represent the colour
of the spots upon the eggs of P. cristatus which I have seen.
These spots are coloured with too much of a tendency towards
crimson instead of brownish red.

Three of the eggs taken by Captain Cock varied from 0*53 to
0’55 in length, and from 0*43 to 0*44 in breadth.

416. Phylloscopus subviridis (Brooks). B7'oolcss Willow-’Warhler,

Reguloides subviridis, Brooksj Hume, Cat. no. 566 bis.

Colonel Biddulph remarks that this species is common in Grilgit
at 5000 feet in March, April, May, and beginning of June, and that
it breeds in the ISTulter valley in July at 10,000 feet. Young birds
were shot in August fully fledged.

Major "Wardlaw Ramsay observes on the label of a specime]i
procured by him at Bian Kheyl in Afghanistan in April, “ evidently
breeding ” ; and on that of another specimen shot in May at the
same place, “ contained eggs nearly ready to lay,’’

418. Phylloscopus humii (Brooks). Tlumeh Willow-Warhler.

Reguloides humii, Brooks, Htfme, Cat.no. 565 bis.

Reguloides superciliosus {Gm.), IIiime,liov(/h Ih’aft N. B. no. 565.

Mr, Brooks and Captain Cock are the only persons I know of who
have taken the eggs and nests of this species. The nest and eggs
sent to and described by me in ‘ The Ibis ’ as belonging to this bird
cannot really have pertained to it.

Mr. Brooks tells us that P. humii “ is very abundant in Cashmere,
and I believe in all hills immediately below the snows. It would
be vain to look for this bird at elevations below 8000 feet, or at any
distance from the snows. It was common even in the birch woods
above the upper line of pines. I found many nests. It builds a
globular nest of coarse grass on a bank side, always on the ground,
and never up a tree. The nest is lined with hair in greater or lesser
quantities. The eggs, four or fi.ve in number, average -56 by *44,
are pure white, profusely spotted mth red, and sometimes have
also a few spots of purplish grey. On the 15th June I found a nest
with four young ones on the south side of the Pir-Piujal Pass.
This bird has no song, only a double chirp in addition to its call-note.
The double chirp, which is very loud, is intended for a song, for the

PHYLLOSCOPUS.

2G3

male bird incessantly repeats it as he feeds from tree to tree near
where the female is sitting upon her nest.”

Nests of this species obtained in Cashmere towards the end of May
and during June near Goolmerg, and brought me by Mr. Brooks,
were certainly by no means worthy of this pretty little Warbler.
They are very loosely made, more or less straggling cups of some¬
what coarse grass, only slightly lined interiorly with fine moss-roots.
The egg-cavity is very small compared with the size of the nest, some
of w^hieh look like balls of grass with a small hole in the centre.
They average from 4 to 5 inches in external diameter, and from
2 to 3 inches in height. The egg cavity does not exceed 2 inches
in diameter, and seems often to be less, and is from an inch to lialf
an inch in depth.

Prom Cashmere, when in the thick of the nests of this species,
Mr. Brooks w’rote to me as follows:—

‘‘ Prom Goolmerg, which is at the foot of a snowy range, I w’ent
up to the foot of the suow’s through pine-forests. The pines ceased
near the snow and were replaced by birch w'ood on tremeiulously
rocky ground, which bothered me greatly to get over. 1 had miss(h
P. Immii after leaving the foot of the hill, where wnter w’as plentiful,
but here again the bird became abundant. I could not, however,
find a nest here, though I wmtched several pairs. I think in the
cooler country they breed later. Plow’ers winch had gone out of
bloom below I again met with up here in full fiow^er.

“ Blyth says : ‘if. su]percilios%is has not any song, unless a sort
of double call, consisting of two notes, can be called a song.’ This
the males vigorously uttered all day long, but I did not notice this
much ; but as soon as the female sharply and rapidly uttered the
well-known bell-like call, I knew she was disturbed from her nest,
or had left it of her owm accord. AV^hichever of us heard this rushed
quickly to the spot, and the female once sighted was kept in view
as she flitted from tree to tree, apparently carelessly feeding all the
while ; soon she came lower dowai to the bushes below, and now^ her
note quickened and betokened anxiety; generally before half an
hour would elapse she w'ould make a dash at a particular spot, and
wish to go in but checked herself. This w^ould be repeated two or
three times, and now the nest w’as within the compass of 2 or 3 yards.
At last dowui she w’ent and her note ceased. When all had been
quiet for a minute or twm, the male ineauwiiile continuing his double
note in the trees above, I cautiously approached the place. Some¬
times the nest w^as very artfully concealed, but other times there
it was—the round green ball with the opening at one side. I often
saw the female put her head out and then partially draw it in again.
Her well-defined supercilium w*as very distinct. I thought I could
catch her on the nest once, and w'ent round above her, but out came
her head a little further, and she bolted as I brought dowui my
pocket handkerchief on the nest. I shot one or tw^o from the nest,
but this I found unnecessary. In every case the female shouted
vigorously on leaving the nest or immediately after, and by her very
peculiar note fully authenticated the eggs.”

264

SYLVIIDJE.

Elsewhere Mr. Brooks has remarked:—“ Goolmerg is one o
those inoimtain downs, or extensive pasture lands, which are name
rons on tlie top of the range of hills immediately below the Pir-Pinja
Eange, which is the first snowy range. It is a beautiful mountaii
common, about 3000 feet above the level of Sirinugger, whicl
latter place has an elevation of 5235 feet. This common is abou
3 miles long and about a couple of miles wide, but of very irregula:
shape. On all sides the undulating grass-land is surrounded b;;
pine-clad hills, and on one side the pine-slopes are surmounted
SDOvy mountains. On the side near the snow the supply of water u
the woods is ample. The whole hill-side is intersected by smal
ravines, and each ravine has its stream of pure cold water—wate:
so different from the tepid fluid we drink in the plains. In sucl
places where there were water and old pines P. 7mmii was ven
abundant: every few yards was the domain of a pair. The malei
were very noisy, and continually uttered their song. This song ii
not that described by Mr. Blyth as being similar to the notes of th<
English Wood-Wren (P. sihilatrix) but fainter—it is a loud double
chirp or call, hardly worthy of being dignified with the name o:
song at all. While the female was sitting, the male continuec
vigorously to utter his double note as he fed from tree to tree. Tc
this note I and my native assistants paid but little attention; biv
when the female, being off the nest, uttei’ed her w^ell-known ‘ tiss-
yvp^ as Mr. Blyth expresses the call of a Willow-Wren, we repairec
rapidly to the spot and kept her in view. In every instance, before
an hour had passed, she went into her nest, first making a few ini'
patient dashes at the place wEere it was, as much as to say—‘ Ther<
it is, but I don’t want you to see me go in.’

‘‘The nest of P. liumii is always, so far as my obseiwation goes
placed on the ground on some sloping bank or ravine-side. The
situation preferred is the lower slope near the edge of the wood
and at the root of some very small bush or tree; often, however, oi
quite open ground, where the newly growing herbage was so shor
that it only partially concealed it. In form it is a true Willow
Wren’s nest—a rather large globular structure with the entrane<
at one side. Eegarding the first nest taken, I have noted that i
was placed on a sloping bank on the ground, among some low ferni
and other plants, and close to the root of a small broken fir tree
which, being somewhat inclined over the nest, protected it fron
being trodden upon. It was composed of coarse dry grass and moss
and lined with finer grass and a few black hairs. The cavity wa^
about 2 inches, and the entrance about 1| inch in diameter. Abom
20 yards from the nest was a large, old, hollow fir tree, and ir
this I sat till the female returned to her nest. My attendant ther
quietly approached the spot, when she flew out of the nest and sal
on a low bank 2 or 3 yards from it: then she uttered her ‘ tiss-
yip^ which I know so well, and darted away among the pines
My man retired, upon which she soon returned, and having callec
for a few minutes in the vicinity of the nest, vshe ceased her note
and quickly entered. Again she was quietly disturbed, and sat oi

PIITLLOSCOPXTS.

265

a twig not far from the nest. I heard her call once more, and then
shot her. There were live eggs, which were slightly incabated.

^ ^ ^

“My second nest was placed on the side ot a steep bank on the
ground. The third was similarly placed, and composed of coarse
grass and moss, and lined with black horsehair. In each of these
nests the number of eggs was five,,

“ Another nest, taken on the Ist June, with four eggs, was
placed on the ground on a sloping bank, at the foot ot‘ a small thin
bush. It was composed as usual of coarse dry grass and moss,
and lined with finer grasses and a few hairs. The eggs were five
or six days incubated.

“ Another iiesfc, with four eggs, was placed on the ground, under
the inclined trunk of a small fir. The same materials were used.

“ Another nest, containing four eggs, w’as placed on a sloping
bank and quite exposed, there being little or no herbage to con¬
ceal it. It was composed as before, with the addition of a few
feathers in the outer portion of the nest.

“ Another nest was at the roots of a fern growing on a very
steep bank. The Jiew shoots of the fern grew up above the nest,
and last year’s dead leaves overhung it and entirely concealed it.

“ Another was placed on a sloping bank, immediately under the
trunk of a fallen and decayed pine. On account of the irregu¬
larities in the ground, the trunk did not touch the ground where
the nest was by about 2 feet. This was again an instance of con¬
trivance for the nest’s protection. It was composed of the same
materials as usual.

“ Another was among the branches of a shrub, right in the centre
of the bush and on the ground, which was sloping as usual.

“ Another nest, with four eggs, taken on 3rd June, was placed
in the steep bank of a small stream only 3 feet 6 inches above the
water.

“ The above examples will give a very fair idea of the situation
of the nest; and it now remains only to describe the eggs, which
average *56 long by *44 broad. The largest egg which was measured
was *62 long and *45 broad, and the smallest measured *52 long
and *43 broad. The ground-colour is always pure white, more or
less spotted with brownish red, the spots being much more numerous
and frequently in the form of a rich zone or cap at the larger end.
Intermixed with the red spots are sometimes a few purplish-
grey ones. Other eggs are marked with deep purple-brown spots,
like those of the Chifebalf, and the spots are also intermingled
with purplish gi*ey. Some eggs are boldly and richly marked,
while others are minutely spotted. The egg also varies in shape ;
but, as a general rule, they are rather short and round, resembling
in shape those of P, trocliiliis. In returning from Cashmere, on
the south face of the Pir-Pinjal Mountain and close to the footpath,
I found on the 15th June a nest of this bird with four young ones.
This nest was placed in an unusually steep bank. Half an hour
after finding the nest, and perhaps 1000 feet lower down the hill,

266

SYLVIID-^:.

I stood upon a mass oE snow which had accumulated in the bed of
a mountain-stream.’^

Captain Charles E. Cock writes to me that he “ took numbers
of nests at Sonamerg, in the Sindh Valley in Cashmere, during a
nesting trip that I took in 1871 with iny valued and esteemed
friend W. E. Brooks, Esq. Although at the time of our finding
the nest of this Warbler we were about SO miles apart, yet we both
found our first nest on the same day—the 31st May. I believe he
was by a couple of hours or so the winner, as I do not think the egg
had ever been taken before.

“ Breeds in May or June on the ground in banks ; makes a
globular nest of moss, \\‘ell lined with fine grass, musk-deer hair,
or horse-hair. It lays five eggs, white spotted with rusty red, in¬
clining to a zone at the larger end.”

Typically the eggs of this species are broad ovals, slightly com¬
pressed towards one end ; the ground pure white and almost
perfectly devoid of gloss, speckled and spotted with red or purplish
red, the markings, most dense about the large end, often forming
an irregular mottled cap or zone. These are the general characters,
but the eggs vary very much in shape, size, colour, and density of
markings. Some eggs are almost spherical; others are somewhat
elongated; others slightly pyriform. As a body, alike in shape
and coloration, they remind one of the eggs of many species of
Indian Tit, es])ecially those of LojiliO]iJianes oneJanolopJms, In some
eggs the markings are a slightly browmish brick dust-red, moderate
sized spots and specks scattered pretty thickly OA’er the whole
surface, but gathered into a dense, more or less confluent, zone or
cap towards the large end. Intermingled with these primary mark¬
ings a few pale purple spots are scattered towards the large end
of the eggs. In other eggs the markings are mostly mere specks,
and in this type of egg the specks are mostly brownish purple, in
some almost black. Occasionally an egg is almost entirely spotless,
having only towards the large end a clouded dingy reddish-purple
zone. In some eggs again the colour of the markings is pale and
washed out. As a rule, the eggs in which the markings are of the
brickdust-red type have these larger, bolder, and more numerous ;
while those in which the markings are purple have them of a more
minute character.

The shape of the eggs, as already noticed, varies much, being
sometimes longer than those of P, trochilus^ and at other times very
much of the same rounded shape. Erequently they are more
pointed ar the smaller end than those of P. trochilus usually are.
The texture of the egg is similar to that of P. trochilus^ with scarcely
any gloss. The ground-colour is always pure white, and the
markings, which are always more or less plentiful, are either red¬
dish brown or purple-brown, intermingled sparingly with lighter
or darker purple-grey.

Some eggs contain hardly a speck of the purple-grey, while others
have considerable blotches of that colour scattered amongst the red
spots.

Some eggs are scantily marked, and have the spots very small ;

ACAOTHOPNEUSTE.

267

while others are densely spotted and blotched, the spots often
bein^y more or less conHiient at the larger end. Frequently they
accLiJiiulate round the larger end in the form of a coiitlueut zone.
The variety with deep purple-brown spots, which is the rarest, re¬
sembles those of P. rufa in miaiature; but, as a rule, the egg-
bears a much stronger resemblance to that of P. trocJiikcs, though
it is of course much smaller. As far as the colour goes, the repre¬
sentations in Hewitson’s work of the eggs of Paras cristatus, Paras
cceruleus, and PhglloscojnLS trocldlas will give a \’ery correct idea of
the different, varieties of the egg of the present bird.

The greatest number of eggs found in any nest by Captain Cock
and Mr. Brooks was five ; frequently, however, four was the num¬
ber upon which the bird was sitting; eggs partially incubated. On
the Pir-Pinjal Mountain, just below the snows, a nest with four
young ones was found on the 15th June, so that, though five
seems to be the usual number, the bird frequently lays only four.

In length the eggs vary from 0*52 to 0*02, and in breadth from
0*43 to 0*47; but the average of fifty eggs carefully measured was
0*56 full by 0*44.

428. Acanthopneuste occipitalis, Jerd. The Large Groivned
Willow- Warhler.

Regiiloides occipitalis {Jerd.)j Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 19G ,* Hume, Rough
Draft N. D. no. 563.

The Large Crowned Willow-Warbler breeds in Cashmere and the
North-west Himalayas generally, during the latter half of May,
June, and the first half of July, apparently at any elevation from
4000 to 8000 feet.

Mr. Brooks says:—‘‘ This is perhaps the commonest bird in
Cashmere, even more so than Passer indicus. It is found at almost
all elevations above the valley where good woods occur.

“ I only took three nests, as the little bird is ^'ery cunning, and,
unlike the simp)le P. Immii, is very careful indeed how it approaches
its nest when an enemy is near.

“ The nest is placed in a hole under the roots of a large tree on
some steep bank-side. I found one in a decayed stump of a large
fir-tree, inside the rotten wood. It was placed on a level with the
ground, and could not be seen till I had broken away part of the
outside of the stump. It was composed of green moss and small
dead leaves, a scanty and loosely formed nest, and not domed. It
was lined with fine grass and a little wool, and also a very few hairs.
There were five eggs.

Another nest was also placed in a rotten stump, but under the
roots. A third nest was qolaced in a hole under the roots of a large
living pine, and in front of the hole grew a small rose-bush quite
against the tree-trunk. This nest was most carefully concealed, for
the hole behind the roots of the rose-bush was most difficult to find.

“ The eggs, four or five in number, are of a rather longer form
than those of P. humii, and are pure white without any spots.
They average *65 by *5.”

268

STLYIID.?;.

He added in epist .:—‘‘ This is a much shier bird than P. liiimii,
I watched many a one without effect. The nest is a loose structure
of moss lined \\ith a little wool, and would not retain its shape after
coming out of the hole. It is a most amusing bird, very noisy,
with a short poor song, and utters a variety of notes when you are
near the nest.’’

Certainly the nests he brought me are nothing but little pads of
moss, 3 to 4 inches in diameter and perhaps an inch in thickness.
There is no pretence for a lining, but a certain amount of wool and
excessively fine moss-roots are incorporated in the body of the nest.
In situ they would appear to be sometimes more or less domed.

Captain Cock writes to me :—‘‘ I have taken numbers of nests of
this bird in Cashmere and in and about the hill-station of Murree.
They commence breeding in May and have finished by July. The
nests are placed under roots of trees, in crevices of trees, between
large stems, and a favourite locality is, wheve the road has a stone
embankment to support it, between the stones. The nest is glo¬
bular, made of moss, and the number of eggs is four. I have often
caught the old bird on the nest. The nests are easy to find, as the
birds are very noisy and demonstrative when any one is near their
nests.”

Colonel 0. H. T. Marshall also very kindly gives me the following
most interesting note on the nidification of this species in the
vicinity of Murree. He says:—

“ This little Willow-Warbler, so far as my own experience goes,
always prefers a pretty high elevation for breeding. Out of the
dozen nests found by Captain Cock and myself in the neighbour¬
hood of Murree, none were at an elevation of less than 6500 feet
above the sea; and ray shikaree, who was alw^ays on the look out for
me in the lower ranges, never came across the nest of this species.

“ The nest is generally placed in holes at the foot of the large
spruce firs. It is a difficult nest to find, as the bird selects holes
into which the hand will not go, and outside there are no signs of
there being any nest within.

“The cock bnd spends most of his time at the tops of trees,
coming down at intervals. The only chance of success in taking
the eggs is to w^atch carefully any that may be flying low in the
bushes, until they disappear cautiously into the holes where they
are breeding. I should mention that we have also found some nests
in the rough stone walls on the hill road-sides.

“ The nest is as neatly and carefully built as if it bad to be exposed
on tbe branch of a tree. It is globular in shape, made of moss,
and lined with feathers. The eggs are pure white. They apparently
rear two broods in the year. In the first nest, which w^e found
under the root of an old spruce-fir on the 17th May, the eggs were
quite hard-set; and I may remark that immediately over this nest,
about 8 feet up the tree in a crack in the wood, a little Muscicapula
siiperciharis was sitting on five eggs. Later at the end of June we
found/mA eggs in several nests. The eggs in our collection were
all taken between the 17th May and the 10th July.”

ACANTHOPNJSUSTE.

269

They do not always, however, select such situations as those
referred to in the above accounts. Sir E. C. Buck, O.S., says :—“ I
found a nest on 11th June in the roof of Major Batchelor s bungalow
at ISTachar, in the Sutlej Valley; it contained young birds. I was
not allowed to disturb the nest, which was composed externally of
moss. I noticed a second half-made nest near the other

The eggs of this species are, as might be expected, somewhat
larger than those of P. and they are of a diifereiit character,

being spotless, white, and slightly glossy. In shape the eggs vary
from a nearly perfect, moderately elongated oval to a slightly
pyriform shape, broad at the large end, and a good deal compressed
and somewhat pointed towards the small end {vide the represen¬
tation of the eggs of llutioilla titliys in Hewitson’s work).

In length they vary from 0*63 to 0*68, and in breadth from 0*48
to 0*53; but the average of fifteen eggs measured is 0*65 by 0*5.

430. Acanthopneuste davisoni, Oates. The Tenasm-hn
White-tailed Willow- Warhler,

Keguloides viridipennis {Blyth)^ apud Huoney Cat. no. 507

It was on the 2nd of Eebruary, just at the foot of the final cone
of Mooleyit, at an elevation of over 6000 feet, that Mr. Davison
came upon the nest of this species. He says:—

“In a deep ravine close below the summit of Mooleyit I found a
nest of this Willow-Warbler. It was placed in a mass of creep)ers
growing over the face of a rock about 7 feet from the ground. It
u as only partially screened, and I easily detected it on the bird
leaving it. I was very much astonished at finding a nest of a
Willow-Warbler in Burmah, so I determined to make positively
certain of the owner. I marked the place, and after a short time
returned very quietly. I got within a couple of feet of the nest;
the bird sat still, and I watched her for some time; the markings
on the top of the head were very conspicuous. On my attempting
to go closer the bird flew off, and settled on a small branch a few
feet off. I moved back a short distance and shot her, using a very
small charge.

“ The nest was a globular structure, with the roof slightly pro¬
jecting over the entrance. It was composed externally chiefly of
moss, intermingled with dried leaves and fibres; the egg-cavity was
warmly and thickly lined with a felt of pappus.

“ The external diameter of the nest was about 4 inches ; the
egg-cavity 1 inch at the entrance, and 2 inches deep.

“ The nest contained three small pure white eggs.”

The three eggs here mentioned measured 0*59 and 0*6 in length,
by 0*49 in breadth.

* Mr. Hume is of opinion that this bird is the true P. viridipennis of Blyth.
I have elsewhere stated my reasons for disagreeing with him.—E d.

270

SYLVTID.^.

434. Cryptolopha xanthoscMsta (lioclgs.). Hoigson's
Grey-headed Flycatolier- Warbler.

Abrornis albosuperciliaris, Bhjthj Jerd. B. Ind. p. 202 ; Huvie,
Bough Draft N. §• E, no. 573.

Throughout the Himalayas south of the first snowy ranges, and
iji all wooded valleys in rear of these, from Darjeeling to Murree,
this Warbler appears to be a permanent resident.

I have received its nests and eggs from several sources, and have
taken them in the Sutlej and Beas Valleys myself. They lay in
the last week of March, and throughout April and May, con¬
structing a large globular nest of moss, more or less mingled
exteriorly with dry grass and lined thinly with goat’s hair, and then
inside this thickly with the softest wool or, in one nest that
I found, with the inner downy fur of hares. The entrance to the
nest is sometimes on one side, sometimes almost at the top, and is
rather large for the size of the bird. The nest is almost without
exception placed on a grassy bank, at the foot of some small bush,
and usually contains four eggs.

Talking of this species, and writing from Almorah on the 17th
May, Mr. Brooks said:—I have just taken a nest. It was placed
on a sloping bank-side near the foot of a small bush. The bank
was overgrown with grass. The nest, which was on the ground,
was a large ball-shaped one, composed of very coarse grass, moss-
roots, and wool, and hned with hair and wool. It contained four
pure white glossy eggs, which were much pointed at the small end.
I shot the bird oiS the nest. 1 had already frequently met with
fully-grown young birds of this species.”

Writing from Dhurmsala, Captain Cock remarked:—‘‘On the
8th April I found a nest of this species containing four white
eggs; it was placed on the ground, under a bush, on a steep bank.
The nest was globular, with rather a large entrance-hole, and was
made of moss, with dry grass outside, then black hair of goats, and
thickly lined with the softest of wool: no feathers in the nest. I
caught the bird on the nest; it is common here.”

Colonel Gr. D. L. Marshall tells- us :—“ A nest found on the
22nd May at jS'aini Tal, about 7000 feet above the sea, contained
three hard-set eggs. The eggs were pure white. The nest was a
most beautiful little structure of moss, lined with wool; it was
globular, with the entrance at one side, and placed on a bank
among some ground-ivy, the outer part of the nest having a few
broad grass-blades interwoven so as to assimilate the appearance
of the nest to that of the bank against which it lay. It was at the
side of a narrow glen with a northern aspect, and about four feet
above the pathway, close to the spring from which my hhisti daily
draws water, the bird sitting fearlessly while passed and repassed
by people going down the glen within a foot or two of the
nest.”

The eggs are pure white, and generally fairly glossy. In texture

CllTPXOLOPHA.

271

the shells are very hue and compact. The eggs are moderately
broad ovals, much pointed towards the small end, and vary from
0-6 to 0*65 in length, and from 0*48 to 0*52 in breadth; but the
average of twenty eggs measured is 0*63 by 0*5 nearly.

435. Cryptolopha jerdoni (Brooks). Broolcs^s Groj-headed
Flyoatcher- Wxrhler,

Abrornis xanthoschistos Jerd, B. Lid. ii, p. 202; Hume.y

Rough Draft N. cj* D. no. 572.

This Warbler breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes both
in Nepal and Sikhim up to an elevation of 6000 or 7000 feet.
They lay in May three or four pure white eggs. They make
their nest on the ground in thick bushes, or in holes in banks, or
under roots of trees. The nest is a large mass of moss and
dry leaves, somewhat egg-shaped, with the entrance at one end,
some 6 inches in length, 4 inches in breadth, and 3*5 in height
externally, and with an oval entrance about 1*5 high and 2*25
wide. Inside it is carefully lined with moss-roots. Both sexes
assist in batching and rearing the young, which are ready to hy in
July.

Trom Sikhim Mr. Ganimie says *.—“ I found one nest of this
species at Eishap, at an elevation of 5000 feet, on the 20th May. The
nest was in thin forest, near its outer edge, and placed on the ground
beside a small stem. It was domed, and composed entirely of moss,
with the exception of a few fibres in the hood or dome portion, and
was lined with thistle-dowm. The' exterior diameter was 3*3, the
height 3*2: the cavity w^as 1*6 in diameter, and only an inch in
depth below the lower margin of the entrance, which was the rim
of the true cup, over which the hood was drawn. The nest con¬
tained four fresh eggs.”

Several nests of this species that have been sent me from Sikhim
were all of the same type—beautiful little cups, some placed on the
ground, some amongst the twigs of brushwood a little above the
ground, composed entirely of fine moss and a little fern-root, and
with the interior of the cavity not indeed regularly lined but dotted
about with tufts of silky seed-down.

The eggs are very similar to but smaller than those of the pre¬
ceding species—very broad ovals, a good deal pointed towards one
end, pure white, and faintly glossy. In length they vary from
0*53 to 0*58, and in breadth from 0*45 to 0*49.

Mr. Hodgson’s specimens in the British Museum are C. xanthoscMsta ; but
0. jerdoni also occurs in Nepal, and Mr. Hodgson onag have found the nests of
both. I leave the note as it appeared in the ‘ Bough Draft,’ as the two species
are not likely to differ in their habits, and it matter's little to which species
Mr. Hodgson’s note refers, provided the above remarks are borne in
mind.— Ed.

272

SYLVIIDiE.

436. Cryptoloplia poliogenys (Blyth). The Grey-cheelced
Flycatcher- Warbler.

Abrornis poliogenys (Blyth), Jerd. B. Ind, ii^ p. 203.

Prom Sikliim Mr. Gammie writes :—“ A nest of the Grey¬
cheeked Elycatcher-Warbler, taken on the 8th May in large
forest at 6000 feet, contained three hard-set eggs. It was sus¬
pended to a snag among the moss growing on the stem of a small
tree at five feet up. The moss supported it more than did the
snag. It is a solid cup-shaped structure, made of green moss and
lined with very fine roots. Externally it measures inches
across and deep ; internally 2 inches wide and 1| deep.”

The eggs of this species, like those of C. xanthoschista and
G. jerdoni, are pure white. They are not, I think, separable from
the eggs of these two species. Those sent me by Mr. Gammie
measure 0*66 and 0*67 in length by 0*5 in breadth.

437. Cryptolopha castaneiceps (Hodgs.). The GhestmU-headed
Flycatcher-Warbler,

Abrornis castaneiceps, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p, 205; Hime, Rough
Draft N. ^ Fj. no. 578.

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and figures, the Chestnut¬
headed Ely catcher-War bier breeds in the central hill-region of
Nepal from April to June, laying three or four eggs, which
are neither figured nor described. The nest itself is a beautiful
structure of mosses, lichens, moss- and fern-roots, and fine stems
worked into the shape of a large egg, measuring 6 and 4 inches
along the longer and shorter diameters; it is placed on the ground
in the midst of a clump of ferns or thick grass, with the longer
diameter perpendicular to the ground. The aperture, which is
about halfway between the middle and the top of the nest, and on
one side, is oval, about 2 inches in width and 1*75 in height.
Both sexes are said to assist in hatching and rearing the young.

438. Cryptoloplia cantator (Tick.). TichelVs Flycatcher-
Warbler,

Ciilicipeta cantator (Tick.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 200.

Abrornis cantator (Tick.'), Hume, Rough Draft N. ^ E. no. 570.

A nest containing a single egg has been sent me as that of
Tickell’s Elycatcher-Warbler. It was found in May in Native
8ikhim, at an elevation, it is said, of 12,000 feet. It was sus¬
pended to the tip of a branch of a tree at a height of about 8 feet
from the ground. The nest is a most lovely one; but I confess
that I have doubts as to its really belonging to this species.

The nest is, for the size of the bird, a large watch-pocket, some
6 inches in total length and 3*5 in breadth, composed entirely

ABRORITIS.

27£

of white, satiny seed-down, densely felted together to the thickness
of half an inch. The lower part, sides, and back very thinly, and
the upper portion and the margin of the mouth of the pocket
thickly, coated with excessively fine green moss and very fine soft
vegetable fibre.

My sole reason for doubting the authenticity of the nest is that
another precisely similar one was sent me by another collector, a
European, as belonging to an JEtliopyga^ together with the female
which he shot off the nest.

The present nest contained a pure white egg ; the other spotted
eggs. Both collectors I have no doubt were fully assured of the
correctness of their identification, and it may be that both species
of birds construct similar nests ; but I entertain considerable
doubts on this subject, and think it right to note the fact.

The egg is a very broad oval, pure white, and very glossy, and
measures 0-6 by 0*49.

Mr. Mandelli sends me a lovely nest, which he says belongs to
this species. It was found in May in Native Sikhim, at about
12,000 feet elevation. It was suspended from the tiny branch of
a tree at a height of about 8 feet from the ground. The nest is a
perfect watch-pocket, composed entirely of white silky down
belonging to one of the bombaxes, thinly coated hei’e and there
with strings of moss to keep it together, and more thickly so with
this and vegetable fibre at and about the point of suspension and
round the rim of the mouth of the pocket. The nest is altogether
about 6 inches long and about 3 inches in diameter at its broadest;
the lower edge of the aperture into the pocket is 2 inches from the
bottom of the nest, and the aperture is about 2 inches wide. It is
altogether one of the loveliest nests I have ever seen : but I cannot
feel certain that the nest really belongs to this species; for
I have had a precisely similar nest, also found in Sikhim, on the
20th May, similarly suspended at a height of about 5 feet from the
ground, sent me as belonging to another species of Ahromis ; and
though Mr. Mandelli is usually right, I think the matter requires
further confirmation.

440. Ahrornis superciliaris, Tick. The Yellow-UllieLlFlycatcher-

Warbler,

Abrornis flaviventris, Jerd. B. Lid. ii, p. 203.

Writing from Tenasserim, Major T. 0. Bingham says :—

I have shot this bird on the Zammee choung, where I got a nest
with eggs ; and I have more than once seen it in the Thouimveen
forests.

‘‘ The following is an account of the nest I found, recorded in my
note-book:—

!! ^^^sat village—Khasat choung, Zammee river, 9fch March,
1878. My camp to-day was pitched in the midst of a dense
bamboo-break, close to a path leading to the village.

VOL. I.

18

274

SXLTIIDJE.

About ten feet from my tent on this path, passers-by had cut
one of the bamboos in a clump and left it leaning up against the
clump; between two knots of this a rough hack had broken an
irregular hole into a joint.

“ Sitting outside my tent and looking carelessly about, my at¬
tention was attracted by what I took to be a leaf flutter down
close to the above-mentioned bamboo, and to my surprise disappear
before it reached the ground. Wondering at*'this, I got up and
approached the place, when from the aforementioned hole in the
bamboo out darted a little bird; and looking in I saw a neat little
nest of fibres placed on the lower knot with three eggs, white
densely speckled, chiefly in a ring at the larger end, with pinkish
claret spots.

“ I went back to my tent, watched the bird return, and shot her
as on being frightened ofl she flew out a second time. It proved
to be the above species.

“ I took the nest and eggs. The latter, I regret to say, were
lost subsequently through the carelessness of a servant, but 1 had
luckily measured and taken a description of them.

‘‘ Their dimensions were respectively 0*57 x 0*42, 0*59 x 0*42,
and 0*59 x 0*44.’^

Trom Sikhim Mr. G-ammie writes:—“I took a nest of this
Warbler on the 15th June at 1800 feet elevation. It was inside
a bamboo-stem near the banks of the Hyeng stream. Just under
a node some one had cut out a notch, which the birds made their
entrance. The nest rested on the node below and fitted the hol¬
low of the bamboo. It w’as made of dry bamboo-leaves, and lined
with soft, fibrous material. It measured 5 inches deep and 3
inches wide, with an egg cavity of 2 inches in depth, by 1| inch in
width. The eggs, which were hard-set, were but three in number.”

The eggs are rather long ovals, the shell fine but with very little
gloss ; the ground-colour is a dull white or pinky white, and it is
thickly freckled and mottled about the large end and thinly else¬
where with red, in some cases slightly browner, in others purple.
The markings have a tendency to form a cap or zone about the
large end, and here, where the markings are densest, some little
lilac or purplish-grey spots and clouds are intermingled.

An egg measures 0*61 by 0*43.

441. Abrornis schisticeps (Hodgs.). The Blacic-faced Flycatcher-

Warhler,

Abrornis schisticeps, Hodgs.j Jerd, JB, Ind. ii, p. 201 ] Hume, Rough
Draft N. ^ F. no. 571.

Captain Hutton tells us that the Black-faced Flycatcher-Warbler
is “ a common species in the neighbourhood of Mussoorie, at 5000
feet, and commences building in March. A pair of these birds
selected a thick China rose-bush trained against the side of the
house, and had completed the nest and laid one egg when a rat

ABJaORN-IS.

275

destroyed it. I subsequently took two other nests in May, both
placed on the ground in holes in the side of a bank by the road¬
side. In form the nest is a ball, with a round lateral entrance,
and is composed externally of dried grasses and green moss, lined
with bits of wool, cotton, feathers, thread, and hair. The eggs
are three in number.’’

Two eggs of this species, sent to me by Captain Hutton, are
verv perfect ovals, pure white % and rather glossy.

They both measure 0*62 by 0*48.

Trom Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes:—“The only nest I ever
found of this Warbler was in a natimal hole in a small tree in an
open part of a large forest, at 5500 feet above the sea. In a cleft,
five feet from ground, where a limb had been lopped off, there was
a small hole, barely large enough at entrance to admit the bird,
but gradually widening out for the seven or eight inches of its
depth. In the bottom of this cavity was a loose lining of dry
bamboo-leaves, on which lay five eggs. They do not agree with
those taken by Captain Hutton, which were ‘ pure white,’ but I
am absolutely certain of the authenticity of the eggs taken by me.
They were well-set, so five is probably the full complement. They
were taken on the 26th Hay.”

The eggs sent by Mr. Gammie, for the authenticity of which he
vouches, are moderately broad ovals, somewhat compressed and
pyriform towards the small end. They have but little gloss, and
are of the same type as H. sxtjpeyxUiaris and A. alhigularis. The
ground is a dull pinkish white, and they are profusely mottled
and streaked with red, which in some eggs is brownish, in some
purplish. The markings are densest at the large end, where they
have a tendency to form an irregular zone, which in some speci¬
mens is very conspicuous.

These eggs vary from 0*56 to 0*57 in length, and from 0*41 to
0*42 in breadth.

442. Abrornis albigularis, Hodgs. The White-throated Flycatcher-

WarUer,

Abrornis albigularis, Hodgs,, Jerd. B, Ind. ii, p. 204.

A nest of this species found in Native Sikhim, below Namtchu,
on the 28th July, is a regular Tailor-bird’s nest, absolutely undis-
tinguishable from the one also sent me by Mr. Mandelli as belonging
to Orthotomus atrigularis, so that for the moment I have some
doubts as to the authenticity of this nest. Two leaves, precisely
of the same species as those made use of by the Tailor-bird in
question, have been sewn together with the same bright yellow
silk, and the little deep cup-shaped nest within is composed exactly
of the same excessively fine grass. Another nest, also said to

* There can be little doubt that Oapt. Hutton’s evgs were wrongly identi¬
fied.— Ed.

18*

276

STLTIIDJE.

belong to this species, but of a very different character, has been
sent me by Mr. Mandelli. This was found at Tendong, in Native
Sikhim, on the 6th July, and contained four fresh eggs precisely of
the type of those of A. scliistice^s. The nest was placed in the
cavity of a truncated bamboo about 4 feet from the ground, and
was a loose cup, the basal portion composed of dry bamboo-leaves,
and the rest of the nest being made of excessively fine grass,
flower-stems, similar to those used in the Tailor-bird-like nest
above described, but with a quantity of feathers mingled with this
in the lining of the nest.

The eggs of this species are of precisely the same type as those
of A. scTiistiee^s and A. superciliaris^ but they are the smallest of
all. They are little regular oval eggs, with a white, greyish, or
pinky white ground, with deep red freckled and mottled markings,
which are densely set about the large end, where they generally
form a cap or zone, and usually much less dense elsewhere.

The eggs sent me measured 0-55 and 0*57 by 0*43.

445. Scotocerca inquieta (Cretzschm.). The Streciked Scruh-

Warhler.

Scotocerca inquieta Sume^ Rough Draft N, ^ JE.no. 550 bis.

The Streaked Scrub-Warbler is a permanent resident of the bare
stony hills which, under many names and broken into multi¬
tudinous ranges, run down from the Khyber Pass to the sea,
dividing the Punjab and Sind from Afghanistan and Khelat.

An account of its nidifieation is contained in the following note
furnished me by the late Captain Cock :—

I first discovered this bird breeding in February in the Khut-
tuck Hills. It is common throughout the range of stony hills
between Peshawur and Attock, and I have seen it on the hills
between Jhelum and Pindi, but never took their nest in this latter
locality. At Nowshera it is very common, and towards the end of
February a collector could take four or five nests in a day. It
builds in a low thorny shrub, about I^ feet from the ground, makes
a largish globular nest of thin dry grass-stems, with an opening in
the side, thickly lined with seed-clown, and containing four or five
eggs. Their nesting-operations are over by the end of March.’'

Lieut. H. E. Barnes, who observed the bird at Chaman in Af¬
ghanistan, says;—“These birds are quite common about here on
the plains, but I have not observed them on the hills. They com¬
mence breeding towards the end of March; the nest is globular
in shape, not unlike that of FranTclinia huchanani, but somewhat
larger, built invariably in stunted bushes about two feet from the
ground. It is well lined with feathers and fine grass, the outer
portion being composed of fibres and coarse grass. The normal
number of eggs is six. I have found less, but never more, and
whenever a lesser number has been taken they have always proved
to be fresh laid.

NEOEl^TS.

277

‘‘ The eggs are oval in shape, white, with a pinkish tinge when
fresh, very minutely spotted and speckled with light red, most
densely at the larger end. The average of twelve eggs is 0*62
by 0*43.”

* The eggs are moderately broad and regular ovals, usually some¬
what compressed towards one end, but occasionally exhibiting no
trace of this. The shell is very fine and delicate, but, as a rule,
entirely devoid of gloss. The ground-colour varies from pure to
pinky white. The markings are always minute, but in some they
are comparatively much bolder and larger than in others, and they
vary in colour from reddish pink to a comparatively bright red.
In many eggs the markings are much more dense towards the
large end, where they form, or exhibit a strong tendeiicy to form,
an irregular, moi'e or less confluent zone; and wherever the
markings are dense there a certain number of tiny pale purple
or lilac spots or clouds will be found intermingled with and under¬
lying the red markings. Some eggs show none of these spots
and exhibit no tendency to form a zone, being pretty uniformly
speckled and spotted all over. Some are not very unlike eggs of
the Grasshopper and Dartford Warblers; others, again, are almost
counterparts of the eggs of Fyxcnlclinia bitcJianani,

In length the eggs vary from 0*6 to 0*68, and in breadth from
0*46 to 0*51.

446 . Neornis flavolivacens, Hodgs.* The Aberrant Warbler,
Neornis flavolivacea, Hodgs,^ Jet'd. B. Lid, ii, p. 188.

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following remarks on the breeding
of this bird at Darjeeling :—“ Lays in the second week in July.
Eggs three in number, blunt, ovato-pyriform. Size 0*69 by 0*55.
Colour deep dull claret-red, with a darker band at broad end.
Nest, a deep cup, outside of bamboo-leaves, inside fine vegetable
fibres, lined with feathers.”

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes :—“ I have found this Tree-
Warbler (though why it should be called a Tree-Warbler I cannot
imagine, for it sticks closely to grass and low scrub, and never by
any chance perches on a tree) breeding from May to July at
elevations from 3500 up to 6000 feet. A.11 the nests I have seen
were of a globular shape with entrance near the top. Both in
shape and position the nest much resembles that of 8nya atric/u-
laris, and is, I have no doubt, the one brought to Jerclon as be¬
longing to that bird. It is placed in grassy bushes, in open country,
within a foot or so of the ground, and is made of bamboo-leaves
and, for the size of the bird, coarse grass-stems, with an inner layer
of fine grass-panicles, from which the seeds have dropped, and

* I have transferred Hodgson's notes under this title in the ' Rough Draft'
to Horornis fortijpes, to which bird Hodgson's account of the nidification un¬
doubtedly relates, his type-birds No, 900 being Feornis assimilis. —Ed.

278

SYLYIIDiE.

lined with feathers. Externally it measures about 6 inches in
depth by 4 in width. The egg>cavitj, from lower edge of entrance,
is 2^ inches deep by 1| wide. The entrance is 2 inches across.
The usual number of eggs is three.”

The eggs sent by Mr. Gammie are very regular, rather broad,
oval eggs, with a decided but not very strong gloss. In colour they
are a uniform deep chocolate-purple. In length they vary from
0*63 to 0*69, and in breadth from 0*49 to 0*52.^‘‘

* I cannot identify the following bird, which appears in the ‘Eough Draft
under the number 552 bis. I reproduce the note together with some additional
matter furnished later on by Mr. Gammie. Neoi'oiis assimilis is nothing but
Horornis fo^'tipes ; hut I cannot reconcile Mr. Gammie’s account of the nest
with that of H. fortijpes, inasmuch as nothing is said about a lining of
feathers, which appears to be an unfailing characteristic of the nest of H. for-
%es.—E d,

No. 552 his.— Neornis assimilis, Hodgs.

Mr. Gammie sent me a bird unmistakably of this species—Blyth’s Aberrant
Tree-Warbler—together with che lining of a nest and three eggs.

He says:—“ The nest, eggs, and bird were brought to me on the 18th May by
a native, who said the nest was placed in a shrub, about 6 feet from the
ground, in a place filled with scrub near Rishap, at about 3500 feet above the
sea. I noted at the time the man^s account, but as I did not take the nest
myself, I kept no account of it. All I know about it is written on the ticket
attached to the nest sent to you. The bird was snared on the nest. Though
I did not take it myself, I have little doubt that it is quite correct.’’

The lining of the nest is a little, soft, shallow saucer 2^ inches in diameter,
composed of the finest and softest brown roots.

The eggs are somewhat of the same type as those of AT. Jlavolivacetis, but in
colour more resembling those of some of the ten-tail-leathered JPrmias. They
are very short broad o\ als, pulled out and pointed towards one end, ajoproxi-
mating to the peg-top type. They are very glossy and of a uniform Indian
red; duller coloured rather than those of the Prinias ; not so deep or purple
as those of K jlavolivacetts.

They measured 0*65 by 0*52.

From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes further“ This bird, I find, does not
build in bushes, but on the ground, or rather on low leaf or weed heaps. It
not unfrequently takes advantage of the small weed heaps collected round the
edges of native cultivations. On the tops of these heaps it collects a lot of dry
leaves, and places its nest among them. It sits exceedingly close, only rising
when almost stepped on.

“ The nest is a rather deep cup, neatly made of dry grass and a few leaves,
and lined with fine roots, and the bare twigs of fine grass-panicles. It measures
extenially about 3*2 inches in diameter by 2*8 in depth; internally 2 inches
by 1-75.

“ The eggs are three or four in number, and are laid in May from low eleva¬
tions up to about 3500 feet.”

The eggs of this species, of which Mr. Gammie has now sent me two nests,
are of the regular Prmia type—typically broad ovals, approximating to the
peg-top type, but sometimes more elongated and pointed towards the small end.
They are very glossy and of a uniform dull Indian red, deeper coloured than
any Prmia’s that I have seen.

Tliey vary from 0*66 to 0 69 in length, and from 0*48 to 0*52 in breadth.

HOEOEIfIS.

279

448. Horomis fortipes, Hodgs. The Strong-footed
Bush- Warbler,

Horornis fortipes, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 162.

Dumeticola fortipes, Hodgs., Hume, Rough Draft N, E. no. 526.

According to Mr. Hodgson this Tree-Warbler breeds from
May to July in the central region of Nepal. They build a tolerably
compact and rather shallow cup-shaped nest of grass and dry
bamboo-leaves, mingled with grass-roots and vegetable fibre and
lined with feathers.

A nest taken on the 29th May measured externally 3*5 in
diameter and 2 inches in height, and internally 2 inches in diameter
by 1‘37 in depth. It contained four eggs, which are figured as
deep dull purple-red. Dr. Jerdon gave me two eggs, as I now
feel certain, belonging to this species; there is no mistaking them,
as they are the most wonderful coloured eggs I ever saw ; but as he
was not certain to what species they belonged, I unfortunately
threw them away. Mr. Hodgson figures the egg as a moderately
broad oval, a good deal pointed towards one end, slightly glossy,
and measuring 0*65 by 0-47-

Two nests and eggs, together with one of the parent birds, of
the Strong-footed Bush-Warbler wei'e sent me from Sikhim. Both
nests were found in thick brushwood or low jungle, at elevations
of 5000 to 5500 feet—the one at Lebong on the 12th June, the
other on another spur of the same hill in July.

The nests were very similar—small massive cups, composed
exteriorly of dry blades of grass and leaves, and lined internally
with fine grass and a few feathers. Both nests exhibit this lining
of feathers, so that it is no accident but a characteristic of the
bird’s architecture. In one nest a good deal more of the fine
flower-panicle stems of grasses are intermingled than in the other.
Externally the nests are about 4-5 in diameter and 2-5 in height;
the cavity 2 inches in diameter and about 1*25 in depth.

Eive more nests of this species have been taken by Mr. Mandelli
in the neighbourhood of Lebong, between the 18th May and
15th July; with one exception, #liere there were only three slightly
set eggs, all the nests contained four more or less incubated ones.
All the nests were placed in amongst the twigs of low brushwood
at heights of from 1 to 3 feet from the ground, and all present the
invariable characteristic feature of this species, namely, a greater
or less admixture of feathers in the lining of the cavity. Examin¬
ing the nests carefully, it will be seen that they are composed of
three layers—exteriorly everywhere coarse blades of grass and
straw loosely put together, inside this a mass of extremely fine

* This note of Mr. Hodgson’s refers to his plate No. 900. The birds in his
collection bearing this number are Neornis assimilis, and are the same as
Horo7'nis fortipes. —Ed.

280

SYLVni>iE.

panicle-stems of flowering grass, and then inside this the lining
of moderately flne grass mingled with feathers.^ The nests vary
a good deal in size, according to the thickness of the coarse outer
layer and the extent to which this straggles; but they seem
to be generally from 4 to 5 inches in diameter, and 2*5 in height,
whilst the cavity is about 2 inches in diameter, and 1, or a little
more than 1, in depth.

The eggs (each nest contained four) are mi generis^ moderately
broad regular ovals, with a decided but not brilliant gloss, and of a
nearly uniform chocolate-purple. The eggs of one nest are of a
a shghtly deeper shade than those of another, probably in con¬
sequence of one set being more incubated than the other. They
vary in length from 0*66 to 0*69, and from 0*49 to 0*52 in
breadth.

I do not entertain the sHghtest doubt of these nests and eggs.

Mr. Mandelli has sent me many more eggs of this species, mostly
deep chocolate-purple, but here and there an egg somewhat paler,
what might be called a pinkish chocolate. They vary from O'61 to
0*70 in length, and from 0*48 to 0*53 in breadth; but the average
of fifteen eggs is 0*67 by 0*51 nearly.

450. Horornis pallidus (Brooks). The Fale Biish-WarUer,
Horeites pallidus, Brooks^ Hume^ Rough Draft N, ^ E, no. 527 bis.

The Pale Bush-Warbler breeds in Cashmere, according to
Mr. Brooks, during May. I know nothing either of the bird or
its nidification myself. I have never even closely examined a
specimen, and merely accept the species on Mr. Brooks’s authority.

He tells me that he found a nest on the 25th May at Hangan in
Cashmere.

Mr. Brooks writes :—'' The nest of Borornis jpallidus, which I
found near Kangan in Cashmere, up the Sind Valley, was placed in
tangled brushwood, and about five feet above the ground. It was
on a’ shghtly sloping bank, and close to the edge of a patch of jungle,
not far from the right bank of the river.

''It was composed of coarse dry grass externally, with fine
roots and fibres towards the inside of the nest, and was profusely
lined with feathers. It was large for the bird, being 7 or 8 inches
in external diameter, of a globular form, with the entrance at the
side. I don’t remember the size of the cavity of the nest, but its
walls were very thick.

‘'In external appearance it was rough and clumsy, and looked
more hke a Sparrow’s nest than that of a small Sylvine bird. The
entrance was about 1| inch in diameter, and was with the interior
of the nest neat and strong. Borornis jpallidus occurs at from
5600 feet elevation up to 7000 and eveu 8000 feet. It was
abundant at Suki up the Bhagirutti Yallev, and I heard of one even
at G-angootree.”

HORORITIS,

281

The shape of the egg is peculiar, beiug rather flatteued in out¬
line at the sides and then suddenly rounded at the smaller end.
There is a considerable amount of gloss on the surface, which is
of a dull purple-brown, rather darker in tint at the large end.
There are a very few indistinct cloudy markings of brown scat¬
tered here and there over the egg. In general appearance the egg
puts one in mind of a Prinia’s.

The egg measured 0*64 by 0*49.

451. Horornis pallidipes (Blanf.). BlanforcVs Busli-WarhUr,

Horeites pallidipes {Blanf.), Hume, Cat. no. 527 qiiat.

Mr. Mandelli sent me two nesfs of this species. The one was
found on the 24th May at Ging, near the Eunghoo Eiver, Sikhim,
and contained four fresh eggs; it was placed on the ground
amongst coarse grass. The other, which w^as similarly placed, was
found on the 29th June below Lebong at an elevation of about
4000 feet, and contained three fresh eggs. Both nests are rather
coarse untidy little cups, some 3 inches in diameter, and 1’75 in
height exteriorly, lined and mainly composed of very fine grass,
but coated exteriorly everywhere with dry flags, bits of bamboo
spathes, and with one or two dead leaves incorporated at the
bottom of the structure.

452. Horornis major (Hodgs.). The Large Bnsh-WarUer,

Horeites major, Hodgs., Hume, Bough Draft N. E. no. 529
(err. 629).

A nest said to belong to the Large Bush-Warbler was sent in
with one of the parent birds in July from near Lachong in ISTative
Sikhim, where it was found at an elevation of about 14,000 feet.
It was placed at a height of about a foot from the ground in
a stunted thorny shrub common at these high elevations. It was
a very warm little cup, about 3 inches in diameter, composed of
the finest fern and moss-roots, tiny fern-leaves, w'ool, and numbers
of the coarse white crinkly hairs of the burhel. It contained three
fresh eggs, regular, slightly elongated ovals, a little pointed towards
the small end; the shell fine and compact, but with scarcely any
gloss.

The ground-colour is white with a faint greenish-blue tinge,
and on the larger half of the egg excessively minute specks of
brownish red are thinly sprinkled, except just at the crown of the
egg, where the specks are denser and exhibit a tendency to form a
tiny cap. On the smaller half of the egg very few, if any, speck-
lings are to be traced.

In length the eggs measure 0-7 and 0*71, and in breadth 0*53
to 0*55.

282

STLYIIDJE.

454. Phyllergates coronatus (Jerd. & Bl.). The 0olden-headed

Warhler,

Ortliotomua coronatus, Jerd, Bl.^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 168;

Rough Draft N. D. no. 531.

Dr. Jerdon says :—“ A nest and eggs were brought to me, said to
be those of this bird. The nest was similar to that of the last [0.
sutoTms~\, but not so carefully made; the leaves were loosely at¬
tached, and with fewer stitches. The eggs were two in number,
white, with rusty spots.’’

455. Horeites brunneifrons, Hodgs. The Rufous-capped
Bush-Warhler,

Horeites brunneifrons, Hodgs.^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 163.

The egg is a rather broad oval, a good deal pointed towards the
small end; the shell is pretty stout for the size of the egg, and is
entirely devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is a pale drabby stone-
colour, and all about the large end is a broad dense zone of dull
browiiish purple. The zone consists of a nearly confluent mass of
extremely minute ill-defined speckles, and outside the zone similar
speckles and tiny spots occur, though nowhere very noticeable unless
closely examined.

Two eggs of this species were brought from Native Sikhim, to¬
gether with one of the parent birds; they are regular ovals, slightly
pointed towards the small end.

The ground-colour is dull, glossless, pinky white; the markings
consist chiefly of a broad ill-defined zone of dull dark purple; the
other parts of the egg are sparingly, but pretty evenly speckled
and spotted with pale purple.

The eggs measure 0*66 by 0*49 and 0-64 by 0*48

458. Suya crinigera, Hodgs. The Broim Hill- Warbler.

Suya criniger, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Lid. ii,p. 183 ; Hume, Rough Draft
N. D. no. 547.

The Brown Hill-Warbler breeds throughout the Himalayas, at
elevations of from 2000 to 6000 feet, at any rate from Sikhim,
where it is comparatively rare, to the borders of Afghanistan.

The breeding-season lasts from the beginning of May until the
middle of July, but the majority of the birds lay during May.

• A nest which I took at Dilloo, in the Kangra Valley, on the
26th May, was situated near the base of a low bush on the side of
a steep hill; it was placed in the fork of several twigs near the
centre of the bush, about 2 feet from the ground. It was an

I cannot find any note about the nest of this species amongst Mr. Hume’s
papers. There is nothing beyond the above two notes on the eggs.—En.

STJYA.

283

excessively flimsy deep cup, about 3 inches in diameter, and 2| inches
in depth internally. It was composed of downy seeds of grass
held together externally by a few very fine ^blades 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 and not lying on
its side.

They lay from five to seven eggs, and have, I thinlc, 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 idng 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.”

Trom 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 and 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.”

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

284

STLTIIDiE.

much lower down in June was composed of grasses neatly inter¬
woven in. the shape of an ovate ball, the smaller end uppermost
and forming the mouth or entrance; it was lined first with cottony
seed-down, and then with fine grass-stalks; it w^as suspended
among high grass, and contained five beautiful little eggs oP a
carneous white colour, thickly freckled with deep rufous, and with
a darkish confluent ring of the same at the larger end. I have
seen this species as high as 7000 feet in October. It delights to
sit on the summit of tall grass, or even of an oak, from whence it
pours forth a loud and long-continued grating note like the filing
of a saw.”

Writing of Nepal, Dr. Scully says:—‘‘ A nest taken on the 29th
June contained only two fresh eggs. The nest was of the shape of a
mangoe, the vsmall end being uppermost, and the entrance on one
side, near the top ; its measurements externally w^ere, in height
5*2, in breadth 3*6 in one direction and 2*65 in the other; the
opening was nearly circular, 1*8 in diameter. It was rather flimsy
in structure, composed of grass-down, more or less felted together,
and bound round externally with dry green grass-blades ; internally
it was scantily lined with fine grass-stems, which were used to
strengthen the lower lip of the entrance-hole. The eggs were
fairly glossy, moderate or longish oval in shape, and measured 0*65
by 0*5 and 0*7 by 0*49 ; the ground-colour was pinkish white, the
small end nearly free from markings, the middle portion with
faint streaks and tiny indistinct spots of brownish red, and the
large end with a zone of bright brownish red or a confluent cap
of the same colour.’^

Trom Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes:—‘^This Suya breeds from
May to June in the warmest valleys up to 3500 feet. It afiects
open grassy tracts, and builds its nest in a buncb of grass, within
a foot or two of the ground. The nest is an extremely neat egg-
shaped structure, with entrance at side, made of fine grass-stems
thickly felted over with the white seeds of a tall flowering grass,
which gives it a very pretty appearance. Externally it measures
5 inches in height by 3 in diameter; the cavity is 2*2*5 wide and 2
deep, from lower edge of entrance. The entrance is about 2*25
across.

“ The usual number of eggs is four. I have never found more,
but on several occasions as few as two and three well-iucubated
eggs/’

A nest of this species taken by Mr. Gammie near Mongphoo, on
the 18th April, at an elevation of about 3000 feet, contained three
fresh eggs. It closely resembles nests that I have taken of S. cri-
nigera in shape, somewhat like an egg, with the entrance on one
side, near the top, exteriorly about 5 inches in length, and 2|
inches in diameter, with an aperture a little less than 2 inches
across. It was built amongst grass, of which a few fine stalks
constitute the outer framework, and the whole body of the nest
inside this framework consists solely of the flower-down of grass

SITTA.

285

firmly felted together. It is lined pretty thickly everywhere with
the excessively Sne stalks which bear this down.

Taking a large series, I should describe the eggs as typically
regular but somewhat elongated ovals, often fairly glossy, at times
almost glossless. The ground varies from pale pinky white to
pale salmon-colour. A dense, more or less mottled, zone or cap
at the large end, varying in different specimens from reddish pink
to almost brick-red, and more or less of speckling, mottling, or
freckling of a somewhat lighter shade than the zone spreads in
some thinly, in some densel}’’ over the rest of the egg.

In length they vary from 0*63 to 0*75, and in breadth from 0*46
to 0*55 ; but the average of sixty-five eggs is 0-69 by 0*52.

459. Suya atrigularis, Moore The Blaelc-tlivoated
llill-WarUev,

Suya atrogularis, Moore, Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 184; Hume, liovqh
Draft N. cj* K no. 549.

The Black-throated Hill-Warbler breeds in Kumaon and the
Himalayas eastwards from thence, at elevations of 4000 to 6000
feet.

The breeding-season lasts from April to July, but the birds
mostly lay in May and June. Open grassy hillsides dotted about
with scrub, thin forests, or gardens are the localities it affects.
The nest is placed at times In some low bush surrounded with and
grown through by grass, more commonly in chimps of grass, and
never at any great height from the ground. It is more or less
egg-shaped, and placed with the longer diameter vertical, the
entrance being on one side above the middle. It is composed ex¬
teriorly sometimes of fine grass-roots, sometimes of the finest
possible grass, loosely but sufficiently firmly interwoven, a little
moss being often incorporated in the upper portion, and internally
always, I think, exclusively of fine grass.

Four is perhaps the usual number of the eggs, but I have found
five.

Mr. G-ammie, writing from Sikhim, says :—I have found four
nests of this species this year in the Ohinchona reserves, at eleva¬
tions of from 4500 to 5500 feet, during the months of May and
June. The nests were all in open grassy country, in grass by the
sides of low banks, and not above a foot off the ground. They
are globular, with a lateral entrance, composed of grass, and with
a little moss about the dome. One I measured was 5*5 high, and

* I reproduce this article nearly as it appears in the ‘ Bough Draftbut I
have great doubts as to the occurrence of this bird in Kumaon, and I further
doubt the identification of Hodgson’s notes with this species. It is quite clear,
from his specimens in the British Museum, that Hodgson confounded S. atri¬
gularis in winter plumage with S. crinigera, and his plate of the former in
summer plumage contains no note on nidification.— Ed.

286

SYLVIID^.

4*5 in diameter externally; internally the nest was 2*4 in diameter,
and the cavity had a total height of 3*9, of which 2 inches was
below the lower edge of the entrance. According to my ex¬
perience four is the regular complement of eggs. I have repeatedly
(three times this year) shot the female off the nest, and beyond
question Jerdon is wrong about this bird's laying Indian-red

eggs.”

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, this species breeds in groves
and open forest in Sikhim and the central region of Nepal from
April to June, building a large globular nest in clumps of grass, of
dry grass, roots, and moss, lined with fine grass and moss-roots.
The entrance, which is circular, is at one side ; the nest is egg-
shaped, the longer diameter being perpendicular, and is placed at
a height of about 6 inches from the ground. A nest taken on the
30th May measured 6*12 in height and 3*5 in diameter externally,
and the circular aperture, which was just above the middle, was
1*75 in diameter. It contained four eggs, which are represented
as ovals, a good deal pointed towards one end, measuring 0*69 by
0*55. The ground-colour is a pale green, and they are speckled
and spotted with bright red, the markings being most numerous
towards the large end, where they have a tendency to form a zone
or cap.

Dr. Jerdon says that “it makes its nest of fine grass and
withered stalks, large, very loosely put together, globular, with a
hole near the top, and lays three or four eggs of an entirely dull
Indian-red colour.” This undoubtedly is a mistake; the eggs he
refers to are, I think, those of Neornis flavolivaceus. He gave
them to me, but was not certain of the species they belonged to.

The eggs of the present species are of much the same shape as
those of the preceding, and there is a certain similarity in the
colour of both; but in these eggs the ground-colour instead of
being pink or pinky white, is a pale, delicate, sometimes greyish,
green. Then though there is the same kind of zone round the
large end, it is a purple or purplish, instead of a brick-red, and it
is manifestly made up of innumerable minute specks, and has not
the cloudy confluent character of the zone in S. crinigem. Out¬
side the zone minute specks of the same purplish red are scattered,
in some pretty thickly, in others sparsely, over the whole of the
rest of the surface. As a body the eggs have a faint gloss, de¬
cidedly less, however, than those of 8. crinigera, but some few are
absolutely glossless.

In length the eggs vary from 0*63 to 0*79, and in breadth from
0*46 to 0*43; but the average of forty-five eggs is 0*68 by 0*5.

460. Suya khasiana, Godw.-Aust. Austen’s Hill-Warbler,
Suya khasiana, Godv),-Aust.^ Hume^ Cat. no. 549 bis.

I found this bird high up in the eastern hills of Manipur,
frequenting dense herbaceous undergrowth of balsams and the

PEINIA.

287

like in forest. On the 11th of May I caiiglit a female on her nest,
containing four well-incubated eggs. The nest was placed in a
wild ginger-plant, about two feet from the ground, in forest at the
\evj summit of the Makhi hill.

462. Prinia lepida, Bl^^th. The Strealced Wreii'-Warhle'r

Burnesia lepida (Blypi), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 185.

Burnesia gracilis, Biqop.j Hmne^ Bough Draft N. D. no. 550.

1 have never happened to meet with the nest of the Streaked
Wren-Warbler, and all the information I possess in regard to its
nidification I owe to others.

The late Mr. Anderson remarked :—“ Although this species was
far from uncommon, I found it very local and confined entirely to
the tamarisk-covered islands and ‘ churs ’ along the Ganges.

The first nest was taken on the 13th March last, and contained
three well-incubated eggs; of these I saved only one specimen,
which is now in the collection of Mr. Brooks. The second was
found on the following day, and contained two callow young and
one perfectly fresh egg.

The nest is domed over, having an entrance at the side ; and
the cavity is comfortably lined, or rather felted, with the down of
the madar plant. It is fixed, somewhat after the fashion of that
of the Eeed-Warbler, in the centre of a dense clump of surpat
grass, about 2 feet above the ground. On the whole the structure
is rather large for so small a bird, and measures 6 inches in height
by 4 inches in breadth.

“ But while the nest corresponds exactly with Canon Tristram’s
description ^ of those taken by him in Palestine, there are dif¬
ferences, oologically speaking, which induce me to hope that our
Indian bird may yet be restored to specific distinction t. In the
first place, my single eggs from each nest have a green ground¬
colour, and are covered all over with reddish-brown spots. Now
Mr. Tristram describes his Palestine specimens as ‘ richly coloured
pih/c eggs, with a zone of darker red near the larger end, and in
shape and colour resembling some of the Prinia group.’ Is it
possible for the same birds to lay such widely difierent eggs ? If
I had taken only one specimen, it might have been looked upon as
a mere variety. Again, our Indian bird lays three eggs, and I have
never seen the parent birds feeding more than this number of
young ones, occasionally only two. Mr. Tristram, per contra^
mentions having met with as many as five and six. The egg is
certainly the prettiest, and one of the smallest, I have ever seen;
indeed, I found it too small to risk measurement.”

He adds :—“ Since writing the above, which appeared in ‘ The
Ibis,’ I have discovered that this species breeds in September and

Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 437 ,* Ibis,
865, pp. 82, 83.

t The two birds are now considered distinct by all ornithologists.— Ed.

288

SYLVIIDiE.

October, as well as in February and March, so some of them pro¬
bably have two broods in the year. I took a nest on the 9th
October at Puttegurh, which contained two callow young and one
(fresh) egg, which I send you, and which is exactly similar to all
the others 1 have taken from time to time.”

The egg sent me by Mr. Anderson is a very broad oval in shape,
a good deal compressed however, and pointed towards the small
end. The shell is very fine and has a decided gloss. In colouring
the egg is exactly like those of some of the Blackbirds—a pale
green ground, profusely freckled and streaked with a bright, only
slightly brownish, red; the markings are densest round the large
end, where they form a broad, nearly confluent, well-marked, but
imperfect and irregular, zone. It measures 0*55 by 0*41.

Colonel 0. H. T. Marshall says :—“ The Streaked Wren-Warbler
breeds in great numbers near Delhi in March ; Mr. 0. T. Bingham
has found several of them in the clumps of surpat grass that had
been cut within three feet of the ground on the alluvial land of the
Jumna. It was when out with him in the end of March 1876
that I first saw the nest of this species. The locality of the nest
is exactly that described by Mr. Anderson; it is oval in shape,
with a large side entrance near the top ; it is built of fine grass
and seed-down, no cobweb being employed in the structure; it is
loosely made, and there are alwa 3 ^s a few feathers in the egg-cavity.
The whereabouts is generally pointed out by the cock bird, who,
seated on the top of the highest blade of grass he can find near
where his hen is sitting, pours out with untiring energy his feeble
monotonous song, little knowing that by so doing he has betrayed
the spot where he has fixed his nest to the marauder. The eggs,
of which I have seen about fifteen or twenty, answer the descrip¬
tion given in ‘ Stray Feathers ’ exactly.”

Major C. T. Bingham tells us:—“ Between the 12th and 31st
March this 3 "ear 1 found ten nests of this bird, which is very
common in the grass-covered land of the Jumna. These nests
were all alike, of fine dry grass mixed with the down of the surpat,
which also thickly lined the iuside. In shape the nests are blunt
ovals, with a tiny hole for entrance a little above the centre.
Seven out of the ten nests contained four eggs each, the rest three
each. The eggs in colour are a pale yellowish white with a tinge
of green, thickly speckled with dashes rather than spots of rusty
red, tending in some to form a cap, in others a zone round the
large end. The average of twenty eggs measured is 0*53 by 0*44
inch. The nests were all, with one exception, supported by
stems of the grass being worked into the sides. The one exception
was a nest I found in the fork of a tamarisk bush. It is not a
difficult nest to find, for when you are in the vicinity of one, one
of the birds will flit about the stems of the surrounding clumps of
grass and above you freely, opening its tiny mouth absurdly wide,
but giving forth the feeblest of feeble sounds.”

Writing on the Avifauna of Mt. Abu and N. Gruzerat, Colonel
E. A. Butler says :—“ I found a nest in a tussock of coarse grass

PBINIA.

289

in the sandy bed of a river, amongst a number of tamarisk-bushes,
on the Sth July, 1875, in the neighbourhood of Deesa. It was
composed of fine dry fibrous roots and grass-stems exteriorly, and
lined with silky vegetable down. It was a long bottled-shaped
structure with a small entrance on one side. The nest, eggs,
situation, locality, &c. all agree so exactly with the descriptions
quoted by Dr. Jerdon and with Mr. Anderson’s note in ‘Nests and
Eggs,’ Rough Draft, that I should have found it difficult to avoid
copying these tw^o gentlemen in describing my own nest.

“The nest contained three hard-set eggs and one young one
just hatched.”

Eeferring to its occurrence in the Eastern Narra District, Mr.
Doig tells us :—“ This little Warbler is very common. I took the
first nest in March and again in May ; they build in stunted
tamarisk-bushes; the nest is circular dome-shaped, with the
entrance on one side the top, the inside being very beautifully and
softly lined with the pappus of grass-seeds. Eoiir is the usual
number of eggs in one nest.”

The Blackbird type of egg above described is by no means the
commonest one ; the great mass of the eggs have the ground
greyish, greenish, or pinkish white, and they are very thickly and
finely freckled and speckled all over, but most densely about the
large end, with a slightly brownish, rarely a slightly purplish grey.
Occasionally when the markiugs are very dense in a cap at the
large end there is a distinct purplish-grey tinge there, and on the
rest of the surface of the egg the markings are somewhat less
thickly set, leaving small portions of the ground-colour clearly
visible. Typically the eggs are moderately broad ovals, a little
compressed towards the small end, and though none are very
glossy, the great majority have a fair amount of gloss.

463. Prinia flaviventris (Deless.). The Tellow-beTlied Wren-

Warhler,

Prinia flaviventris {Deless.'), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 1G9: Kume, liouqh
Draft N. ^ B. no. 532.

Of the Yellow-bellied Wren-Warbler’s nidificatioii I know
personally nothing.

Tickell describes the nest as pensile but quite open, being a
hemisphere with one side prolonged, by which it is suspended from
a twig. The eggs, he says, are bright brick-red without a spot.

Mr. H. 0. Parker tells me that “ this bird breeds in the Salt-
Water Lake, or rather on the swampy banks of the principal
canals that intersect it. The nest is nearly always placed on
an ash-leaved shrub-like plant growing on the banks of the canal
and overhanging the water. One taken on the 26th July, 1873,
containing four nearly fresh eggs, was almost touching the water
at high tide. The male has the habit, when the female is sitting,
of hopping to the extreme point of a tall species of cane-like grass

YOL. I. 19

290

SYLVIIDjE.

which grows abuncLaatly in these swamps, whence he gives forth a
rather pleasing song, erecting his tail at the same time, after which
he drops into the jungle and is seen no more. It is almost
impossible to make him show himself again.’’

The nest, which I owe to Mr. Parker, and which was found in
the neighbourhood oi: the Salt-Water Lake, Calcutta, on the 26th
July, is of an oval shape, very obtuse at both ends, measuring
externally 4 inches in length and about 2| inches in diameter.
The aperture, which is near the top of the nest, is oval, and mea~
sures about 1 inch by li inch. The nest is fixed against the side
of two or three tiny leafy twigs, to which it is bound lightly in one
or two places \^’ith grass and vegetable fibre ; and two or three leafy
lateral twiglets are incorporated into the sides of the nest, so that
when fresh it must have been entirely hidden by leaves. The nest
was in an upright position, the major axis perpendicular to the
horizon. It is a very thin, firm, close basket-work of fine grass,
flower-stalks, and vegetable fibre, and has no lining, though the
interior surface of the nest is more closely woven and of still finer
materials tlian the outside. The cavity is nearly 2| inches deep,
measuring from the lower edge of the entrance, and is about
2 inches in diameter.

During this present year (1874) Mr. Parker obtained several
more nests of this species, all built in the low jungle that fringes
the mud-banks of the congeries of channels and creeks that are
known in Calcutta by the name of the ‘‘ Balt Lake.”

This jungle consists chiefly of the blue-flowered holly-leaved
Acanthus ilic}folia and of the trailing semi-creeper-like Derris
scandens. It is in amongst the drooping twigs of the latter that
the nest is invariably made.

The nests vary a good deal in shape ; some are regular cylinders
rounded off at both ends, with the aperture on one side above the
centre—a small oval entrance neatly worked. Such a nest is
about 4’5 inches in length externally from top to bottom, and 2*75
in diameter; the aperture 1*8 in height, aud barely 1*0 in width.

Others are still more egg-shaped, with a similar aperture near
the top, and others ai'e more purse-like. The material used
appears to be always much the same—fine grass-stems intermingled
with blades of grass, and here and there dry leaves of some rush, a
little seed-down, scraps of herbaceous plants, and the like; the
interior, always of the finest grass-stems, neatly arranged and-
cur\'ed to the shape of the cavity. The nests are firmly attached
to the drooping twigs, to and between which they are suspended,
sometimes by fine vegetable fibre, but more commonly by cobwebs
and silk from cocoons, a good deal of both of which are generally
to be seen wound about the surface of the nest near the points of
suspension or attachment.

Pour appears to be the full number of the eggs.

Mr. Doig, writing from Sind, says:—“ This bird is tolerably
common all along the Narra, but as it keeps in very thick jungle it
is not often seen unless looked for. I took my first nest on the

PRINIA.

291

12th, and mj second on the 17tli of May. . This evidently is the
second brood, as I noticed on the same day a lot oE young birds
which must have been fully six weeks old. One nest was lined
with horsehair and fine grasses. Tour was the normal number of
eggs.”

Mr. Oates writes:—‘‘The Yellow-bellied Wren-Warbler is
very abundant throughout Lower Pegu in suitable localities. In
the plains between the Sittang and Pegu rivers they are constant
residents, breeding freely from May to August and September.
In Eangoon also, all round the Timber Depot at Kemancline, and
in the low-lying land between the town proper and Monkey Point,
they are very numerous.”

The eggs are of the well-known Prinia type—broad regular
ovals, of a nearly uniform mahogany-red, and very glossy. To
judge from the few specimens I have seen, they average a good
deal smaller, and are somewhat less deeply coloured, than those of
P. socialis. They vary from 0*52 to 0*6 in length, and from 0*43
to 0*48 in breadth.

464. Prinia socialis, Sykes. The Ashy Wren-Warhler,

Prinia socialis, Syhes^ Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 170,* Hume, Rough
Draft N. E. no. 534.

Prinia stewarti, Bhjth, Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 171; Hume^ Rough Draft
N. ^ E. no. 535.

Prinia socialis.

The Ashy Wren-Warbler breeds throughout the southern portion
of the Peninsula and Ceylon, alike in the low country and in the
hills, up to an elevation of nearly 7000 feet.

The breeding-season extends from March to September, but I am
uncertain whether they have more than one brood.

Dr. Jerdon says :—“ Colonel Sykes remarks that this species
has the same ingenious nest as 0. longicauda, I have found the
nest on several occasions, and verified Colonel Sykes’s observations ;
but it is not so neatly sewn together as the nest of the true Tailor-
bird, aud there is generally more grass and other vegetable fibres
used in the construction. The eggs are usually reddish white,
with numerous darker red dots at the large end often coalescing,
and sometimes the eggs are uniform brick-red throughout.”

Yow, first, as regards the eggs, it is clearly wrong to say that
the eggs are usually reddish white; that such eggs, as exceptions,
may have occurred I do not doubt, but I have seen more than fifty
eggs of this bird taken by Miss Cockburn, Messrs. Carter, Davison,
Wait, Theobald, and others, and all were without exception
mahogany- or brick-red, at times mottled, somewhat paler aud
darker here and there, but making no approach, even the most
distant, to what Dr. Jerdon says is the usual type. Moreover, I
have taken many hundreds of the eggs of P. stewarti (the iiorthern,
rather smaller form), which is not only most closely allied but
really very doubtfullv distinct, and yet I never met with one single

292

STLYIIDJE.

egg of this type. At the same time Mr. Swiuhoe Ibis/ 1860,
p. 50) tells us that P. sonitans also at times exhibits a redclish--
white egg; so I do not for a moment question that Dr. Jerdonhad
seen such eggs, only it must be understood that, so far from con¬
stituting the iLSual type, it is in reality a most abnormal and rare
variety. Out of eight correspondents who have collected for me
in Southern India, I cannot learn that any one has ever yet even
seen an egg of this type.

As regards the nest, this species often constructs a Tailor-
bird nest, the true nest being filled in between two or more leaves
carefully stitched together to the nest; but it also, like that
species, often builds a very different structure.

A nest now before me, sent from Conoor, is a loosely-made
cup—a very slight fabric of grass-stems, matted with a quantity of
the downy seed of some flowering grass and with a lining of fine
grass-roots. It is an irregular cup about 2^ inches in diameter
and 2 inches in depth.

Four seems to be the regular number of the eggs.

From Kotagherry Miss Cockburn writes that “ the Ashy Wren-
Warbler builds a neat little hanging nest very much in the Tailor-
bird style, for it draws the leaves of the branch on which the nest
is constructed close together, and sews them so tightly as some¬
times to make them nearly touch each other, while a small quantity
of fine grass, wool, and the down of seed-pods is used as a lining
and also placed between the leaves. These nests are built very
low, and contain three beautiful little bright red eggs, a shade
darker at the thick end. They are easily discovered; for the birds
get so agitated if any one approaches the bush on which they have
built that they invariably attract one to the very spot they most
wish to conceal. They build in the months of June and July.”

Mr. Davison says:—“ This bird breeds on the Nilghiris in
March, April, and May, and sometimes as late as the earlier part
of June. The nest is generally placed low down near the roots of
a bush or tuft of grass. It is made of grass beautifully and closely
woven, domed, and with the entrance near the top. The eggs,
three or four in number, are of a deep brick-red, darker at the
larger end, where there is generally a zone, and are very glossy.
I once obtained a nest made of grass and bits of cotton, but instead
of being built as above described it was placed between, and sewn
to, two leaves of the Datura stramonium. It contained three eggs
of a deep brick-red; in fact, precisely like those described above.”

Mr. Wait tells us that ‘‘ in September I found two nests, the
one deeply cup-shaped, the other domed, both constructed of
similar materials. The latter of the two was placed at the bottom
of a large bunch of lemon-grass, and was constructed of root-fibre
and grass, grass-bents, and down of thistle and hawkweed, all inter¬
mixed. Exteriorly it measured between 3 and 4 inches in diameter.
The nests contained three and five eggs, all highly glossy and of a
deep brownish-red, deeper than brick-red, mottled with a still
deeper shade.”

PRINIA

293

Colonel W. Y. Legge, writing from Ceylon, tells us that
“P. socialis breeds with us in the commencement of the S.W.
monsoon during the months of May, June, and July. It nests in
long grass on the Patnas in the Central Province, in guinea-grass
fields, and in sugarcane-brakes where these exist, as in the Galle
District for instance. I can scarcely imagine that Jerdon is
correct about this Warbler’s nesting.

“ Nothing can be more uii-Tailorbird-like than the nest which
it builds in this country, and this led me to think that ours \vas a
different species until my specimens were identified by Lord
Walden. In May 1870 a pair resorted to a large guinea-grass
field attached to my bungalow at Colombo, for the purpose of
breeding. I soon found the nest, which was the most peculiarly
constructed one I have ever seen. It was, in fact, an almost
shapeless ball of guinea-grass roots, tJiroivn as it were between the
upright stalks of the plant at about 2 feet from the ground : I say
‘ thrown,’ because it was scarcely attached to the supporting
stalks at all. It was formed entirely of the roots of the plant,
which, when it is old, crop out of the ground and are easily plucked
up by the bird, the bottom or more solid part being interwoven with
cotton and such-like substances to impart additional strength. The
entrance was at the side in the upper half, and was tolerably neatly
made ; it was about an inch in diameter, the whole structure mea¬
suring about 6 inches in depth by 5 inches in breadth. I found
the nest in a partial state of completion on the 10th of May; by
the 19th it was finished and the first of a clutch of three eggs laid.
The nest and eggs were both taken on the evening of the 24th, and
the following day another vi^as commenced close at hand. This was
somewhat smaller, but constructed in the same peculiar manner as
the first. This was completed, and the first of another clutch
laid. The eggs are somewhat pointed at the smaller end, and
of an almost uniform dull mahogany ground-colour, showing indi¬
cations of a paler underground at the point.”

Birds like these, that build half-a-dozen different kinds of nests,
ought to be abolished ; they lead to all kinds of mistakes and dif¬
ferences of opinion, and are more trouble than they are worth.

Colonel E. A. Butler writes :—“ Pound numerous nests of this
species at Belgaum on the following dates :—

“July 13. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs.

» ^2. „ „ 3

5) }> 5> d ,,

3J 33 37 ^ 73

,3 26. „ „ 3

„ 28. „ „ 2 slightly incubated eggs.

Aug. 5. „ „ 4 fresh eggs.

33 73 33 d ,,

“All of the above nests were built in sugarcane-fields or in
corn-fields ; and most of them were stitched up in leaves of various
plants, after the fashion of Tailor-birds’ nests; but in some instances
they were of the other type, simply supported by the blades of

294

SYLYOTJE.

sugarcane or corn they were built in. In addition to the above I
found numerous other nests all through August, many of which
were destroyed by something or other—what, I do not know ! In
fact, it has always been a puzzle to me what it is that takes
1 he eggs of these small birds : three out of four nests, when
visited a second time, are either empty, gone altogether, or pulled
down ,* and how the birds ever uianage to hatch oflt a brood at all
with so many enemies I do not know.

I found a nest of the Ashy Wren-Warbler at Deesa on the
21st July, containing three fresh eggs, of a highly polished deep
mahogany-red colour, with an almost invisible cap of the same
colour a shade darker at the large end. Tbe nest, which was
placed in the centre of a low bush and fixed to a few small twigs,
was oval in shape, measuring 3| inches in length exteriorly and
2§ in width, with a small round entrance near the top about
1-5 inch in diameter. It was composed of fine dry fibrous grass,
with silky vegetable down (Ccdotropis ghjantea) and cobwebs
smeared over the exterior. The walls were very thin, but the
bottom of the nest somewhat solid. The whole well woven and
compactly built. Later on I got nests on the following dates :—

“ Aug. 1. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs.

„ L „ „ 2

5 4

55 51 55 J 55

,, „ 3

0 4.

55 5 5 5 5 ^ 55

55 ,, ,, 3 ,,

“ In addition to the above, I found nests containing young birds
on the 15th, 17th, and 23rd August,

‘‘The nests are of two distinct types. One as above described;
the other, which is the commoner of the two, a regular Tailor-bird's
nest stitched betvi'een two leaves but without any lining. The eggs
vary a good deal in shade, some being paler than others. Some
eggs I have look almost like little balls of red carnelian. Cret'pers
(convolvulus &c.) growing up low' thorny bushes in grass-beerhs
are a favourite place for the nest.”

Lieut. H. E. !Barnes informs us that in Eajputana this Warbler
breeds from July to September.

Messrs. Davidson and A¥enden state that this bird is common
in the Deccan and breeds in August.

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan, writing from South India, says:—“ It
builds in March, constructing a very neat pendent nest, which is
artfully concealed, and supported by sewing one or two leaves
round it. This is very neatly done with the fine silk which sur¬
rounds the eggs of a small brown spider. The nest is generally
built of fine grass, and contains three eggs of a bright brick-colour
with a high polish. The entrance to the nest is at the top and a
little on one side. An egg measured 0-7 inch in length by 0*48 in
breadth.”

As for the eggs, it is unnecessary to describe them : they are
precisely similar to those of P. stewarti^ fully described below. All

PRUSriA.

295

that can be said is that as a body they are slightly larger, and jpos-
sibly^ as a whole, the least shade less dark. In length they vary from
0-52 to 0-72, and in breadth from 0*45 to 0‘52; but the average of
twenty-one eggs measured is 0*64 by rather more than 0*47*.

Prinia steivarti.

Stewart’s Wren-Warbler is one of those forms in regard to
which at present great difference of opinion prevails as to whether
or no they merit specific separation. P. stewarti from the N.W.
Provinces and P. socialis from the Nilghiris differ only in size ;
the latter is somewhat more robust, and probably weighs one fifth
more than the former. But theu in the Central Provinces you
meet with intermediate sizes, and I have plenty of birds which
might be assigned indifferently to either race as a rather small
example of the one or rather large one of the other. 1 myself
consider all to belong to one species, but as this is not the general
view I have kept my notes on their nidification separate.

This species or race breeds almost throughout the plains of
Upper India and in the Sub-Himalayan ranges to an elevation of
3000 or 4000 feet. In the plains the breeding-season extends
from the first downfall of rain in June (I have never found them
earlier) to quite the end of August. In the moist Sub-Himalayan
region, the Terais, Boons, Bhaburs, and the low hills, they com¬
mence laying nearly a month earlier.

This species often constructs as neatly sewn a nest as does the
Orthotomus; in fact, many of the nests built by these two species
so closely resemble each other that it would be difficult to distin¬
guish them were there not very generally a difference in the
lining. With few exceptions all the innumerable nests of 0. mto-
rius that I have seen were lined with some soft substance—
cotton-wool, the silky down of the cotton-tree {Bomhaco lieptapliyl-
grass-down, soft horsehair, or even human hair, while the
nests of P. stewarti are almost without exception lined with fine
grass-roots.

Our present bird does not, however, invariably construct a
“ tailored ” nest. When it does, like 0. sutorius, it sews two,
three, four, or five leaves together, as may be most convenient,
filling the intervening space with down, fine grass, vegetable fibre,
or wool, held firmly into its place by cross-threads, sometimes com¬
posed of cobwebs, sometimes made by the bird itself of cotton, and
sometimes apparently derived from unravelled rags. It also, how¬
ever, often makes a nest entirely composed of fine vegetable fibre,
cotton, and grass-down, and lined as usual with fine grass-roots.
Sometimes these nests are long and purse-like, and somatimes
globular, either attached to, or pendent from, two or more twigs.
One nest before me, a sort of deep watch-pocket, suspended from

* As a matter ot convenience I keep the notes on P. socialis and P. stewarti
separate, as is done in the ‘ Bough Draft’; but there is no doubt whatever now
that the two birds are the same species.— Ed.

296

SYLYIIDiE.

•five twigs of tlie jliao (Tamaricc dioicct)^ measures externally 2*75
inches in diameter, is a good deal longer at what may be called the
back than the front, and at the back fully 5*5 long. Internally the
diameter is about 1*5, and the cavity, measuring from the lowest
portion of the external rim, is 2*5. This is a very large nest.
Another, built between three leaves, has an external diameter of
about 2| inches, and is externally not above 3 inches long. It is
unnecessary here to describe the beautiful manner in which, when
it makes use of leaves, this bird sews them together, as this has
already been well described by others where 0. sutoriiis is
concerned, and P. steivarti is, in some cases, when forming a nest
with leaves, fully as neat a workman.

The nests vary so much, and I have heard so much discussion
about them, that having seen at least a hundi’ed and having taken
full notes of some twenty of them, I shall reproduce a few of these
notes:—

“ Agra^ July Vltli .—Two nests—one nearly globular, composed
entirely of fibrous roots, hair, wool, and thread, and lined with fine
grass, suspended by a fe\v fibres and hairs between the fork of a
branchlet in a little dense bush of Indian box; the other, suspended
from the tendril of an elephant creeper, was principally formed by
one of the leaves of this, to which, to form the remaining third of
the exterior, a second leaf of the same plant w^as carefully sewn.
Interiorly there was a little \\’ool, and at the bottom fine grass.

July 20tli .—On a furash-tree {Tamctricc furas), beautifully
made of fine soft wool, shreds of tow and string, very fine grass
and grass-roots, and the bottom neatly lined with very fine grass¬
roots. In shape the nest is like one half of a long old-fashioned
silk purse, round-bottomed and very compact, with a long slit-like
opening on one side towards the top. It contained five eggs.

July 26t7i .—Two nests, one formed almost entirely in a single
mango-leaf, the sides of which are curled round so as nearly to
meet, and then laced by a succession of cross-threads of cobweb,
carefully knotted at each place where the margin of the leaf is
pierced. The intervening space is closed by tine tow, wool, and
the silky down of the cotton-tree, with just the top of a small
mango-leaf caught in from above so as to form an arched roof.
The other nest was rounder in form, having less of a leafy structure.
It had, however, the leaf of the Phalsa forming the back and sides
(partly), whilst the whole of the front was composed of soft wool,
tow, dry grass-roots, thread, and a few pieces of the soft tree-
cotton. It had a neighbouring leaf just caught in on one side.
This contained four fresh eggs.

July 30if7i.—A beautiful nest betw’een three twigs, several of the
leaves of each of which had been tacked on to the outside of the nest.
The nest itself was firmly put together with fine grass-roots, and
was nearly globular in shape, with one side continued upwards
into a sort of hood overhanging the greater portion of the aper¬
ture. It contained four eggs of the usual deep red colour.

August Wi .—At Bichpoori found a number of nests, and some

PBINIA.

297

of them of a straDgely diferent type. One was inside a tiny hut
on the line, about 3 feet above the head of the chaprassie's bed.
It had no leaves about it, and was composed of thread, wool, and a
few very fine grass-stems, and lined thinly with fine grass-stems
and a little black horsehair. It was about two thirds of a sphere,
the external diameter of which was about 85 inches, and the
internal 2J inches. The bird was on the nest, so that there could
be no mistake, otherwise it would have been impossible to believe
that it belonged to P. steivarti^ of which we have taken so many
sewn in leaves. A little further on another nest of the same
species, built in the ragged eaves of a thatch, externally composed
almost entirely of cotton-wool, with a little tow-fibre binding the
structure together, internally as usual lined with very fine grass¬
roots with a few horsehairs. Another nest of the Pruiia was in
one respect even more remarkable. It was built in the usual situ¬
ation in a low herbaceous plant, sewn to and suspended from two
leaves, and two or thi'ee others norlved into its sides. It was con¬
structed almost entirely of fine grass-rools and libres, w ith a fcnv
tiny tufts of cotton-wool, and tlie leaves as usual lirmiy tacked on
with threads and cobweb fibres. It would seem that, after con¬
structing the nest, but before laying, a large female spider took
possession of the bottom of the nest, and shut herself in by con¬
structing a diaphragm of web horizontally across the nest, thus
occuping the whole of the cavity of tlie nest. The little bird
accepted this change of circumstances, built the nest a little higher
at the sides, and over the spiders web placed a false bottom of fhie
grass-roots, on which she laid her four eggs, and there she was
sitting when the nest was taken, the spider, alive and apparently
happy in the cell below', plainly visible through the interstices of
the grass, with a huge sac of eggs winch she was incubating. Her
chamber is fully one half of the nest.*’

I may add that this latter nest, with the now dead spider, in situ,
is still in our museum.

In number the eggs are sometimes four, sometimes five, and I
have heard of six being found.

They rear usually two broods ; if their eggs are taken they will
lay three or four sets; sometimes they use the same nest twice;
sometimes, directly the first brood is at all able to shift for them¬
selves, the parents leave them in the old iiost, and commence
building a new one at no great distance.

The late Mr. A. Anderson remarked:—Owing to the incle-
Diency of the weather (August) the geraniiim-pots in the garden
were placed in the verandah of the house I am at present living in,
and, strauge to say, a pair of these Warblers commenced building
in the leaves of one of the plants immediately under my window.

“ When the nest was about half-finished the birds forsook it
without apparently any reason, as they were never molested in
any way. On examining the nest, however, the cause was evident,
and afforded a remarkable instance of instinct on the part of the
little architects. The leaves that had been pierced and sewn

298

sylyiid.t;.

together had actually commenced to wither^ and in the course of a
few days later the whole structure came down bodily.

This is the only Prinia to be found at Euttehgurh, and they
are one of our most common garden-birds. Their beautiful brick-
red eggs and neatly- sewn nests are too well known to require de¬
scription.

“ Four generally, and five frequently, is the number of eggs they
lay. I have one record of six on the 17th August, 1873; in this
ease one egg was laid daily, the first having been laid on the 12 th,
and the sixth on the 17th.'’

Captain ITutton remarks :—This is a true Tailor-bird in respect
to the construction of the nest, which is composed of one leaf as a
supporting base stitched to two others meeting it perpendicularly,
the apices of all three being neatly sewn together with threads
roughly spun from the cottony down of seeds. Between or within
these leaves is placed the nest, very slightly and loosely constructed
of fine roots, grass-stalks, and vseed-down, the latter material being
interwoven to hold the coarser fibres of the nest together. There
is no finer lining within, and the edges of the exterior leaves are
drawn together round the nest and held there partly by roughly-
spun threads of dowm, and partly by the ends of the stiff fibres
being thrust through them. The w^hole forms a very light and
graceful fabric. Within this nest were four beautiful and highly
polished eggs of a deep brick-red colour, darkest at the larger end,
faint spec& and blotches of a deeper colour being indistinctly dis¬
cernible beneath the surface of the shell, which shines as if it had
been varnished. The nest is not closed above, but is open and
deeply cup-shaped. This was taken in the Dhoon on the 30th
May.”

Major C. T. Bingham says:—“ Breeds at Allahabad in June,
July, and August. At Delhi I have not 3 ’^et found its nest. I
once found in July three nests all attached together in a sort of
triangle, but whether built by separate pairs of birds I cannot say.
Only one nest contained eggs.”

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes :—‘‘A nest found in July in the
Cawnpoor district was built of grass, a deep oblong domed nest
with the entrance at the side near the top. It was placed close to
the ground in a tuft of surkerry grass sloping rather backwards.
The position is, I believe, unusual. The old birds were still putting
finishing touches to the building when I found it.”

The eggs are ovals, as a rule, neither very broad nor much elon¬
gated. Pyriform examples occur, but a somewhat perfect o^'al is
the usual type, and the examination of a large series shows that
the tendency is to vary to a globular and not to an elongated shape.
The eggs are brilliantly glossy, and, though considerably smaller,
strongly resemble, as is well known, those of the little short-tailed
Cetti’s Warbler. »

In colour they are brick-red, some, however, being paler and
yellower, others deeper and more mahogany-coloured. There is a
strong tendency to exhibit an ill-defined cloudy cap or zone, of far

PRINIA.

299

greater intensity than the colour of the rest of the egg, at or to¬
wards the large end.

In length the eggs vary from 0*6 to 0*68, and in breadth from
0*45 to 0-5; but the average of seventy eggs measured is 0-62 by
0*46.

465. Prinia sylvatica, Jerd. The Jumjle Wren-Warller.

Drymoipiis sylvaticus, Jerd, B. Ind. ii, p. 181; Ilumej liou(/li Draft
N. E. no. 545.

Drynioipus neglectus, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 182; Ha mo, Bou(jli Draft
N. E. no. 546.

Dr. Jerdoii says :—“ I found the nest in low jungle near Ncdlore,
made chiefly of grass, with a few roots and libres, globular, large,
with a hole at one side near the top, and tlu‘ eggs white, simtted
very thickly with rusty red, especially at the ihiclv end.”

Mr. Blewitt appears to have taken many ('ggs of this species in
the Eaipoor District, and he has sent me the I'ollowing notes,
together with numerous eggs. lie says :—

“The Jungle Wren-Warbler breeds in the Eaipoor District from
about the middle of June to the middle of August. Low thorn-
bushes on rocky ground are chiefly selected for the ne^t, and both
parent birds assist in building it and in liatching and rearing the
young. A new iiest is made each year, and four is the maximum
number of eggs.

“ On the 1st July this year I found a nest of this species in the
centre of a low thorny bush, growing in rocky ground, about two
miles north of Doongurgurh in the Eaipoor District.

“ The nest was about 4 feet from the ground, lirmly attached
to and supported by the branches. It was of a deep cup shape,
3*6 in diameter and 4*9 in height, composed of coarser and finer
grasses firmly interwoven, and contained four fresh eggs. In the
same locality we secured a second similarly situated nest, about
2 | feet from the ground, and it contained a single fresh egg. It
w'as rather more neatly and massively made than the former. It
was about 4 inches in diameter and 5 inches in height, and the egg-
cavity was nearly 3 inches deep. The lining is of fine grass-stalks
well interwoven. The exterior is composed of coarse grass mixed
with a little greyish-white fibre.

“ Subsequeatiy several other similar and similarly situated nests
were found.”

Colonel E. A. Butler writes:—“The Jungle AVreu-A\"arbler
breeds in the neighbourhood of Deesa in the months of July,
August, and September. The following are the dates upon wliicli
I found nests this year (1876) :—

“ July 28. A nest containing 4 young birds.

5 , 29. „ .5 fre.sb eggs.

300

STLYIIDiE.

cc

Aug. 13.

35

16.

17.

33

35

55

19.

33 53

33 30.
Sept. 3.

A nest containing 5 fresh eggs.

„ 4 young birds fledged.

33

33

33

33

33

33

5

3

4

5
5
5

33

33

53

53

35

35

“In addition to the above, I found nests in the same neigh¬
bourhood in 1875. One on the 14th August containing four
young birds almost ready to leave the nest. It was placed in the
middle of a tussock of coarse grass on the side of a nullah on a
bank overgrown with grass and bushes, and my attention was
attracted first of all to the spot by the incessant chattering and
uneasiness of the two old birds, one of which had a large grass¬
hopper in its mouth. After hiding behind a bush for a few
minutes, I saw the hen bird fly to the nest, which led to its dis¬
covery. The nest was dome-shaped, wuth an entrance upon one
side, composed exteriorly of blades of rather coarse dry grass (green,
however, as a rule w'hen the nest is first built), and interiorly of
similar, but finer, material. It is an easy nest to find when once the
locality in w’hich the birds breed is discovered, as it is a conspicuous
ball of grass, smeared over, often more or less, exteriorly with a silky
white vegetable-down or cobweb, and many of the blades of the
tussock in which it is placed are often draw’ii down and woven into
the nest, w^hich at once attracts attention. Then, again, the cock
bird is almost always to be found on the top of some low tree
near the nest, uttering his peculiar ventriloquistic note ‘ tissijp,
tissi^i, etc. All the above nests were exactly alike and in

similar situations, viz. fixed in the centre of a tussock of coarse
grass on the banks of some deep nullahs running through a large
grass ‘ Beerh.’ The eggs remind me more of the English Eobiifis
eggs than those of any other species J know^ The ground-colour
is dull wEite, sometimes tinted with pale green, and the markings
reddish fawn. In some cases the eggs are peppered all over with
a conspicuous zone at the large end, sometimes a dense cap instead
of a zone. In other cases the markings, though always present,
are almost invisible, as also the zone or cap. They are about the
size of the eggs of the Spotted Ely catcher. I found a few other
nests besides those I have mentioned during July and August
1875.”

Captain Cock informed me that this species is “ common in the
jungles around Seetapore. Nest is largish, dome-shaped, and
placed low^ downi in a thorny bush. The bird lays in August five
eggs, the facsimile of the eggs of Pratincola ferrea, perhaps of a
more elongated type than the eggs of that bird.”

Mr. H. Parker, writing on the birds of North-w’est Ceylon, refers
to this bird under the titles D. jerdoni and D, valida^ and informs
us that it breeds from January to May.

PEINIA.

301

The eggs of this species are somewhat elongated ovals. The
ground-colour is a greenish or greyish stone-colour, and they are
hnely and often rather sparsely freckled all over with very faint
reddish brown, or brownish pink in most eggs ; these freckliugs are
gathered together into a more or less dense zone round the large
end, forming a conspicuous ring there much darker-coloured than
the freckliugs over the rest of the surface. The eggs have a faint
gloss.

In length they vary from 0*68 to 0*75, and in breadth from 0*49
to 0*52, but the average appears to be 0*7 by 0*5.

466. Prinia inornata, Sykes. The Indian Wren-Warhler,

Drymoipus inornatiis {SyJiesX J&i'd. B. Ind. ii, p. 178: Hume. Rough
'Draft N. E. no.

Drymoipus longicaudatus (TicJc.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 180.

Drymoipus terricolor, Hume ; Hume, Rouffk Draft N. ^ E. no. 543
bis.

The breeding-season of this "Wren-Warbler commences with the
first fall of rain, and lasts through July and August to quite the
middle of September.

The birds construct a very elegant iiest, always closely and com¬
pactly woven, of very fine blades, or strips of blades, of grass, in
no nests exceeding one-twentieth of an inch in width, and in many
of not above half this breadth. The grass is always used when
fresh and green, so as to be easily woven in and out. Both parents
work at the nest, clinging at first to the neighbouring stems of
grass or twigs, and later to the nest itself, while they push the
ends of the grass backwards and forwards in and out; in fact,
they work very much like the Baya (P. haya), and the nest, though
much smaller, is in texture very like that of this latter species, the
great difference being that the Baya, with us, more often uses
stems., and Prinia strips of blades of grass. The nest varies in
shape and in size, according to its situation : a very favourite
locality is in amongst clumps of the sajyatta, or serpent-grass, in
which case the bird builds a long and purse-like nest, attached
above and all round to the surrounding grass-stems, with a small
entrance near the top. Such nests are often 8 or 9 inches in length,
and 3 inches or even more in external diameter, and with an
internal cavity measuring inch in diameter, and having a depth
of nearly 4 inches below the lower margin of the entrance-hole.
At other times they are hung between bare twigs, often of some
thorny bush, or are even placed in low herbaceous plants ; in these
cases they are usually nearly globular, with the entrance-hole near
the top; they are then probably 3| inches in external diameter in
every direction. In other cases they are hung to or between two
or more leaves to which the birds attach the nest, much as a
Tailor-bird would do, using, however, fine grass instead of cobwebs
or cotton-wool for ligaments. I have never found more than five
eggs iu any nest, and four is certainly the normal number.

302

STLTIIDJE.

Mr. R. M. Adam remarks:—“1 had a nest brought me in
Oudh On the 17th April, containing four eggs. x4.bout Agra and
Muttra, v\here as you know the birds are very common, I have
always obtained the greatest number of eggs during August; four
is the regular number; in one taken on the 16th August I found
five eggs.”

Mr. W. Blewitt writes :—“ During July, August, and the early
part of September I found multitudes of nests of this species in
the neighbourhood of Hansie, almost exclusively in the Dhasapoor,
Dhana, and Secunclapoor Bee.rlis or jungle-preserves.

“ The nests, of which numerous specimens were sent to you,
were of the usual type, and were nearly all found in ber {Z. jujuha)
and hinse {Cap^aris apliylla) bushes, at heights of from 3 to 4 feet
from the ground. I did not meet with more than four eggs in
any one nest.”

Colonel E. A. Butler says:—“The Indian Wren-Warbler is
very common in the plains, frequenting low scrub-jungle and long
grass studied with low bushes {Calotropis^ Zizyplius^ &c.). It
breeds during the monsoon, commencing to build in July, during
which month and August in the neighbourhood of Deesa I must
have examined some three or four dozen nests. There are two
distiller types of nests, and there may be two species of this genus
in this part of the country; but I must confess that after shooting
a large number of specimens of both sexes, and after examining an
immense series of the eggs, I have failed to make out more than one
species, and that Mr. Hume informs me is his Drymoijnis terricolor.
The nests alluded to vary as follows:—One type is very closely
and compactly woven, as described of D. terricolor C Is ests and Eggs,
Rough Draft,’ p. 349), with the entrance almost at the top. The
other type is built of the same material, with the exception that
the grass is rather coarser, but is more in shape lil<e a Wren’s nest,
and the grass is somewhat loosely put together instead of being
woven, and it has the entrance with a slight canopy over it upon one
side. The eggs four, and not uncommonly five, in number, were
exactly alike in both types, as also were the specimens of the birds
themselves that I obtained.

“ Nearly all the nests I have seen have been built on the outside
of ber bushes {Z. jujuha), at heights varying from 2| to 5 feet
from the ground.”

Mr. B. Aitken says:—“ I found this nest at Bombay on the
13th October, 1873, at the edge of a tank some 2 feet above the
ground. I have found four or five precisely similar ones before,
generally in similar situations. The nest was strongly attached to
the stems and leaves of four herbaceous plants growing close
together. In many cases the strips of grass had been passed
through and pierced the leaves. The nest is deep and purse-
shaped ; the sides were prolonged upwards, except in front where
the entrance was, and joined above so as to form a canopy. The
nest has no lining, and none of the nests of this species that I ever
saw have ever had any lining. The whole nest inside and out is

PIUNIA.

303

composed of fine strips of blades of grass iiitei'vvoven. The eggs,
five in number, varied much in size. In colour they were bright
blue, most irregularly blotched with various shades of purplish
brown: some of the blotches very large, some mere specks. Each
egg had also washed-out stains or blotches. The smaller eggs were
by far the brighter.

By reason of the roo£ and walls the entrance to the nest was
at oue side, but there was nothing that could be called a hole.
The roof projected over the entrance, forming a porch.

“ Six or eight nests which I have seen of this species were all
over water. But the birds are by no means confined to marsliy
localities.

“Even in the middle of the rains the nests are invariably made
of dry yellow grass.

“ One nest found in Berar was in a babool bush, where of course
there could have been no leaves pierced.”

Mr. E. Aitken writes :—“ I have Ibiind a good many nests in
Bombay, and it breeds in Poona too. My notes only mention two
nests with eggs, on the 22nd and 2Sth August, but 1 found some
much later; and I am almost certain it begins to lay much earlier,
if not actually at the begimhng of the monsoon, like OHhotomus
and Prinia,

“ it builds in gardens and cultivated fields, especially in the
vicinity of water, and often among plants grou iug in water.

“The nest is very firmly attached to the twigs of some plant
where long grass or other plants completely surround and conceal
it. It is usually about 3 feet from the groiiml. It varies much
in size and shape, some being much deeper than others, and some
having the top open ; others an entrance somewhat to one side.

“ I have always found three or four eggs—bright 1)1 ue, with large
irregular purplish-brown blotches and no luiir-lines. I should
have said that the nest is a bag, very uniformly woven, of line
grass, and never vritli any luiiny —at any rate in none that I luive
ever found. They never use the same nest twice, always building
a fresh one even if you only roh without injuring tiie lirst. 1.
think they have only one brood in the year, but, like Ortliutonim
and Prinia, one or two nests are generally deserted or destroyed
by some accident before they succeed in rearing a brood.”

Major C. T. Bingham informs us that this Wren-Wmrbler is “a
common breeder both at Allahabad and at Jlelbi from March to
September. Builds a neat bottle-shaped nest in clumps of surpat
grass, of fiue strips of the grass itself, which I have repeatedly
watched the birds tearing off. The eggs are lovely little oval fra¬
gile shells of a deep blue, blotched and speckled and covered with
fine hair-like lines, chiefly at the large end, of a deep chocolate-
brown.”

The eggs are a moderately long, and generally a pretty perfect,
oval, often pointed towards one end, sometimes globular, seldoiu,
if ever, much elongated. The shell is fine and glossy, and com¬
paratively thick and strong- The ground-colour is normally a

304

STLVIIDiE.

beautiful pale greenish blue, most riclily marked with various shades
of deep chocolate and reddish brown. Nothing can exceed the
beauty or variety of the markings, which are a combination of bold
blotches, clouds, and spots, with delicate, intricately interwoven
lines, recalling somewhat, but more elaborate and, I think, finer
than, those of our early favourite—the Yellow Aminer. The mark¬
ings are invariably most conspicuous at the large end, where there
is very commonly a conspicuous confluent cap, and the delicate
lines are almost without exception confined to the broader half of
the egg.

Yery commonly the smaller end of the egg is entirely spotless,
and I have a beautiful specimen now before me in which the only
markings consist of a ring of delicate lines round the large end.
Some idea of the delicacy and intricacy of these lines may be formed
when I mention that this zone is barely one tenth of an inch
broad, and yet in a good light between twenty and thirty interlaced
lines making up this zone may be counted.

The intricacy of the pattern is in some cases almost incredible,
and, what with the remarkable character of the patterns and the
rich and varying shades of their colours, these little eggs are, I
think, amongst the most beautiful known.

Occasionally the ground-colour of the eggs, instead of being a
bright greenish blue, is a pale, rather dull, olive-green, and still
more rarely it is a clear pinkish white. These latter eggs are so
rare that I have only seen six in about as many hundreds.

In size the eggs vary from 0*53 to 0*7 in length, and from 0*42
to 0*5 in breadth; but the average of one hundred and twenty
eggs measured was 0*61 by 0*45.

467. Prinia jerdoni (Blyth). The Southern Wren-^Warhler,
Drymceca jerdoni (Blytli), Htime, Cat. no. 644 ter.

Mr. Davison says :—“ The Southern Wren-Warbler breeds chiefly
on the slopes of "the Nilgiris about the Badaga cultivation. The
nest is entirely composed of fine grass, and is generally placed
about 2 or 3 feet from the ground, either in a clump of long grass
or attached to the branch of a small bush. It is often suspended,
domed, and with the opening near the top. The eggs, generally
three, are blue, spotted and lined with deep red-brown.”

Erom Kotagherry Miss Cockburn tells us that “ the Common
Wren-Warbler has no song, but is loud and frequent in its repeti¬
tion of a few notes during the breeding-season. Its nest, which is
globular, is built in the same shape as that of P. socialis, with the
entrance at one end, on some low bush, but it only uses one mate¬
rial, namely fine long grass, and does not add any soft lining. The
colour of its eggs, however, is totally different, of a light bluish
green, and having a number of spots and streaks like dark threads
carried round and through the spots, which are mostly at the thick
end. The breeding-season lasts from April to July.”

PRIK-IA.

305

Mr. C. J. W. Taylor, writing from Manzeerabad, Mysore, says
“ Eairly common throughout the district. Eggs taken on the 15th
July, 1882.”

Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan,writing from South India, remarks:—“ It
builds a neat pendent nest in long grass on the Nilgiris. The nest
is composed entirely of short pieces of grass fitted together, and is
very compact. The eggs are three in number, and are of a blue
colour, with large blotches and hair-like streaks of a dark reddish
brown at the upper end. An egg measured *69 inch by *5.”

The eggs of this species do not differ materially in size, shape,
or markings from those of P. inornata^ which are very fully
described above.

468. Prinia blanfordi (Walden). The Burmese W^y'en-Warhler,
Dryuioeca blanfordi, Walcl.^ Htme, Cat. no. 543 ter.

Mr. Oates, who found this bird very common in Pegu, writes:—

The Burmese Wren-Warbler is perhaps the commonest bird
of the Pegu plains. Prom Myitkyo on the Sittang, and possibly
from further north, down to Eangoon, it is to be found in all the
low tracts co^^ered with grass.

“ Where it occurs it is a constant resident and breeds from May
to August. I have found the nest in the middle of May, but it is
not till July that the bulk of the birds lay.

‘‘ The nest is never more than 4 feet from the ground, and is
attached either to two or more stalks of elephant-grass or to the
stem of a low weed, or to the blades of certain tender grasses which
grow in thick tufts. There is little or no attempt at concealment.
The materials forming the nest are entirely fine grasses, of equal
coarseness or fineness throughout, gathered green, and so beauti¬
fully woven together that it is almost impossible to destroy a nest
by tearing it asunder, although it may be looked through. In
shape it is somewhat of a cylinder, with a tendency to swell out
at the middle. Its length, or rather height (for its longer axis,
being invariably parallel to the stalks to which the nest is attached,
is generally upright), is from 6 to 8 inches, and its extreme width 4.
The entrance is placed at the top of the nest, the sides of which are
produced an inch or two above the lower edge of the entrance.
The thickness of the walls is very small, seldom reaching half, and
generally being only a quarter, of an inch. Occasionally the nest
is almost globular, but the back of the entrance is in every case
produced upwards some inches. There is no lining at all.

“ The eggs never exceed four, and frequently are only three, in
number, and the female does not commence sitting till the full
number is laid. She deserts the nest on the slightest provocation;
and if a nest with only one or two eggs is found, and the fingers
inserted, it is useless to leave the eggs in hopes of getting more.
She will lay no more, I have tested this in at least ten cases.”

Major C. T. Bingham tells us:—“ About Kaukarit, on the
VOL. I. 20

306

LANIIDJE.

Ho undraw river in Tenasserim, I found this species, in June 1878,
veij common. They were then breeding, and I found several
nests, all, howevei', unfinished; these were, in material and make,
very like the nests of P. inornata which I had taken years ago in
India.”

The eggs of this species recall in many respects those of P. in-
ornata^ but the ground-colour is much more variable, and the
markings are more blotchy and less intricate in shape. They are
pretty regular ovals, and while some are very glossy others exhibit
but little of this. The ground-colour is perhaps typically pale
greenish blue, but in a great many specimens this is more or less
obliterated by a reddish or pinkish tinge, as if the colour of the
markings had run; in some the ground is a sort of reddish olive,
in some pinky white. The markings are large blotches and spots,
often forming zones or caps about the larger end, where they seem
almost always to be most conspicuous, as they vary in colour from
an intense burnt-sienna which is almost black, through a dingy
maroon, and again to a dull, somewhat pale reddish brown; here
and there individual eggs exhibit a hair-line or two, or a hiero¬
glyphic-like mark, but these are the exceptions.

The eggs vary in length from 0*53 to 0*64 inch, and in breadth
from 0*42 to 0*45; but the average of fourteen eggs is 0*58
by 0*44.

Yery constantly smears or clouds of a paler shade than the
blotches cover large portions of the surface between these. Occa¬
sionally all the markings are smeared and ill-defined, and in some
eggs they are almost entirely wanting, and nothing but a scratch
or two about the large end is to be seen.

Family LANIID.E.

Subfamily LANIIN^.

469. Lanius lahtora (Sykes). The Indian Grey Shrike.

Lanins lahtora {SyJces)^ Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 400.

Collyi'io lahtora, Sykesj Hume, Bough Draft N. JE. no. 256.

The Indian Grey Shrike lays from January to August, and
occasionally up to October, but the majority of my eggs have been
obtained during March or April.

It builds, generally, a very compact and heavy, deep, cup-shaped
nest, which it places at heights of from 4 to 10 or 12 feet from the
ground in a fork, towards the centre of some densely growing
thorny bush or moderate-sized tree, the various carounders, capers,
plums, and acacias being those most commonly selected.

As a rule it builds a new nest every year, but it not unfre-

ifAisrius. 307

quently only repairs one that Las served it in the previous season,
and even at times takes possession of those of other species.

The nest is composed of very various materials, so much so that
it is difficult to generalize in regard to them. I have found them
built entirely of grass-roots, with much sheep’s wool, lined with
hair and feathers, or solidly woven of silky vegetable fibre, mostly
that of the piitsun {Hihisctis cannahimis)^ in which were incorporated
little pieces of rag and strips of the bark of the wild plum {Zizy-
jpliusjujub(t)', but I think that most commonly thorny twigs, coarse
grass, and grass-roots form the body of the nest, while the cavity is
lined with feathers, hair, soft grass, and the like.

G-enerally the nests are very compact and solid, 6 or 7 inches in
diameter, and the egg-cavity 3 to 4 in diameter, and 2 to 2^ in
depth, but I ha^'e come across very loosely built and straggling
ones.

They have at times two broods in the year (but 1 do not think
that this is always tlie case), and lay from three to six eggs, four
or five being the usual number.

Mr. T. E/. Blewitt, writing from Jhansie and Saugor, and de¬
tailing his experiences tliere and in the Delhi Districts, says : —
The Common Indian Qrey Shrike breeds from February to July;
it builds on trees ; if it has a preference, it is for the close-growing
roonj tree (Acacia leucopldo’a'). I have ])ai:ticulaidy iioticed this fact
both here and at G-urlii Ilursroo. The nest in structure is neat
and compact (though I ha^"e occasion all}'' seen some very roughly
put together), and generally well fixed into ^the forks of an ofi-
shooting branch. In shape it is circular, varying from 5 to 7^
inches in diameter, and from li to 3.]- inches in thickness; thorn
twigs, coarse grass, grass-roots, oUrrags, &c. form the outer
materials of the nest, and closely interwoven fine grass and roots
the border-rim. The egg-cavity is deeply cup-shaped, from 3| to
5 inches in diameter, and lined with fine grass and khus; excep¬
tionally shreds of cloth are interwoven with the khns and grass.

‘‘ On one occasion I got a nest with the cup interior entirely
lined wdth old cloth pieces, very cleverly and ingeniously w’orked
into the exterior framework. Five is the regular number of eggs,
though at times six have been obtained in one nest. The birds
often make their own nests each year, but this is not invariably the
case. When at G-urhi Ilursroo in February last, I found on an
isolated I'oonj tree four nests within a foot of each other. The
under centre one, an old Shrike nest (the other three were of other
birds), was occupied by a SI nuke sitting on five eggs. I very care¬
fully examined it, and my impression at the time was that the
parent birds had returned, to rear a second progeny, to the nest
constructed by them the year previous.

I do not Ivuow wdietlier you have noticed the fact, but both
L. lalitom and L. cry thro not us often lay in old nests, of which they
first carefully repair the egg-cavity wdth ncw^ materials. It is iiDt
only, however, in old nests of their owm species that these birds
make a home in the breeding-season. At times they take pos-

20 *

308

LANIIDjE.

session of fabrics clearly not the work of any Shrike. Quite
recently I found a pair of L. lalitom with four eggs in a small nest
entirely woven of hemp, the bottom of which was thickly coated
with the droppings of former occupants. Again, on the 8th June,
a nest with four eggs was found on a rooiij tree. This wonderful
nest, which I have kept, is entirely composed of what I take to be
old felt and feathers, the bottom of the cavity of which, when
found, was almost covered with the dung of young birds.

Evidently this nest was not originally made by the Shrilie,
but, as would appear, was taken possession of by it, after the
brood of some other species of birds had left it.”

Mr. "W. Theobald makes the following note of this bird’s breeding
in the neighbourhood of Pind Dadan Khan and Katas in the {Salt
Eange :—“ Lays in the last week of March to the end of April.
Eggs five only, shape ovato-pyriform, size 1’06 inch by 0*8 inch;
colour pale greenish white, blotched and tinged with yellowish
grey and neutral markings ; vary much in intensity and colour.
Nest of twigs, lined with cotton or wool, and usually placed in stiff
thorny bushes.”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes, writing from Cham an in Southern Af¬
ghanistan, remarks :—“ The Grey-backed Shrike is extremely
common, breeding about the end of March, in much the same
situations as in India. I have collected many specimens, and
failed to detect any difference between the Indian bird and the one
found here. The average of twelve eggs is *97 by *75.”

He adds subsequently:—This is the commonest Shrike in the
country; it breeds in March and April, and the young are easily
reared in ca])tivity.”

Mr. W. Blewitt says that he ‘‘ took four nests of this bird near
Hansee on the 28th-30th March; they contained, one 5, two 4,
and one 3 eggs ; all but the latter (which, curiously enough, were a
good deal incubated) quite fresh. The nests were placed in acacia
and caper bushes, at heights of from 6 to 14 feet from the ground;
they w^ere from 6 to 7 inches in diameter exteriorly, rather loosely
constructed of thorny twigs, with egg-cavities from 2 to inches
deep, lined with fine straw and leaves.” Again he writes : “ Took
numerous nests in the neighbourhood of Hansee during the month
of July; most of the eggs were much incubated, and four was the
largest number found in any one nest.

“ The nests were all placed upon keekur trees at an average
height of some 10 feet from the ground; they were composed of
thorny twigs, some with and some without a lining of fine grass
and feathers, and averaged some 5 or 6 inches in diameter by 2 to
4 inches in depth.”

Major C. T. Bingham says that “ this bird is excessively
common about Delhi, far more so than at Allahabad. At the
latter place I only found it breeding in March and April, but at
Delhi I have found nests in every month from March to August.
One evening in June I remember counting in my walk thirteen
nests within the radius- of a mile ; some of these contained fresh

liAOTDTS.

309

eggs, some hard-set, some young. One nest I robbed in April of
eggs contained young in the latter end of May, and I believe many
of them have two if not more broods in the year. All nests that I
have seen have been well made, firm, deep cups of baboo! branches,
lined with grass-roots, and occasionally with bits of rag and to^v.
The eggs are broad ovals of a dead chalky bluish-white colour,
spotted, chiefiy at the large end, with purple and brown. Irive is
the greatest number of eggs I have found in a nest.”

Mr. George E,eid informs us that this Shrike breeds from March
to July in the Lucknow Division, making a massive nest in babool
trees, generally in solitary ones on open plains.

Colonel Butler \M’ites :—“ The Indian Grey Shrike breeds in
the neighbourhood of Deesa in February, March, April, May, June,
and July. 1 have taken nests on the following dates:—

Feb.

19.

A nest containing

4 slightly incubated

March 13.

„

55

4 fresh eggs.

5?

16.

,,

55

4 ,5

1?

19.

99

55

4 55

??

20.

99

55

3 „

JJ

20.

99

55

4 ^ 55

5J

28.

99

55

4 incubated eggs.

April

9.

99

55

4

^ 55 55

June

1.

99

55

2 fresh eggs.

J3

7.

55

,,

4 young birds.

91

July

7.

55

55

2 incubated eggs.

9.

55

55

4

^ 55 55

“ The nest is usually placed in some low, isolated leafless thorny
tree {Acacia, Zizyplms, &c.), from six to ten feet from the ground.
It is solidly built of small dry thorny twigs, old rags, &c. ex¬
ternally, with a thick felt lining of the silky fibre of Calotropis
cjigantea. The eggs vary a good deal in shape, some being much
more pointed at the small end than others; some I have are almost
perfect peg-tops. They vary in number from three to five; and as
a rule the colour is a dingy white, spotted and speckled sparingly
all over with olive-brown and inky purple, which together form a
well-marked zone at the lai'ge end.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden remark :—‘‘ Common, and breeds
abundantly in the Poona and Sholapoor Collectorates at the end of
the hot weather. W. has noticed it breeding at !N'ulwar and
Eaichore. Davidson observed that it was very rare in the Satara
Districts.”

Mr. J. Davidson further informs us that L. lahtora is a per¬
manent resident in Western Khandeish, and breeds in every
month from January to July.

My friend Mr. Benjamin Aitken furnishes me with the following
interesting note:—‘‘You say that the Indian Grey Shrike lays
from February to July. Now, in Berar, where this bird is very
common, I have found their eggs frequently in the first week of
January, and on not only to July, but to September; and I once

310

found a nest in October. I was never able to satisfy myself that
the same pair had two broods in the year, but I scarcely think there
can be any doubt about the matter. I once found, like your cor¬
respondent Mr. Blewilt, four nests in a small babool tree, and only
one of them occupied. This was at Poona. My brother first
pointed out to me that this species affects the dusty barren plain,
whereas L, prefers the cool and shaded country. This

difference in the habits of* the two birds is very observable at
Poona, where both species are exceedingly common. Where a
jungly or watered piece of country borders upou the open plain,
you may see half a dozen of each kind within an area of half a mile
radius, and yet never find the one trespassing upon the domain of
the other. W^hen you say you have never found a nest more than
1500 feet above the level of the sea, 1 would remind you that
although Z. lalitora never ascends the hills, it is yet very abundant
in the Deccan, which is 2000 feet above the sea-level.

‘‘ I think I have written to you before that during a residence
of twelve 3^ears I never saw Z. lalitora in Bombay.”

This Shrike is, however, essentially a plains bird, and never
seems to ascend the Himalayas to any elevation. 1 have never
myself found a nest more 1500 feet above the level of the sea.

Typically, the eggs are of a broad oval shape, more or less
pointed towards one end, of a delicate greenish-\vhite ground,
pretty thickly blotched and spotted with various shades of brown
and purple markings, \\’hich, always most numerous towards the
large end, exhibit a strong tendency to form there an ill-defined
zone or irregular mottled cap. The variations, however, in shape,
size, colour, extent, and intensity of markings are very great; and
yet, in the huge series before me, there is not one that an oologist
would not at once unhesitatingly set down as a Shrike’s. In some
the ground-colour is a delicate pale sea-gi'een. In some it is pale
stone-colour; in others creamy, and in a few it has almost a pink
tinge. The markings, commonly somewhat dull and ill-defined, are
occasionally bold and bright; and in colour they vary through every
shade of yellowish, reddish, olive, and purplish brown, while sub¬
surface-looking pale purple clouds are intermingled with the
darker and more defined markings. In one egg the markings may
be almost exclusively confined to a broad, very irregular zone of
bold blotches near the large end. In others the whole surface is
more or less thickly dotted with blotches and spots, so closely
crowded towards the large end as almost wholly to obscure the
ground-colour there. As a rule, the markings are irregular blotches
of greater or less extent, but occasionally these blotches form the
exceptions, and the majority of the markings are mere spots and
specks. In some eggs the purple cloudings greatly predominate ;
in others scarcely a trace of them is observable. Some eggs are
comparatively long and narrow, while some are pyriform and blunt
at both ends ; and yet, notwithstanding all these great differences,
there is a strong family likeness between all the eggs. In size
they are, I think, somewhat smaller than those of Z. excuhitor.

LANIUS.

311

They vary in length from 0*9 to 1*17 inch, and in width from
0*75 to 0*83 inch; but the average of more than fifty eggs is 1*03
by 0*79 inch.

473. Lanius vittatns. The Baif'haclced Shrihe.

Lanius hardwicldi ( Vigors), Jerd. B. hid. i, p.^405.

Lanius vittatus, Dum., Hume, hough Draft N. tV D. no. 260.

The Bay-backed Shrike breeds throughout the plains of India
and in the Sub-Himalayaii Eanges up to an elevation of fully
4000 feet.

The laying-season lasts from April to September, but the great
majority of eggs are found during the latter half of June and July;
in fact, according to my experience, the great body of the birds do
not lay until the rains set in.

The nests are placed indifferently on all kinds of trees (I liave
notes of finding them on mango, plum, orange, tamarind, toon, &c.),
never at any great elevation from the ground, and usually in small
trees, be the kind chosen what it may. Sometimes a high hedge¬
row, such as our great Customs hedge, is chosen, and occasionally
a solitary caper or stunted acacia-bush.

The nests (almost invariably fixed in forks of slender boughs)
are neat, compactly and solidly built cups, the cavities being deep
and rather more than hemispherical, from 2*25 to fully 3*5 inches
in diameter, and from 1*5 to 2 inches in depth. The nest-\valls
vary from 0*5 to 1*25 inch in thickness. The composition of the
nest is various. The following are brief descriptions which I have
noted from time to time:—

Compactly w*oven of grass-stems and a few fine twigs, but with
more or less wool, rag, cotton, or feathers incorporated ; there is
no lining.

“ The nest was rather massive, externally composed of wool,
rags, cotton, thread, and feathers, and a little grass; the cavity
rather neatly lined with fine grass.

“ Composed almost entirely of cobweb, with a few soft feathers,
wool, string, rags, and a few pieces of very fine twigs compactly
w*oven. The interior was lined with fine straw and fibrous roots.”

Elsewhere I have recorded the following note on the nidification
of this species :—

“ This bird, or rather birds of this species, have been laying ever
since the middle of April, but nests were then few and far be¬
tween, and now in July they are common enough. The nest that
w*e had just found w'as precisely like twenty others that we had
found during the past two months, Eather deep, with a nearly
hemispherical cavity; very compactly and firmly woven of fine
grass,^ rags, feathers, soft twine, wool, and a few fine twigs, the
whole entvwined exteriorly with lots of cobwebs ; and the interior
cavity about 1| inch deep by 2:| in diameter, neatly lined with very
fine grass, one or two horsehairs, shreds of string, and one or two
soft feathers. The walls were a good inch in thickness. The nest

312

was placed in a fork of a tkorny jujube or ber tree {ZizypTiiis
jujitha), near the centre of the tree, and some 15 feet from the
ground. It contained four fresh eggs, feebly coloured miniatures
of the eggs of L. laJitora, which latter so closely resemble those of
L. ecccuhitor that if you mixed the eggs, you could never, I think,
certainly separate them again. The eggs exhibit the zone so cha¬
racteristic of those of all Shrikes. The}’’ have a dull pale ground,
not white, and yet it is difficult to say what colour it is that tinges
it; in these four eggs it is a yellowish stone-colour, but in others
it is greenish, and in some grey; near the middle, towards the
large end, there is a broad and conspicuous, but broken and irre¬
gular zone of feeble, more or less confluent spots and small blotches
of pale yellowish brown and very pale washed-out purple. There
are a few faint specks and spots of the same colour here and there
about the rest of the egg. In some eggs previously obtained the
zone is quite in the middle, and in others close round the large
end. In some the colours of the markings are clear and bright, in
others they are as faint and feeble as one of our modern Man¬
chester warranted-fast-coloLired muslins, after its third visit to a
native washerman. In size, too, the eggs vary a good deal.

“The little Shrike had a great mind to fight for h\s penates, and
tv'ice made a vehement demonstration of attack; but his heart
failed him, and he retreated to a neighbouring mango branch,
whence a few minutes after we saw him making short dashes
after his insect prey, apparently oblivious of the domestic calamity
that had so recently befallen him.’’

Mr. F, E. Blewitt, then at G iirhi Hursroo, near Delhi, sent me
some years ago the following interesting note :—

“ Breeds from March to at least the middle of August. It
builds its nest in low trees and high hedgerows, preferring the
former.

“ In shape the nest is circular, with a diameter, outside, of from
5| to inches, and from 1*5 to 2 in thickness.

“ For the exterior framework thorny twigs, old rags, hemp,
thread-pieces, and coarse grass are more or less used, and com¬
pactly worked together. The egg-cavity is deep and cup-shaped,
lined with fine grass and khus; pieces of rag or cotton are some¬
times worked up with the former.

“ Five to six is the regular number of eggs. In colour they are
a light greenish white, with blotches and spots generally of a light,
but sometimes of a darker, reddish brown. The spots and blotches
vary much in size, and they are mostly confined to the broad end
of the eggs.

“ I had frequently noticed on a tree in the garden an old Shrike’s
nest. It was in the beginning of May that a male bird suddenly
made his appearance and established himself in the garden, and
morning and evening without fail did he sit and alternately chatter
and warble away for hours. His perfect imitation of the notes of
other birds was remarkable.

“In the beginning of June his singing suddenly ceased, the

LAIS'IXTS.

313

secret o£ wliicli I soon discoA^ered. He had secured a mate, and
daily did I watch for the nest, which T thought they would pre¬
pare. Late on the eA^ening of the 23i'd June, happening to look
up at the old nest, to my surprise I found it occupied by the female,
the male the while sitting on a branch near her. Next morning on
searching the nest I found four eggs. Whether this nest was
prepared the year previous by these birds or by another pair I
cannot tell.

‘‘ That day, the day of the robbery, the female disappeared. The
male follow^ecl next day, but only to return after tw^o or three days
and recommence with renewed energy his chattering and warbling.
This he continued daily till near the end of July, when, as before,
he suddenly ceased to sing. I then found that he had again
secured a mate, wh ether the old female or a new bride I am not
certain ; they soon set about making a nest on a neighbouring tree,
very cunningly, as I thought, selected; and now the young birds
reared are nearly full-fledged. An old nest, evidently of last year’s
make, was brought me the other day with five eggs, but the linvncf^
as by the way was done in the one in the garden, had been wholly
removed and new grass and khus substituted.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes:—“ Breeds both at Allahabad and
at Delhi in May, June, and July. At the former place I never got
the eggs, but have seen some that were taken; but at Delhi I found
numbers of their nests in June and July, and one in May. It
makes a much softer nest than either of the two above-mentioned
Shrikes. One nest I took on the 15th June was composed wholly
of tow, but generally they have an outer foundation of twigs, and
are lined with tow^, bits of cotton, human hair, or rags. Some eggs
are a yellow-white, with very faint marks, others are miniatures
of the eggs of L. laMora.

“ Five is the greatest number I have found in one nest.”

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following note of this bird’s breeding
in the neighbourhood of Bind Dadan Khan and Katas in the Salt
Eauge:—

‘‘Lays from the commencement of May to the middle of June.
Eggs three or four in number; shape varies from ovato-pyriform to
blunt ovato-pyriform, and measuring from 0*73 to 0*87 inch in
length and from 0*55 to 0*65"^' inch in breadth. Colour, same as
L, erytlironotiis, also creamy or yellowish white, spotted with darker.
Nest compact, in forks of thorny trees ; outside fibrous stalks,
bound with silk or spider-web, and covered with lichens or cocoons,
imitating a weathered structure ; inside lined with fine grass and
vegetable down.”

Colonel C. H. T- Marshall, writing from MuiTee, says:—
“These little Shrikes breed in the hills, as well as the plains,
up to 5000 feet high.”

* I think that there must be some error in these dimensions, for mine are
taken from forty-five specimens, the largest and smallest, out of some hundreds
of eggs.—A. 0. H.

314

LANIIDJE.

Colonel Butler has the following notes on the breeding of this
Shrike in Sind :—

“ Kurrachij 7th May, 1877.—I found two nests on this date,
one in the fork of a babool tree, the other on the stump of a
broken-off branch of a tree between the stump and the trunk of
the tree. The former contained four incubated eggs, exact minia¬
tures of many eggs I have of L. erythronotus, the latter two small
chicks.—May 12th, same locality, a nest containing two fresh
eggs, and another containing two fully fledged young ones.—
June 20th, saiue locality, one nest containing three fresh eggs,
another containing four young birds. Eggs most typical are those
which have a well-marked zone near the centre.”

“ Hydrabad, Sind, 19th June, 1878.—A nest on the outer bough
of a babool tree about ten feet from the ground, containing three
fresh eggs.”

And he further notes :—“ The Bay-backed Shrike breeds in the
neighbourhood of Beesa at the end of the hot weather. The nest
is a very firm and compactly built cup, usually placed in the fork
of some low thorny tree at heights varying from seven to ten feet
from the ground.

“ June 15th, 1875. A nest containing 3 fresh eggs.

“ July Isfc, 1876. „ „ 4 „ „

“July 15th, „ „ „ 5 incubated eggs.

“ July 29th, „ „ . „ ^1 young birds.

“ These birds always retire from the more open parts of the
country to low thorny tree-jungle to breed.”

Mr. B. M. Adam says:—“ This species breeds about Sambhur
in July. On the 1st August I saw numbers of nests and fledglings
ill the Marot jungle.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, writing of the Deccan, say :—
“ Abundant, and breeds all over the Deccan.”

And the former gentleman informs us that this species is also
very common in "Western Khandeish, and that it breeds in the
plains in June and July, and in the Satpuras in March.

Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes :—“ This is a very familiar bird,
and builds readily in some roadside tree, where men and carts are
passing all day long. I have the following notes of its nests :—

“ lst-8th May, 1869. INTest and three eggs taken at Khandalla,
above the Bhore Ghat.

“ 12th May, 1871. Nest and four eggs at Poona.

“ 16th-18th May, 1871. Nest and four eggs at Khandalla.
This nest was in a corinda bush, placed about 4| feet from the
ground.

“ 13th May, 1873. A clutch of young birds left the nest this
morning at Poona.

“ ] 9th May, 1873. I found a nest of half-fledged young birds
this day at Poona. The tree was almost denuded of leaves, and
the heat of the sun being very intense, the parent bird was never¬
theless sitting close. Its eyes were closed, and it was gasping
hard. One of the young ones had crawled out from under the

LAISIUS.

315

parent, and was sitting on the edge of the nest, also gasping
hard.

‘‘I do not exactly gather from your notes in the ‘Eough Draft ^
what form the spots usually take. In my nest taken on the 12th
May all four eggs had the zone quite as distinct as the eggs of a
Dan-tailed Flycatcher. The seven eggs taken from two nests at
Khandalla, on the other hand, had not the least appearance of a
zone, but were spotted, after the manner of Sparrows’ eggs. In
both the latter cases I saw the old bird fly off the nest and alight
on a tree a few yards off.

I remember one little Shrike of this species which used to
come down every day to pick up crumbs of bread and pieces of
potatoe put out for the Sparrows. (Being a true naturalist I love
Sparrows.)

“ My brother on one occasion saw one of these Shrikes trying
to catch a garden lizard—not a gecko.

“ Of course you know that the young of this handsome and
brightly coloured Shrike hav'e a plain and curiously marked plumage,
reminding one a little of the p(fteela Partridge. I never saw this
Shrike in Bombay.”

The eggs of this, the smallest of all our Indian Shrikes, differ in
no particular, so far as shape, colour, and markings go, from those
of its larger congeners ; that is to say, for every egg of this species
an exactly similar one might be picked out from a large series of
Z. laJiiora or L. erytlironotus ; but at the same time there is no
doubt that pale-creamy and pale-brownish stone-coloured grounds
predominate more amongst the eggs of this species than in those
of the two above-named. The markings are also, as a rule, more
minute and less well-defined ; indeed, in the large series I possess
there is not one which exhibits the bold sharp blotches common in
the eggs of L, lalitora^ and not uncommon in those of Z. enjthro-
notus.

In length they vary from 0*75 to 0*95 inch, and in breadth from
0*62 to 0-71 inch ; but the average of forty-five eggs is 0*83 by
0-66 inch nearly.

475. Lanins nigriceps (Franklin). The Blach-headed ShriJce.

Lanins nigriceps (J&anJcL), Jerd B. Ind. i, p. 401.

Collyrio nigriceps, FranhL, Ihime^ li<m.(jh Draft N. B. no. 25i).

I have never myself taken the eggs or nests of the Black-headed
Shrike.

Mr. E. Thompson says :—“ This Shrike breeds all along the
south-western termination of the Kumaon and Gurhwal forests, •
and is usually found in swampy, high grassy lands. It lays in
July, August, and September, building a large cu])-s]japed nest,
composed of roots and fine grasses, in small trees or shrubs in low,
open grass-covered country.

“ I found this the Common Shrike in the hilly jungly tracts in

316

LAKITD^.

Southern Mirzapore, but I do not know whether it breeds there.
The cry is quite like that of L. erytkronotus.

The southern limit of Lanins nigrice^ps is interesting and re¬
markable. It disappears after you go south-west of the Mykle
Eange, and on the Eange itself it is found only near marshy
places. This Mykle Eange extends as far east as IJmmerkuntuk,
with a spur going oiff north of that, and joining on with the
Kymore Eange, parts of which I explored in March last in Per-
gunnahs Agrore and Singrowlee. Down in those places this
Lanins was the Common Shrike, but south and west of Dmmer-
kuntuk all the Shrikes disappear more or less, and L. nigriceps
entirely.”

According to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and figures this species breeds
in the Valley of Hepal, laying in April and May, and building in
thorny bushes, hedges, and trees, often in the immediate neigh¬
bourhood of villages. The following are two of Mr. Hodgson’s
notes :—

Valley, May 18th.—Hest near the top of a fir of mean size,
fixed securely in the midst of several diverging branches, made
compactly of dry grasses, of w’hich the inner ones, which consti¬
tute the lining, are hard and elastic, and well fitted to preserve
the shape, which is a deep cup with an internal cavity 3*5 inches
in diameter and nearly 3 deep. It contained six eggs, milk-and-
water w'hite, with pale olive spots, chiefiy at the large end,
measuring 0*95 by 0*68 inch.

Jahar Powah, May 16th.—Ascent of Sheopoori, skirts of large
forests ; nest on lateral branches of a large tree made of downy
tops of plants, of moss and thick grasses sti’ongly compacted, and
lined with fine elastic hair-like grass ; the cavity is circular, 3 inches
in diameter by more than 2 inches in depth; the whole nest is a
solid deep cup; it contained four eggs, bluish white, witli grey-
brown remote spots.”

Of another nest he gives the dimensions as :—external diameter
4*25 inches ; external height 3*87 ; internal diameter 2*87depth
of cavity 2-75. He figures it as a very compact and deep cup
resting on a horizontal fir branch between four or five upright
sprays. He states that the young are ready to fly towards the
end of June, and that it breeds only once a year.

Dr. Scully, also writing of Hepal, says :—“ This Shrike breeds
on the hillsides of the valley, usually in places where there is no
tree-forest, and not uncommonly in the neighbourhood of hamlets.
Several nests were obtained in May and June; these were large
cup-shaped structures, composed of grass-roots, fibres, and fine
seed-down intermixed. The egg-cavity was circular, lined with
fine grass-stems, about 4 inches in diameter, and 2 inches
deep in the middle. The usual number of eggs is five; the
ground-colour pale greenish white, boldly blotched and spotted
with olive marks in an irregular zone round the large end. A
clutch of five eggs taken on the I4th June gave the following
dimensions :—0*94 to 0*97 in length, and 0*65 to 0*7 in breadth.’^

liAmus.

317

Mr. Graminie Eoand a nest of this species on the I7th May at
Mongfoo, near Darjeeling, at an elevation of 3500 feet. The
nest was placed in a wormwood bush, and was supported between
several slender upright shoots, to which the exterior of the nest
was more or less attached. The nest was a deep compact cup,
externally composed of fine twigs, scraps of roots, and stems of
herbaceous plants, intermingled with a great deal of flowering
grass. Internally it was lined with very fine grass and moss-roots.
The cavity measured about 3 inches in diameter, and was fully
2 iuches deep. The external diameter was about 5 inches, and
height 3| or thereabout.

{Subsequently he sent me the following full account of the nidi-
fication of this Shrike:—

“ I have found this Strike breeding abundantly in the Cinchona
reserves in May and June, at elevations of from 3000 to 4500 feet
above the sea. It affects open, cultivated places, and builds, from
6 to 20 feet from the ground, in shrubs, bamboos, or small trees.
The nestis often suspended between seA^eral upright shoots, to which
it is firmly attached by fibres twisted round the stems and the
ends worked into the body of the nest; sometimes against a
bamboo-stem seated on, and attached to, the bunch of twigs given
out at a node ; or in a fork of a small tree, or end of an upright cut
branch where several shoots have sprung away from under the cut
and keep the nest in position, when it has a large pad of an ever¬
lasting plant or of the downy beads of a large flowering grass to
rest on—when the former material is handy it is preferred. The
nest is sometimes exposed to view, but generally is tolerably well
concealed. It is of a deep cup-sbape, very compactly built of
flowering grass and stems of herbaceous plants intermixed with
fibry twigs, and lined with the small fibry-looking branchlets of
grass-panicles. Externally it measures 5 inches across by 3| inches
in depth ; internally the cavity is 3^ inches in diameter by nearly
2 inches deep. Usually the eggs are either four or five in number.
On one occasion only have I seen so many as six. The coloration
is of two distinct types, but one type only is found in the same
nest. I suspect that the age of the bird has something to do \vith
the variation of colour in the eggs. In a nest containing four eggs
one had the majority of the spots collected on the small, instead
of the thick end as usual, and, strange to say, it was addled white.
The other three were hard-set. The parents get very much ex¬
cited when their young are approached, and, as long as the intruder
is in the vicinity, keep up an incessant volley of their harsh grating
cries, at the same time stretching out their necks and jerking about
their tails violently.’^

Mr. J. E. Cripps, writing from Eurreedpore in Eastern Bengal,
says :—“ Excessively common and a permanent resident. Prefers
open plains interspersed with bushes, also the small bushes on road¬
sides are a favourite haunt of theirs. Breeds in the district. I
took ten nests this season from the 11th April to 4th June, with
from one to five eggs in each. Eour nests were placed in bamboo

318

clumps from 9 to 30 feet high; one 40 feet from the ground on a
casuarina-tree, one 20 feet up in a but-tree, and the rest in babool-
trees at from 6 to 15 feet high from the ground. There is no
attempt at concealment. The nest is a deep cup fixed in a fork,
and is made of grasses with a deal of the downy tops of the same
for an outside lining; this peculiarity at once distinguishes the
nest of this species. The description given by Mr. Hodgson of a
nest found by him on the 16th May at Jahar Powah, in ‘ Nests
and Eggs,’ p. 172, correctly describes the nests I have found.
Tiiis species imitates the call of several kinds of small birds, as
Sparrows, King-Crows, &c., and I have often been deceived by it.”

The eggs of this species, of which, thanks to Mr. Gammie, I now
possess a noble series, vary very much in shape and size. Typically
they are very broad ovals, a little compressed towards one end, but
moderately elongated ovals are not uncommon. The shell is very
line and smooth, and often has a more or less pei'ceptible gloss; in
no case, however, very pronounced.

Tliere are two distinct types of colouring. In the one, the ground¬
colour is a delicate very pale green or greenish white, in some few
pale, still faintly greenish, stone-colour ; and the markings consist
as a rule of specks and spots of brownish olive, mostly gathered
into a broad zone about the large end, intermingled \^ith specks and
spots of pale inky purple. In some eggs the whole of the mark¬
ings are very pale and washed-out, but in the majority the brownish-
olive or olive-brown spots, as the case may be, are rather bright,
especially in the zone. In the other type (and out of 42 eggs, 12
belong to this type) the ground-colour varies from pinky white to a
warm salmon-pink, and the markings, distributed and arranged as
in the first type, are a rather dull red and pale purple. In fact
the two types differ as markedly as do those of Dicrunis ater;
and though I have as yet received none such, I doubt not that with a
couple of hundred eggs before one intermediate varieties, as in the
case of D. ater^ would be found to exist—as it is, two more dif¬
ferent looking eggs than the two types of this species could hardly
be conceived. I may add that in eggs of both types it sometimes,
though very rarely, happens that the zone is round the small end.

In length they vary from 0*82 to 1*01, and in breadth from 0*68
to 0-79 ; but the average of forty-two eggs measured is 0*92 by 0*75.

476. Lanius erythronotus (Vigors). The liufous-haclced Shrike.

Lanius erythronotus {V'iff.), Je^'d. B. Ind. i, p. 402.

Collyrio erythronotus, Vigoy^s, Hume, Bough Draft N. % E. no. 257.

Collyrio caniceps * {Blyth), HumCj Bough Draft N. E. no. 257 bis.

Lanius erythronotus.

The Eufous-backed Shrike lays from March to August; the
first half of this period being that in w-hich the majority of these

* Mr. Hume may probably still consider L. caniceps separable from L. ery-
thronotm. I therefore keep the notes on the two races distinct as they appeared
in the ‘ Eough Draft/ merely adding a few later notes.— Ed.

LANltrS.

319

birds lay in the Himalayas, which they ascend to elevations of
6000 feet: and the latter half being that in which we find most
eggs in the plains; but in both hills and plains some eggs may be
found throughout the x^'hole period above indicated.

The nests of this species are almost invariably placed on forks of
trees or of their branches at no great height from the ground;
indeed, of all the many nests tliat I have myself taken, I do not
think that one was above 15 feet from the ground. By preference
they build, I think, in thorny trees, the various species of acacia,
so common throughout the plains of India, being apparently their
favourite nesting-haunts, but 1 have found them breeding on toon
(Oedrela toona) and other trees. Internally the nest is always a
deep cup, from 3 to3:j inches in diameter, and from to 2-^^ deep.
The cavity is always circular and regular, and lined with fine
grass. Exteimally the nests vary greatly ; they are always massive,
but some are compact and of moderate dimensions externally, say
not exceeding inches in diameter, while others are loose and
straggling, with a diameter of fully S inches. Grass-stems, fine
twigs, cotton-wool, old rags, dead leaves, pieces of snake's skin,
and all kinds of odds and ends are incorporated in the structure,
which is generally more or less strongly bound together by fine
tow-like vegetable fibre. Some nests indeed are so closely put
together tliat they might almost be rolled about without 'injury,
while others again are so loose that it is scarcely ])ossible to move
them from the fork in wliich they are wedged without pulling them
to pieces.

I have innumerable notevS about the nests of this Shrike, of
which i reproduce two or thi'ee.

Etawah, March ISth .—The nest was on a babool tree, some
10 feet from the ground, on one of the outside branches ; an
exterior framework of very thorny babool twigs, and within a very
warm deep circular nest made almost entirely of sun (Crotahiria
juncea) fibre, a sort of fine tow, and flocks of cotton-wool, there
being fully as much of this latter as of the former; a few fine
grass-stems are interwoven; there are a few human and a few
sheep’s wool hairs at the bottom as a sort of lining. The cavity of
the nest is about 3 inches in diameter by 2 deep, and the side walls
and bottom are from li to 2 inches thick.”

^’‘Bareilly, May 27th, 1867.—Found a nest containing two fresh
eggs. The nest was in a small mango tree, rather massi\^e, nearly
2 inches in thickness at the sides and 3 inches thick at the bottom.
It was rather stoutly and closely put together, though externally
very ragged. The interior neatly made of fine grass-stems, the
exterior of coarser gi'ass-stems and roots, with a quantity of cotton¬
wool, rags, tow string and thread intermingled. The cavity was
oval, about 3| by 3 inches and 2 inches deep.”

“ Agra, August 2\st. —Mr. Munro sent in from Bitchpoorie a
beautiful nest which he took from the fork of a mango tree about
40 feet from the ground, a very compact and massive cup-shaped
nest, not very deep.”

320

LAmiDiE.

Mr. r. E. Blewitt records the following note :—

Breeds from March to August, on low trees, and, as would
appear, without preference for any one kind.

The nest in shape much resembles that of Lanius laliiora ; hut
judging from the half-dozen or so I have seen, L. erytlironotus cer¬
tainly displays more skill and ingenuity in preparing its nest,
which in structure is more 3ieat and compact than that of A. laliiora.
In shape it is circular, ordinarily varying from 5| to 7 inches in
diameter, and from 2 to 2| inches in thickness. Hemp, old rags,
and thorny twigs are freely used in the formation of the outer
portion of the nest, but the Shrike shows a decided predilection
for the former. In one nest I observed the cast skin of a snake
worked in with the outer materials; in two others some kind of
vegetable fibre w-as used to bind and secure the thorn twigs, and one
had the margin made of fine neem-tree twigs and leaves. The egg-
cavity is deeply cup-shaped, from 3 to 4 inches in diameter, and
lined usually with fine grass. Pive appears to be the regular num¬
ber of eggs ; but on this score 1 cannot be very certain, seeing that
my experience is confined to some half-dozen or so of nests.

“ I have recently reared three young birds, and it is very amusing
to witness their naany antics, shrewdness, and intelligence. They
are very tame, flying in and out of the bungalow at pleasure;
when irritated, which is rather a failing with them, they show
every sign of resentment. If one is inclined to be rebellious, not
coming to call, the show of a piece of meat at once secures its sub¬
mission and capture. Singular how partial they are to raw meat,
and more singular to see the expert way in which they catch up
the meat with the claws of either leg, and hold it from them while
they devour it piecemeal. I saw the other evening an old bird
pounce on a field-mouse, kill it, aud then bring and cleverly fix
the victim firmly between the two forks of a branch and pull it in
pieces. It consumed but a part of the mouse.”

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following note on this bird’s breed¬
ing in the neighbourhood of Bind Dadan Khan aud Katas in the
Salt Eange :—‘'Lay in May; eggs five to six; shape blunt, ovato-
pvriform ; size varies from 0*88 to 0*93 of an inch in length, and
from 0*68 to 0*81 of an inch in breadth. Colour white or pale
greenish white, slightly ringed and spotted with yellowish grey
and neutral tint. Hest of roots, coarse grass, rags, cotton, &c.,
lined with fine grass, and placed in forks of trees.”

Captain Hutton, who recognizes the distinctions between this
species and L. caniceps, says :—

“This is an abundant ’species in the Boon, but is found also
within the mountains up to about 5000 feet. In the Boon I took
a nest on the 28th June containing four eggs. It is composed of
grass and fine stalks of small plants roughly put together, bits of
rag, shreds of fine bark, and lined with very fine grass-seed stalks;
internal diameter 3 inches, external 6 inches ; depth 2^ inches.”

Sir E. C. Buck notes having taken a nest containing four hard-
set eggs on the 22nd of June, far in the interior of the Himalayas,
at Niratu, north-east of Kotgurh. The nest was in a tuhar tree,

L\TsIUS.

321

aud was composed externally of grass-seed ears, internally of finer
ffrass; a very different-looking nest from any I have elsewhere
seen, but he forwarded the bird aud eggs, so that there could be
no mistake.

Erom Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall writes:—“ Found
numerous nests in the valleys in May and June, between 4000 and
5000 feet up ”

From four to six eggs are laid, and in regard to this Shrike I
have had no reason to think that it rears more than one brood in
the year.

Major Wardlaw Earn say says, writing of Afghanistan:—“I
found a great many nests in May and June. Tlie first (27th May)
was situated in the centre of a dense thorny creeper, and contained
six eggs, white, faintly washed with pale green, and spotted and
blotched with purplish stone-colour and pale brown. The nest was
composed of green grass, moss, cotton-wool, thistle-down, rags,
cows’ hair, mules’ hair, shreds of juniper-bark, &c., Ac. Other
nests were found in willows by the river-bank and in apricot-trees.
In a large orchard at Shalofvan, in tlie Kurruni valley, I found
three nests within a few yards of one another.’’

Major C. T. Bingham writes :—“I have only found one nest of
this Shrike, which is, however, common enough both at Allahabad
and at Delhi. This nest I found on the 3rd June in the Xichol-
son gardens at Delhi. It was placed high up in the fork of a
babool tree, aud though more straggling and loosely built was very
like that of L. lahtont ; tlu‘. two eggs it contained, t‘xcept that they
are a trifle smaller, are very like those of L. lahtora.-'

Colonel Butler has furnished me with the following note;—
“ The Eufous-backed Shrike commences nidification at Mt. Aboo
about the end of May. I took a nest on the l lfh eTune containing
five fresh eggs. It was placed in the fork of one of the outer
branches of a mango-tree about 15 feet from the ground. The
hen bird sat very close, allowing the native I sent up the tree to
put his hand almost on to her back before she moved, and then
she only flew to a bough close by, remaining tlu‘re chattering and
scolding angrily the whole time the nest was being robbed. The
nest, which is coarse and somewhat large for the size of the bird,
is composed externally of dry grass-roots, t\\’igs, rags, raw cotton,
string, and other miscellaneous articles all woven together. The
interior is neatly lined with dry grass and horseliair. The eggs,
five in number, are of a pale gTeeuisli-white colour, spotted all over
with olivaceous inky-brown spots and specks, incn.^asing in size and
forming a zone at the large end. Tlioy vary mucli in shape, some
being pyidform, and others blunt and similar in sliape at both e]ids.
I took another nest on the 19th June near the same place con¬
taining five fresh eggs, similar in every respect to the one already
described, except that it was built on a tiiorn-tree about 10 feet
from the ground. I took a nest at Deesa on the 8th July, 1875,
containing four fresh eggs ; these eggs are smaller and rounder than
those from Aboo, and the blotches are larger and more distinct.

VOL. I. 21

322

LANUBJE.

The same pair of birds built another nest a few days later, on 18th
July, mthin ten yards of the tree from which the other nest was
taken, laying five eggs.

“ I found other nests at Deesa on the following dates:—

“ July 2nd. A nest containing 4 incubated eggs.

„ 7th. „ „ 2 fresh eggs.

8th. „ „ 4

9th. „ „ 2

„ 10th. „ „ 5

„ 10th. „ „ 4 „

Aug. 9th. „ „ 3 „ _

“ I found many other nests in the same neighbourhood contain¬
ing young birds during the last week of July.’’

Regarding the Rufous-backed Shrike, Mr. Benjamin Aitken has
sent me the subjoined interesting note:—“ This Shrike makes its
appearance in Bombay regularly during the last week of September,
and announces its arrival by loud cries for the first few days, till
it has made itself at home in the new neighbourhood ; after which
it spends nearly the whole of its days on a favourite perch, darting
down on every insect that appears within a radius of thirty yards.
It pursues this occupation with a system and perseverance to
which A. lalitom makes but a small approach. When its stomach
is full, it enhvens the weary hours vdth the nearest semblance to
a song of which its vocal organs are capable; for while many
human bipeds have a good voice but no ear, the A. enjthronotus
has an excellent ear but a voice that no modulation will make
tolerable. It remains in Bombay till towards the end of Rebruary,
Uiid then suddenly becomes restless and quarrelsome, making as
much ado as the Koel in June, and then taking its departure, for
what part of the world I do not know. This I know, that from
March to August there is never a Rufous-backed Shrike in
Bombay.

“ The Rufous-backed Shrike, though not so large as the Grey
Shrike, is a much bolder and fiercer bird. It will come dowm at
once to a cage of small birds exposed at a window, and I once had
an Amadavat killed and partly eaten through the wires by one of
these Shrikes, which I saw^ in the act with my own eyes. The
next day I caught the Shrike in a large basket w^hich I set over
the cage of Amadavats. On another occasion I exposed a rat in a
cage for the purpose of attracting a Hawk, and in a few' minutes
found a L. erythronotus fiercely attacking the cage on all sides. I
once caught one alive and kept it for some time. As soon as it
found itself safely enclosed in the cage, it scorned to show' any
fear, and the third day took food from my hand. It w'as very
fond of bathing, and w'as a handsome and interesting pet.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden remark:—“ Very common in
Satara; breeding freely in beginning of the rains ; observed at
Lanoli. Rare in the Sholapoor District and does not appear to
breed there.” And the former gentleman, writing of Western

LATflUS.

323

Khandeish, says:—‘‘ A few pairs breed about; Dliulia in June and

*^^Mr. C. J. W. Taylor records the followdng \iote from Manzeera-
bad in Mysore :—‘‘ Plentiful all over the district. Breeding in
May ; eggs taken on the 7th.”

1 have so fully described the eggs of L, lahtora, of which the
eo-o-s of this present species are almost miniatures, that I need say
but little in regard to these. On the whole, the markings in this
species are, I think, feebler and less numerous than in L. laJUora ;
and though this would not strike one in tlie comparison ot a few
eo-o-s in each, it is apparent enough when several hundreds of each
are laid side by side, four or five abreast, in broad parallel rows.
The ground-colour, too, in the egg of L. cnjtliromtus lias seldom,
if ever, as much green in it, and has commonly more of the pale
creamy or pinky stone-colour than in the case of L, lalitom.

In size the eggs ot L. erifthronotiis appear to approach those of
the English lled-backed Shrike, though they average perhaps some¬
what smaller.

In length they vary from 0*S5 to 1*05 inch, and in breadth from
0*65 to 0*77 inch, but the average of more than one hundred eggs
measured is 0*92 by 0*71 inch.

Lanim ccmicejys.

This closely allied species, the Pale Eufous-hacked Shrike, breeds
only, so far as I yet know, in the Nilghiris, Palanis, &c.

It lays from March to July, the majority, 1. think, breeding in
June.

Its nest is very similar and is similarly placed to that of t]u‘
preceding, from which, if it differs at all, it only differs in ])eing
soinewhat smaller.

It lays from four to six eggs, slightly more elongated ovals than
those of L. enjtlironoim^ taken as a body, but not, in juy opinion,
separable from these when mixed with a large number.

Captain Hutton, however, does not concur in this : he remarks :—
“This species, which is very common in Afghanistan, occurs
also in the Boon and on' the hills up to about (H)00 feet. At Jeri-
pauee I took a nest on the 21st June containing five eggs, of a
pale livid white colour, sprinkled with brown spots, chiel!}'- collected
at the larger end, where, however, tliey cannot be said to form a
ring; interspersed with these are other dull sepia spots appearing
beneath the shell. Diameter 0*94 by 0*G9 inch, or in some rather
more. Shape rather tapering ovate.

“ The difiierences perceptible between this and tlie last are the
much smaller size of the spots and hlotclies, the lattiT, indeed,
scarcely existing, while in L. en/thronotna they are large and
numerous ; there is great difference likewise in tlu' shape of the
egg, those of the present species being less globular or more
tapering. The nest was found in a thick bush about 5 feet from
the ground, and was far more neatly made than that of the fore-

21 *

324

LAKIIDJS.

going species; it is likewise less deep internally. It was composed
of the dry stalks of ‘ forget-me-not/ compactly held together by
the intermixture of a quantity of moss interwoven with fine flax '
and seed-down, and lined with fine grass-stalks. Internal diameter
3| inches; external 6 inches; depth inch, forming a flattish
cup, of which the sides are about Ik inch thick. The depth,
therefore, is less by 1 inch than in that of the last-mentioned
nest.’’

Mr. H. E. P. Carter tells me that at Coonoor, on the Nilghiris,
this species breeds in April and May, placing its nest in large
shrubs, orange-trees, and other low trees which are thick and leafy.
The nest is externally irregular in shape, and is composed of fibres
and roots mixed with cotton-wool and rags; in one nest I found a .
piece of lace, 6 or 8 inches long; internally it is a deep cup, some
4 inches in diameter and 2 in depth. The eggs are sometimes
three in number, sometimes four.”

IMr. Wait says that “ the breeding-season extends from March
to July in the Nilghiris : the nest, cup-shaped and neatly built, is
placed in low trees, shrubs, and bushes, generally thorjiy ones ;
the outside of the nestis chiefly composed of weeds (a wEite downy
species is invariably present), fibres, and hay, and it is lined vdth
grass and hair ; there is often a good deal of earth built in, with
roots and fibres in the foundation of this nest; four appears to be
the usual number of eggs laid.”

Miss Cock burn, from Xotagherry, also on the Nilghiris, tells me
that “the Pale Eufous-backed Shrike builds in the months of
February and March and forms a large nest, the foundation of
which is occasionally laid with large pieces of rags, or (as I have
once or twice found) pieces of carpet. To these they add sticks,
moss, and fine grass as a lining, and lay four eggs, which are white,
but have a circle of ash-coloured streaks and blotches at the thick
end, resembling those on Flycatchers’ eggs. They are exceedingly
watchful of their nests while they contain eggs or young, and
never go out of sight of the bush which contains the precious
abode.”

Mr. Da-vison remarks that “this species builds in bushes or
trees at about 6 to 20 feet from the ground : a thorny thick bush
is genei'ally preferred, Berheris asiatica being a favourite. The
nest is a large deep cup-shaped structure, rather neatly made of
grass, mingled \vith odd pieces of rag, paper, &c., and lined with
fine grass. The eggs, four or five in number, are wdiite, spotted
wnth blackish brown, chiefly at the thicker end, w^here the spots
generally form a zone. The usual breeding-season is May and the
early part of June, though sometimes nests are found in April and
even as late as the last week in June, by wEich time the south¬
west monsoon has generally burst on the Nilghiris.”

Dr. Fairbank writes :—“ This bird lives through the year on the
Palanis and breeds there. I found a nest with five eggs when
there in 1867, but have not the notes then made about it.”

Captain Horace Terry informs us that this Shrike is a most

liAI^ITTS.

325

common bird in tbe Palani bills, found ever^rwhere and breeding
freely.

Mr. H. Parker, writing from Ceylon, says :—“ A pair of these
Shrikes reared three clutches of young in my compound (two of
them out of one nest) from December to May, inclusive; but this
must be abnormal breeding.^^

Colonel Legge writes in his ‘ Birds of Ce^don ’:—This bird
breeds in the Jaffna district and on the north-west coast from
Pebniary until May. Mr. Holdsworth found its nest in a thorn-
bush about 6 feet high, near the compound of his bungalow, in
the beginning of Pebruary .... Layard speaks of the young-
being fledged in June at Point Pedro, and says that it builds in
Eu^plioj'hia-tvee^ in that district.’^

The eggs of this species, sent me by Captain Hutton from the
Boon and by numerous correspondents from the Nilghiris, are un-
distinguishable from many types of L, erythronotus, and indeed the
birds are so closely allied that this was only to be expected. It is
unnecessary to describe these at length, as my description of the
eggs of L, erytlironotus applies equally to these.

In size the eggs, however, vary less and averacje longer than
those of this latter species. In length they range from 0-93 to
1 inch, and in breadth from 0*7 to 0-72 inch, but the average of
twenty was 0*95 by 0*7 inch.

477. Lanius tephronotus (Vigors). The Grey-haeJced ShiJce.

Lanins tephronotus (P 2 V 7 .), Je7'd, B, Ind. i, p. 403.

Collyrio tephronotus, Viyors, Hume^ Rough Draft N. P. no. 258.

As far as I yet know, the G-rey-backed Shrike breeds, within
our limits, only in the Himalayas, and chiefly in the interior, at
heights of from 5000 to 8000 feet above the sea-level. In the
interior of Sikbim, in the Sutlej Valley near Chini, in Lahoul, and
well up the valley of the Beas, they are pretty common during the
summer; they lay from May to July, and the young are about by
the end of July or the early part of August. I have never seen
a nest, although I have had eggs and birds sent me from both Sik-
him and the Sutlej Valley. There were only two eggs in each case,
but doubtless, like other Shrikes, they lay from four to six.

Mr. Blanford remarks that L, tejghronoius was “ common at Ldc-
hung, in Sikhim, 8000 to 9000 feet, in the beginning of Septem¬
ber, but three weeks later all had disappeared. Many of those
seen were in young plumage, with hair on the breast, back, and
scapulars.”

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall records from Murree :—This species
much resembles L, erythronotiis^ but the eggs differ considerably,
being more creamy white, blotched and spotted (more particularly
at the larger end) with pale red and grey. They are the same size
as those of the preceding species. Lays in the beginning of July
at the same elevation as L, erythronotusT

As to the size I cannot concur with the above.

326

LATSriIDiE.

Colonel Marshall has since kindly sent me two of the eggs above
referred to; they are clearly, it seems to me, eggs of Dicruriis
lo^igicaudatus^ or the slightly smaller hill-form named liimalayanus,
Tytler.

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes:—A nest found at about
three feet from the ground in a thick bush at Eheem Tal, at the
edge of the lake, contained five fresh eggs on the 28th May : the
nest was a coarsely built massive cup; the eggs were about the
same size as those of L. erythronotus^ but the spots were larger and
less closely gathered than is usual with that species/’

Dr. Scully says :—“ The Grey-backed Shrike is common in the
Yalley of Nepal from about the end of September to the middle of
March ; it is the only Shrike found in the Valley during the winter
season, but it migrates further north to breed. In December it
was fairly common about Chitlang, which is higher than Kathmandu,
but seemed to be entirely replaced in the Hetoura Dun by L. niyri-
ceps. It frequents gardens, groves, and cultivated ground, perch¬
ing on bushes and hedges and small bare trees. It has a very
harsh chattering note, louder than that of L. nigriceps, and appears
to be most noisy towards sunset, when its cry would often lead
one to suppose that the bird was being strangled in the clutches of
a raptor.”

Mr. O. Mdller has kindly furnished me with the following
note :—On the 7th June, 1879, my men brought a nest containing
four fresh eggs, together with a bird of the present species ; I send
two of the eggs : perhaps you recollect the eggs of L, tephronotus,, in
which case you of course udll be able to see at a glance if I am
correct. I have never come across such large eggs of L. nigriceps,
the eggs of which also as a rule have well-defined spots and no
blotches ; the two other eggs the nest contained measure 1 by 0*74,
and 1*01 by 0-76 inch.”

The eggs of this species are of the ordinary Shrike type, moder¬
ately elongated ovals, a little compressed towards the small end.
The shell extremely smooth and compact, but with scarcely any
perceptible 'gloss. The ground-colour pale greenish or yellowish
white ; the markings chiefly confined to a broad irregular ill-defined
zone round the large end—blotches, spots, specks, and smears of
pale yellowish brown more or less intermingled with small clouds
and spots of pale sepia-grey or inky purple. In some eggs a good
number of the smaller markings and occasionally one or two larger
ones are scattered over the entire surface of the egg, but typically
the bulk of the markings are comprised within the zone above
referred to.

In length four eggs vary from 0*97 to 1*06 inch, and in breadth
from 0*76 to 0*81 inch.

481. Lanius cristatus, Linn. The Brown SJiriJre.

Lanins cristatus, Jerd. B. Bid. i, p. 40G j ITume, Bough Draft

N. E. no. 261.

I am induced to notice this species, the Brown Shrike, although I

HEMIPUS.

327

possess no detailed information as to its nidification, in consec][uence
of Lord Walden’s remarks on this subject in ‘ The Ibis ’ of 1867. He
sa^s, “Hoes it, then, cross the vast ranges of the Himalaya in its
northern migration ? or does it not rather find on the southern
slopes and in the valleys of those mountains all the conditions
suitable for nesting?and he adds in a note, “It is extremely
doubtful whether any passerine bird which frequents the plains
of India during the cooler months crosses to the north of the
sno \\7 ranges of the Himalaya after quitting the plains to escape
the rainy season or the intense hear of summer/'’

Now, it is quite certain, as 1 have shown in ' Lahore to Yar¬
kand/ that several of our Indian passerine birds do cross the entire
succession of 8nowy Eanges which divide the plains of India from
Central Asia, and it is tolerably certain from my researches and
those of numerous contributors that L, cristatus breeds only north
of these ranges. True, Tickell gives the following account of the
nidiHcation of this species in the plains of India :—

“Nest found in large bushes or-thickets, shallow, circular, 4
inches in diameter, rather coarsely made of fine twigs and grass.
Eggs three, ordinary ; by -rf^: pale rose-colour, thickly sprinkled
with blood-red spots, with a darkish livid zone at the larger end.—
Jm\er But Tickell, though he wurns us at the commencement of his
paper (Journal As. 8oc. 1848, p. 297) of the “ attempts at duplicity
of which the wary oologist must take good heed,’’ gives the egg of
the 8aL’us as plain wiiite, and says he has seen upwards of a dozen
like this, those of the Holler as full deep Ant.werp blue, those of
Gyj)schcs 2 ^c{linariun as white with large spots of deep claret-brown,
and so on, audit is quite clear that his supposed eggs and nest of
L. cristatufi belonged to one of the Bulbuls.

Of more than fifty oologists who have collected for me at differ¬
ent times in hills and plains, from the Nilghiris to Huzara on the
one side, and to 8ikhim on the other, not one has ever met with a
nest of L, cristatus. This is doubtless purely negative evidence,
but it is still entitled to considerable w^eight.

From the valleys of the Beas and the Hutlej, as also from Kumaon
and Grurhvval, these Shrikes seem to disappear entirely during the
summer, and they are then, as we also know^, found breeding in
Yarkand. It is only in the latter part of the autumn that they
reappear in the former named localities, finding their way by the
commencement of the cold season to the foot of the hills.

Mr. H. Thompson, to quote one of many close observers,
remarks :—“ This bird appears regularly at Hukhvanee and Hum-
nugger at the foot of the Kumaon Hills during the cold weather,
conlining itself to thick hedges and deep groves of trees. Where it
goes to in summer I cannot say, it certainly does not remain in our
hills.”

484. Hemipus picatus (Sykes). The Blaclc-haclced Pied Shrilce.

Hemipus picatus {Sykes'), Je7'd. B. Ind. i, p. 412 j Hmie, Rouyh DraJ-t
2G7.

I quite agree with Mr. Gray that this bird is a Flycatcher and

328

LANIID^.

not a Shrike; no one in fact who has watched it in life can have
any doubt on this subject; but yet, except for their being more
strongly marked, its eggs have no doubt a very Shrike>like character,
at the same time that they exhibit many affinities to those of
BJii/pidura alhifrooitata and other undoubted Flycatchers.

Mr. "W. Davison says:—“About the first week in March 1871,
I found at Ootacamund a nest of this bird placed in the fork of
one of the topmost branches of a rather tall Berheris lesclienaidtL
For the size of the bird this was an exceedingly small shallow nest,
and from its position between the fork, its size, and the materials
of which it was composed externally, might very easily have passed
unnoticed; the bird sitting on it appeared to be sitting only on a
small lump of moss and lichen, the whole of the bird’s tail, and as
low down as the lower part of the breast, being visible. The nest
was composed of grass and fine roots covered externally with cob¬
web and pieces of a grey lichen, and bits of moss taken apparently
from the same tree on which the nest was built; the eggs were
three in number. The tree on which this nest was built was
opposite my window, and I watched the birds building for nearly
a week; and, again, when having the nest taken, the birds sat till
the native lad I had sent up put out his hand to take the nest. I
am absohitehj certain as to the identity of this nest and these eggs.”

The eggs brought me by Mr. Davison, of the authenticity of
which he is positive, are very Shrike-like in their appearance;
they are rather elongated ov^als, somewhat obtuse at both ends,
and entirely devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is a pale greenish
or greyish white, and they are profusely blotched, spotted, and
streaked with darker and lighter shades of umber-browm; in both
eggs these markings are more or less confiuent along a broad
zone, which in one egg encircles the larger, in the other the smaller
end: these eggs measure 0-7 by 0*5 inch and 0*69 by 0*49 inch.

Captain Horace Terry wTites from the Palani Hills :—“ Pittur
Valley. I had a nest brought me which from the description of
the bird must, I think, have belonged to this species. Hest
rather a shallow cup placed in a thorny tree about ten feet from
the ground, neatly made of grass and moss, lined with fine grass
and a few feathers, covered a gxeat deal on the^ outside wdth
dusky-coloured cobwebs, 2*5 inches across and 1*5 inch deep inside,
and 3*25 inches to 3*5 inches across, and 2*25 inches deep out¬
side : contained five very much incubated eggs; shape and marking
exactly like those of L. ccmicejfys, having a well-defined zone round
the larger end; size about the same or rather smaller than those of
Pratincola hicolorr

485. Hemipus capitalis (McClelland). The Brown-laclcecl Pied

ShriJce,

Hemipus capitalis (McOlelL)j Huine, Cat. no. 267 a.

I must premise that to the best of my belief there is no such

HEMiPirs. 329

thiBg as B. cctpitcclis, McClell., in India, or, in other words, that
this latter name is a mere synonym of B. jpicahis

Mr. Blyth remarks, Ibis, 1866 :—“ Bemij)us picatiis. Under this
name two very distinct species are brought together by Dr.
Jerdon : B. capitalis (McClell., 1839 ; B.piccecolor, Hodgson, 1845)
of the Himalaya, which is larger, with proportionally longer tail,
and has a brown back; and B. picatus (Sykes) of Southern India
and Ceylon, which has a black back. Mr. Wallace has good series
of both of them.

‘‘ Bemipus capitalis has accordingly to be added to the birds of
India.”

How, out of India, Mr. Wallace may have got hold of some
brown-backed Bemipus^ which is really distinct, but nothing is
more certain (I speak after comparison of a large series from
Southern India with a still larger, gathered from all parts of the
Himalayas) than that the Southern and Northern Indian birds are
identical, and that in both localities the males have black and the
females browui backs.

Capt. T. Hutton says:—‘‘ On the 12th of May I procured a nest
of this bird in the Dehra Doon; it wns placed on the ground at
the base of an overhanging rock, and was composed entirely of the
hair of horses and cows and other cattle, w^hich had doubtless
been collected from the bushes and pasture-lands in the vicinity.
There w'ere four eggs of a pale sea-green, spotted with rufous-
brown, and forming an indistinct and nearly confluent ring at the
larger end. The bird had begun to sit.

“ This curious little species is not uncommon in the outer hills
up to 5000 feet in the summer months.”

The three eggs sent me by Captain Hutton appear to dij^er
somewhat conspicuously from any other eggs of the LanikUe that
I have yet seen. The groiind-coloiu’ is a very pale greenish wdiite,
and they are moderately^ thickly freckled aud mottled all over,
but most densely tow'ards the large end (where, in one egg, there
is a well-marked, though somewhat iiTegular, zone), with pale
browmish pink and A’ery pale purple. In shape the eggs are ^'ery
regular, rather broad ovals, and appear to have but little or no
gloss. They vary in length from 0*66 to 0*7 inch, and in breadth
from 0*53 to 0*55 inch.

Dr. Jerdon's evidence, so far as it goes, tallies with Captain
Hutton’s account. He says:—“I obtained its nest once at Dar¬
jeeling, made of roots and grasses, with three greenish-white eggs,
having a few* rusty-red spots.”

* Mr. Hume w^ould probably now agree with me that B. picatus and
B. capitalis are distinct species. H. picatus, however, is not confined to
Southern India, but; occurs along the Terais of Sikliim and Nepal, and through¬
out Burma. H. capifaUs occurs on the Himalayas from Gurwhal to Assam.
There is little doubt that Captain Hutton’s nest did not really belong to a
Pied Shrike.— Ed.

330

LAN1ID2G.

Erom Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes:—“ At page 178 of ‘ Nests
and Eggs of Indian Birds ’ (Eough Draft), Captain T. Hutton’s
description of the nest and eggs of Hem^ms picatus is given, and
at page 179 that of Mr. W. Davison. The two descriptions differ
so radically that, as there remarked, one of the two must be in
error. Permit me to record my limited experience of the nesting
of this bird,

‘‘ Common as it is in Sikhim I have but once taken its nest, and
that in the first week of May, at 4000 feet elevation. The nest,
which is well described by Mr. Davison, is made of black, fiDry
roots, sparingly lined with fine grass-stalks, and covered outwardly
with small pieces of lichens bound to the sides vdth cobwebs. It
is a very neat diminutive cup, measuring externally 1*9 inch
across by an inch deep; internally 1*5 by half an inch.

“ The wlmle nest, although quite a substantially built structure,
is barely the eighth part of an ounce in weight. It was placed on
the upper side of a horizontal branch close to its broken end,
about fifteen feet from the ground, and contained two fresh eggs.
I send you the nest and an egg, both of which will, I think, be
found on comparison to agree exactly with those taken by Mr.
Davison.”

Mr. Mandelli has sent me two nests of this species, found on
the 15th August above Namtchn in Native Sikhim. They were
placed about two feet from each other, each in a small fork of the
branches of a small tree which was situated in heavy forest.
Each contained two fresh eggs. The nests are very similar,
but one is rather larger and less tidily finished-off than the other.
Both are shallow cups, miniatures of some of the nests of Dicrurus,
composed of excessively fine grass-stems, coated exteriorly all
round the sides with cobwebs, and, in the case of one of them,
plastered exteriorly with tiny films of bark and dry leaves like
some of the nests of the Pericrocoti. Both have a little soft silky
vegetable down at the bottom of the cavity. The one nest is
about two inches, the other about two and a half inches in diameter
exteriorly, and both are a little less than three quarters of an inch
high outside. The cavity in the one is about an inch and a half,
in the other about an inch and three quarters in diameter, and
both are about half an inch deep.

Eggs received from Sikhim are broad ovals, glossless, with
greenish-white grounds, profusely speckled and mottled with
slightly varying shades of brown, here and there intermingled with
dull, pale inky purple. The markings are densest generally round
the broadest part of the egg. They measured from 0*61 to 0*7 in
length, and from 0'51 to 0*55 in breadth.

486. Tephrodornis pelvicus (Hodgs.). The Nej^al Wood-Bhrihe,

Tephrodornis pelvica (Hodgs.), Jerd, B. hid. i, p. 409 ; Hitme, Cat.
no. 263.

The Nepal Wood-Shrike is a permanent resident throughout

TEPIlEODOlilS'IS.

331

Burma, Assam, Cachar, aud the sub-Himalajan Terais and Eanges
to which the typical Judo-Burmese fauna extends. Still we have
no information as to its nidification, and the only egg of the
species that I possess was extracted from the oviduct of a female
shot by Mr. Davison on the 26th of March, 1874, near dhvoy in
Tenasserim. The egg is rather a handsome one—very Shrike-like
in its character, but rather small for the size of the bird. In
shape it is a broad o^-al, very slightly compressed towards one end.
The shell is fine and compact, but has no gloss. The ground is
white, with the faintest possible greenish tinge only noticeable
when the egg is placed alongside a pure white one, such as a Bee-
eater’s for instance. The markings are bold, but except at the
large end not very dense—spots and blotches of a light clear
brown, and (chieHy at tlu‘ large end) somewhat pale inky grey.
Where the two colours overla]) each other, ihere the result of the
mixture is a dark dusky brown, so that the markings appear to be
of three colours. Dully half th(i markings are gathered into a
broad conspicuous but very broken and irregular zone about the
broad end. The egg measured only 0-SG by 0*69.

Subsequently to writing the above Mr. Mandelli sent me a nest
of this species found at Ging near Darjeeling on the 27th April.
It contained four fresh eggs, aud was placed on branches of a very
large tree about 22 feet from the ground. The tree was situated
at an elevation of about 30(.)9 fed:. Tlie nest is a large massive
cup, 5 inches in ('xterior diameter and ratlier more than 3
in heiglit. It is composed of tendrils of creepers and stems of
herbaceous plants, to many of which the bright yellow amaranth
flowers remain attached ; and all over the sides and bottom masses
of flower-steins of grass \\’ith the white silky down attached are
thickly plastered, which, intermingled as this white down is with
the glistening yellow flowtu’s, ])roduces a very ornamental effect,
and looks as if the bird had r(‘ally had an eye to decoration.

Inside the nest is entirely lined with very line grass-steins. The
nest is everywhere about an inch thick, and the cavity about
3 inches in diametiu' by nearly 2 deep.

Eggs said to b(‘long to this species kindly sent me by Mr. Mandelli,
whose men obtained them on the 27th April, are very 8hrike-like
in their appearance. In shape they vary from broad to ordinary
ovals, generally soinewliat compressed towards the small end. The
shell is whit (5 but almost glossless. The ground-colour is a dead
wDite, and they are profusidy speckled and spotted with yellowish
brown, paler in some eggs, darker in others. In all the eggs the
markings are by far the most numerous towards the large end.
Two eggs measure 0*95 aud 0*01 in length by 0*74 and 0*72 in
breadth respectively.

487. Tephrodornis sylvicola, Jerdon. The Malahar Wood-^liril'e.

Tephrodornis sylvicoln, Jerd., Jerd. B, hid. i, p. 409; Hume, Cat-
no. 264.

Major M. Forbes Coussmaker has furnished me with the following

332

LAKTID^.

note on the niclihcation of the Malabar Wood-Shrike : I

the nest of this bird on April 13th, 1875. It was composed ot
fine roots and fibres, neatly woven into a shallow cup-l^e nest,
secured to the fork of a horizontal bough and fixed in its place
with cobweb, and covered externally with lichen corresponding to
that on the bough. It measured 4*2 inches in diameter externally,
and 2*4 internally and *7 deep. Both parent birds were shot.
The eggs two in number, rather round, coloured white with faint
inky and brown spots.”

One of these eggs is a very regular oval, the shell fine but gloss¬
less, the ground-colour white, with a faint greenish tinge ; round
the large end is a pretty conspicuous zone of black or blackish-brown
and pale inky purple spots and small blotches, and similar spots and
blotches of the same colour are somewhat sparsely scattered
over the rest of the surface of the egg. The egg measured 0*98
by 0*73.

4SS. Tephrodornis pondicerianus (G-m.). The Commm
Wood-Shrike,

Tephrodornis pondiceriana (Gin.)^ Jerd. B, Inch i, p. 410; Hume^
Hough Draft N. 8f E. no. 26o.

The Common Wood-Shrike lays during the latter half of March
and April. This at least is, I think, the normal season, but Mr.
W. Blewitt found a nest at Hansee ou the 2nd of June containing
two fresh eggs.

I have only taken one nest myself (though I have had many
others sent me), and that was on the 2nd of April at Chundowah
ill Jodpoor, Eajpootana, The nest was in the fork of a ber tree
(Zizijphus jujicha), on a small horizontal bough, abvOut 5 feet from
the ground. It was a broad shallow cup, somewhat oval interiorly,
with the materials very compactly and closely put together. The
basal portion and framework of the sides consisted of very fine
stems of some herbaceous plant about the thickness of an ordinary
pin. It was lined with a little wool and a quantity of silky fibre;
exteriorly it was bound round with a good deal of the same fibre
and pretty thickly felted with cobwebs. The egg-cavity measured
2*5 inches in diameter one w-ay and only 2 the other way, while in
depth it was barely *86, The exterior diameter of the nest was
about 4 inches and the height nearly 2 inches. It contained three
fresh eggs, of a slightly greyish-white ground, very thickly spotted
and speclded with yellovdsh brown, dark umber-brown, and a pale
washed-out inky-purple. In all, the spots were thickest in a zone
round the large end, where they became more or less confluent.
I have, however, a large series of these nests, and taking them as
a whole, although much more massive, they remind one no libtle of
those of Bhipidura alhifrontata and Terpsiphone 'paradisi and even
JEgithina t iphia. They are broad shallow cups, measuring internally
2^- inches across and about inch in depth. They are placed in a

TEPHUODORmS.

333

horizontal fork of a branch, and are composed of vegetable fibre
and fine grass-roots, thickly coated exteroally with cobwebs, by
which also they are fixed on to branches, and lined internally with
silky vegetable down or fibre. Externally their colour always
approximates closely to the bark of the branch on which they are
placed; they are not thin basket-like structures like those of
JEfjithina or lilii-picliira^ but are fully | inch thick at the sides and
probably | inch thick at the bottom.

Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall writes :—“ The Common Wood-Shrike
builds ill the Saharunpoor district in the latter half of March, the
young being hatched early in April. The bird is common; but
owing to the small size and bark-like colour of its nest, the latter
is very difficult to find. On the 8th April I fired at a specimen
and missed it; it then flew o:ffi and settled in a fork of another
tree about 30 feet from the ground. On looking carefully with an
opera-glass, I found that it was sitting on its nest. I drove it off
and shot it. The nest was very small and shallow, cup-shaped, and
wedged in between two small boughs at their junction, and not
appearing either above or below. The egg-receptacle was 2^ inches
in diameter. The nest was made of grass and bits of bark, beautifully
woven together and bound with cobwebs, and exactly resembling
the boughs between which it was placed, or, I might say, wedged
in. The eggs, four in number, were slightly set; the}^ were small
for the bird, and of a rather round oval shape; the colour was a
creamy-yellow ground, thickly spotted and blotched with the dif¬
ferent shades of brown and sienna, the bulk of the spots tending
to form a zone near the thick end, as in the typical form of the eggs
of the Lamiclce^ and a number of faint purple blotches underlying
the zone.'’

Major C. T. Bingham says:—“I have only found three nests of
this bird, and these at Delhi. At Allahabad it was not very common.
It is a difficult nest to find, being generally well bidden in the
forks of leafy trees. All three nests I got were of one type—shallow
saucers, made of vegetable fibre matted together into a soft felt¬
like substance. In two of the nests I found three and in the third
one egg. These are thickly spotted and blotched with brown and a
washed-out purple, on a pale greyish-yellow ground. The average
measurements of the seven eggs are—length 0*77, breadth 0*61.”

Colonel E. A. Butler writes from Sind:—

Hyderabad, 19th Apdl, 1878.—Noticed two young birds scarcely
able to fly; fresh eggs were laid, therefore, about the beginning of
March. On the 20th April near the same place I found a nest
containing young birds. It consisted of a neat little cup composed
of dry grass smeared all over exteriorly with cobwebs, and fixed in
a fork of one of the outer branches of a large babool-tree about
10 feet from the ground. The nest was very small for the size of
the bird, and had I not seen the old bird on it I should have
taken it for a nest of Rhipidura alhifrontatay

The late Captain Beavaii remarked that this bird “ appears to
come to the Mannbhoom District for the purpose of breeding. I

334

TiANIID^.

procured the uest and eggs early in April, and the young were
nearly fledged by the 20th of that month; they appear to come
year iifter year to particular localities to breed.

“ Several nests were brought me from the neighbourhood oi: Kas-
hurghur both in 1864 and 1865, whereas none were seen elsewhere.
The nest is very small for the size of the bird, and the material of
which it is composed closely resembles the bird’s plumage in colour.
The nest is round and very shallow, something like a GhaffinclTs,
being very neatly made; diameter inside 2 inches, depth 1 inch ;
composed of grey fibres, bits of bark, grass, and the like, cemented
with spider’s web. The eggs are two in number, greenish white,
spotted with brown and slate-coloured dots, which in most specimens
form a well-defined zone round the thickest part of the egg, leaving
both ends without marks. Length of the egg *75 inch ; breadth
•59 inch. This bird was not observed in Mauubhoom except during
the breeding-season.”

Mr. Gf. W. Vidal, uniting from the South Koiikan, remarks:—
“ Common, as also at Savant Vadi. Nest found with three hard-
set eggs on the ISth February, low down in a mango-tree. Nest
a very neat compact cup of grasses and fibres, woven throughout
with spiders’ webs. Eggs greyish white, with brown and inky-
purple spots.”

Dr. Jerdon remarks:—“The nest has been brought to me in
August at Nellore, chiefly made of roots and lined with hair; and
the eggs, three in number, were greenish white with large brown
blotches.”

Major M. E. Coussmaker sends me the following note from
Mysore :—“ I took the nest of this bird on April 16th. It was com¬
posed of fine roots and fibres closely woven into a compact nest,
secured to a horizontal bough with cobweb and covered externally
with lichen to match the tree. It measured in diameter 4*1 inches
externally and 2*2 internally and *8 deep. The parent bird w-as
shot from the nest.

“ The nest contained two eggs, white with brown spots and
markings. They were so broken when I got them that no reliable
measurements could be taken.”

Lastly, Mr. Oates wTites from Pegu :—“ Nest with three fresh
eggs on the 3rd March near Pegu.”

The eggs are very Shrike-like in appearance, and many of them
are perfect miniatures of the eggs of Lamus lalitora^ but some of
them have a more uuiformly brown tiut than any of this latter
species that I have yet met with. The ground-colour is generally
either a very pale greenish white or a creamy-stone colour, and
more or less thickly spotted and blotched with different shades of
yellowish and reddish browm; many of the markings are almost
invariably gathered into a conspicuous, but irregular and ill-defined,
zone near the large end, in which zone clouds of subsurface-looking,
pale, and dingy purple, not usually observable on any other portion
of the egg, are thickly intermingled. The texture of the shell is fine
and close, but scarcely any gloss is ever perceptible. Occasionally

PE-RTCHOCOTTJS.

335

the eggs are very faintly coloured, and have a dull white ground,
while the markings consist of only a few spots and specks of very
pale purple and pale rust-colour confined to a zone near the large
end.

In length the eggs vary from 0*09 to 0*8 inch, and in breadth
from 0*57 to 0*65 inch ; but the average of a dozen eggs is 0*75
by 0*61 inch nearly.

490. Pericrocotus speciosus (Lath.). TJie Indian Scarlet
MiniveU

Pericrocotus speciosus {LatJiS)^ Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 419; Hume,
Rou^h Draft N. . 5 * H. no, 271.

Captain Hutton records that the Indian Scarlet Minivet breeds
both on the Doon and in the hills overlooking it, to an elevation
of about 5000 feet. He says :—“ The nest is generally placed high
up on the branch of some tall tree, often overhanging the side of
a fearful precipice. On the 6th and 17th of June I procured two
nests in ravines opening upon the Doon, one of which contained
four, and the other five eggs, of a dull-white colour, sparingly
spotted and blotched with earthy brovui, more thickly so at the
larger end, where they form an open ring of spots ; other small
blotches of a fainter colour are seen beneath the shell.

“ It is a curious fact that in the latter nest, out of the five eggs
three were ringed at the larger end, and the other two at the smaller
end. The nest is rather coarsely made, being very thick at the
sides, and the materials not neatly interwoven ; it is composed
externally of dried grasses and the fine stalks of various small
plants, interspersed with bits of cotton and grass-roots, and lined
with the fine seed-stalks of small grasses.”

I am not at all sure that there is not some mistake here. The
nest described is rather that of L, erythronotus than of any of the
Pericrocoti, and but for the excellent authority on which the above
rests, I should certainly not have accepted it.

This species breeds in the forests of the central hills of Nepal;
according to Mr. llodgson's notes and drawings they begin laying
about April, and lay three or four eggs, which are neither described
nor figured. The nest is a beautiful deep cup externally about
3*25 inches in diameter, and rather more than 2 inches high, com¬
posed of moss and moss-roots lined internally with the latter, and
entirely coated exteriorly with lichen and a few stray pieces of
green moss firmly secured in their pla(*es by spiders’ webs. The
nest is placed in some slender branch between three or four
upright sprays. This, I may note, is just the kind of nest one
would have expected this Lai'ge Minivet to build.

The only specimens, supposed to be the eggs of this species, that
I possess I owe to Captain Hutton. They closely resemble the
eggs of L. erythronotus, but are perhaps shorter, and hence loolc
broader than those of this latter. They are shghtly bigger than
the eggs of L, vittatus. In shape they seem to be typically a

336

jjjLmiDM.

slightly bx'oader oval than those of any of our true Shrikes, but
elongated and pointed examples occur. Their ground-colour is a
very pale greyish white, thickly spotted all over the large end,
and thickly dotted elsewhere, with specks, spots, and tiny blotches
of pale yellowish brown and pale inky-purple. Compared with
the eggs of the other Pericrocoti, they are very dingily coloured.
The eggs are devoid of gloss. I am doubtful about these eggs.

In length they vary from 0*88 to 0-93 inch, and in breadth
from 0*72 to 0*75 inch ; but the average of five eggs is 0*9 by 0*72
inch.

494. Pericrocotus flammens (Forst.). The Orange Minivet.

Pericrocotiis flammens (Forst), Jerd. B. Lid. i, p. 420; Humej
Rough Draft N. E. no. 272.

The Orange Minivet lays, I believe, in Jane and July on the
Nilghiris. I have never taken a nest myself, but I have recei\ed
several, with a few wmrds in regard to them, from Miss
Cockburn.

The nests are comparatively massive little cups placed on, or
sometimes in, the forks of slender boughs. They are usually com¬
posed of excessively fine twigs, the size of fir-needles, and they are
densely plastered over the whole exterior surface with greenish-
grey lichen, so closely and cleverly put together that the side of
the nest looks exactly like a piece of a lichen-covered branch.
There appears to be no lining, and the eggs are laid on the fine
little twigs which compose the body of the nest.

The nests are externally from 3 to inches in diameter, and
about 1^ inch deep, with an egg-czivity about 2 inches in diameter
and about | inch in depth. Some, how^ever, when placed in a fork
are much deeper and narrow^er, say externally 2| inches in diame¬
ter and the same height; the egg-cavity about 1| inch in diameter
and 1| inch in depth.

Miss Cockburn notes that one nest was found on the 24th of
June on a high tree, the nest being placed on a thin branch betw’eeii
30 or 40 feet from the ground. It contained a single fresh egg,
which ^Yas broken in the fall of the branch, w^hich had to be cut.
This egg, the remains of w^hich w-ere sent me, had a pale greenish
ground, and was pretty thicldy streaked and spotted, most thickly
so at the large end, with pale yellowish brown and pale rather
dingy-purple, the latter colour predominating.

Another egg which she subsequently sent me, obtained on the
17th of July, is a "regular, moderately elongated oval, a little
pointed towards one end. The shell is fine, but glossless. The
ground is a delicate pale sea-green or greenish w’hite, and it is
rather sparsely spotted and speckled with pale yellowish brown.
Only one or two purplish-grey specks are to be detected on this
egg; it measures 0*9 by 0*67.

PEEICROCOTUS.

337

Mr. J. Darling, junior, sends me the following note:—“I had
the good fortune to find a nest of the Orange Minivet at Neddivat-
tum, about 6000 feet above the level of the sea, on the 5th September,
1870. It was placed on a tall tree near the edge of a jungle and
was built in a fork, about 30 feet from the ground.

“The nest was built of small twigs and grasses, and covered on
the outside with lichens, moss, and cobwebs, making it appear as
part and parcel of the tree. I noticed it merely from the fact of
seeing the bird sitting on her nest, and even then could not make
up my mind, and came away. Being of an inquisitive nature, next
day I went again and saw the bird in the same place, so I climbed
up and managed to pull the nest towards me with a hook, and took
two eggs, one of which I send you.

“ In August 1874 at Vythery I saw a bird sitting on her nest, and
watched her rear and take away her brood, but could not get at
the nest.’’

An egg sent me by Mr. Darling is very similar to the eggs sent
me by Miss Cockburn, except that the brown markings are rather
more numerous, especially in a broad zone round the large end, and
that with these a good many pale purple or lilac spots or specks
are intermingled. It measures 0*88 by 0*68 inch.

495. Pericrocotus hrevirostris (Vigors). The Short-hilled
Minivet.

Pericrocotus hrevirostris {Vi(/.), Jcrd. B, Ind, i, p. 421 j Hume,
Rough Draft N. vj" E. no. 273.

The Short-hilled Minivet breeds in the Himalayas at elevations
of from 3000 to 6000 feet in Knmaon, and again in Kulu and the
valley of the Sutlej. It lays in May and June, building a compact
and delicate cup-shaped nest on a hoizontal bough pretty high up
in some oak, rhododendron, or other forest tree. I have never seen
one on any kind of fir-tree.

SoQietimes the nest is merely placed on, and attached firmly to,
the upper surface of the branch; but, more commonly, the place
w'here two smallish branches fork horizontally is chosen, and the
nest is placed just at the fork. I got one nest at Kotgurh, however,
wedged in between two upright shoots from a horizontal oak-branch.
The nests are composed of fine twigs, fir-needles, gi'ass-i'oots, fine
grass, slender dry steins of herbaceous plants, as the case may be,
generally loosely, but occasionally compactly interlaced, inter¬
mingled and densely coated over the whole exterior with cobwebs
and pieces of lichen, the latter so neatly put on that they appear
to have grown where they are. Sometimes, especially at the base
of the nest, a little moss is attached exteriorly, but, as a rule, there
is nothing but lichen. The ]iest has no liniug. The external
diameter is about 2^ inches, and the usual height of the nest from
to 2 inches ; but"this varies a good deal according to situation,

YOL. I. 22

338

liANIIDiE.

aiul iiie botf oi]i of tlie nest-, which in some may be at most | incli
thick, in another is a full inch. The sides rarely exceed 5 inch in
thickness. The egg-cavity has a diameter of about 2 inches, and a
depth of from 1 to 1-25 inch.

hive seems to be the maximum number of eggs laid, but 1 have
now twice met with three, more or less incubated, eggs.

Mr. Hodgson notes:—“May 16th: At the top of the great
forest of Sheopoori, secured a nest built near the top of a kaiphul
tree, and laid on a thick branch amongst smaller twigs. The nest
is about 2 inches deep and the same in diameter: inside it is 1*5 inch
deep; it is made of paper-like bits of lichen welded together with
spiders’ webs, and with a lining of elastic fibres. It is the shape
of a deep soap-stand, open at the top of course. It contained two
eggs of a bluish or greenish-white ground, much spotted with hver
colour, especially near the large end, where the spots are clustered
into a zone.”

Dr. Scully, writing also from Nepal, says :—“ During the
breeding-season (May and June) this Minivet is found in forests
on the hills up to an elevation of 7500 feet. A nest w*as found in
the Sheopoori forest on the 17th June, which contained two very
young birds and one egg.”

The eggs of this species that I have seen are moderately broad
ovals, as a rule, very regular in their shape, and scarcely compressed
at all towards the lesser end. The shell is fine and satiny, but the
eggs have little or no real gloss. The ground-colour is a dull white,
sometimes slightly tinged Avith pink, sometimes with green, and
they are richly and profusely blotched, spotted, and streaked, jnost
densely, as a rule, towards the large end, with brownish red aiid
pale purple. Most eggs exhibit a more or less conspicuous, though
irregular, zone round the larger end.

The eggs vary in length from 0*71 to 0*8 inch, and in breadth
from 0*54 to 0*6 inch.

499. Pericrocotus roseus (YieilL). The Rosy Minivet,

Pericrocotus roseus ( Vieill,'), Jerd. B, Ind. i, p. 422; Ilume^ Bough
Draft N. E, no. 275.

The only one of in)^ contributors who appears to have taken the
eggs of the Eosy Minivet is Colonel G. H. T. Marshall. Mr.
E. Thompson says:—“ They breed in the warmer valleys of Kumaon,
up to an elevation of some 5000 feet, in May and Junebut he
adds : “ I have never got down the nests.”

Colonel Marshall, writing from Murree, says :—“ The Eosy
Minivet builds a beautirully little shallow cup-shaped nest, the
outer edge being quite narrow and pointed. The external covering
of the nest is fine pieces of lichen fastened on with cobw^ebs.
It was found on the 12 th of June, and contained three fresh eggs,
white, with greyish-brown spots and blotches sparsely scattered
about the larger end; the length is 0*8 by 0*55 inch; 5000 feet up.”

The nest, which I ow’e to this gentleman, is externally a short

PEBICKOCOTTJS.

339

section of a cylinder, rather than a cup, the walls standing up
outside almost perpendicularly. It is 2*5 inches in diameter and
nearly 1 *75 in height. The rim of the nest is | inch wide, and the
ca^dty, a shallow cup, 2 inches wide by scarcely an inch deep ; the
walls of the nest increase in thickness as they approach the base.

Externally the whole surface is entirely covered hy small scales
of lichen, firmly bound into their respective places by gossamer
threads ; internally the nest is a very loosely put together basket-
work of excessively fine twigs and grass-stems not thicker than
common needles. A morsel or two of moss have become involved
in the fabric, as well as two fine blades of grass; but there is no
lining, and the eggs are obviously laid upon the soft loose basket
frame of the nest.

The egg which accompanied the nest is a regular oval, slightly
compressed towards one end. The ground-colour is pale greenish
white entirely devoid of gloss. The egg is richly blotched, spotted,
and speckled (most densel\^ so towards the larger end) with reddish
brown and greenish purple, there being two conspicuously different
shades (a much darker and a much lighter, the latter of which
appears like subsurface tints) ot* each of these colours. This egg
measures 0*82 by 0-6 inch nearly.

Another egg of the same clutch was less richly coloured, the
markings being merely brown, with scarcely a perceptible reddish
tinge, and dull mostly inky, but here and there somewhat reddish,
purple. The markings, too, were fewer in number, but there was
a more marked tendency for these to form a zone about the larger
end.

In another clutchr the markings were almost entirely confined
to a dense zone round the larger end about a third of the way up
from the middle of the egg. In this zone they were so densely set
as to be quite confluent, and they consisted of yellowish brown
and inky purple.

Mr. J. E. Cripps found the nest of this Minivet in the Bhaman
tea-garden, in the Dibrugarh District of Assam, on the Slsb May,
1879. The nest contained three eggs, aud was placed on the upper
side of a large lateral branch of a tree that grew on the main
garden road, about 15 feet from the ground.

Seven eggs of this bird vary in length from 0‘7o to 0*86, and
in breadth from 0*58 to 0*6.

500. Pericrocotus peregrinns (Linn.). The Bmall Minivet,

Pericrocotus peregrinns {Limi,),Jerd. B, Ind. i, p. 423 ; Hxcme, Rough
Draft N. cy E. no. 276.

Our Small Minivet lays during the latter half of June (as soon,
•in fact, as the rains set in), and throughout July and August. I
believe it breeds pretty well all over India and Burma.

The nest is small and neat, and done up generally like a Chaf¬
finch’s, to resemble the bark of the tree on which it is placed.

22 ^

340

LAmiBJE.

The nests that I have seen have been invariably placed at a
considerable height from the ground in the fork of a branch, most
commonly, I think, a mango-tree, though I have occasionally
noticed them in other trees.

The nest is a small moderately deep cup, with an internal cavity
about 1*7 inch to 1*9 in diameter, and nearly an inch in depth.
The sides of the nest are about | inch thick, and the thickness of
the bottom of the nest varies according to the shape of the fork
chosen, whether obtuse or acute-angled. In the former case the
bottom of the nest is sometimes not above | inch in depth. In
the latter case, it is sometimes as much as an inch in thickness.
It is composed of very fine, needle-like twigs (with at times here
and there a few feathers) carefully bound together externally with
cobwebs, and coated with small pieces of bark or dead leaves, or
both, so that looked at from below with the naked eye it is im¬
possible to distinguish it from one of the many little excrescences
so common, especially on mango-trees. There appears to be rarely
any regular lining, a very little down and cobwebs forming the only
bed for the eggs, and even this is often wanting. Sometimes a
few tiny dead leaves or a little lichen will be found incorporated
in the nest, and occasionally, but rarel}^ fine grass-stems take the
place of very slender twigs.

Three is, I believe, the normal number of the eggs. I extract a
couple of old notes I made in regard to the nests of this species :—
^‘August 5th, —Took three eggs of this bird, shooting the two old
birds at the same time. The tree was a mango, the nest was in
the fork of a branch, some 40 feet from the ground, built interiorly
with very small twigs, with here and there a very few feathers
intermixed, and was exteriorly coated with fine flakes of bark held
in their place by gossamer threads. It was cup-shaped, with an
interior diameter of Ig by | inch.

‘‘The eggs had a slightly greenish-white ground, thickly spotted
and speckled, and towards the larger end blotched, with some¬
what brownish red ; the markings shovidng a decided tendency to
form a zone round, or cap at the larger end.’’

Allygurh, August 21th. —Another beautiful little nest in a
mango-tree high up, a tiny cup about 1| inch internal diameter by
•| inch deep, woven with very fine twigs, and exteriorly coated
with tiny fragments of bark and dead leaves firmly secured in
their places with gossamer threads and cobwebs. It contained
two fresh eggs; a pale slightly greenish-white ground, richly
speckled and spotted and sparsely blotched with a purplish and
a brownish red, the markings greatly predominating towards the
larger end.”

Mr. T. E. Blewitt, detailing his experiences in Jhansie and
Saugor, says :—“ Breeds in June and July. The tamarind-tree is
by preference chosen by this bird for its nest; at least the three
I saw were all on tamarind-trees. The nest, cup-shaped, is a
compactly made structure; the exterior appeared to be composed
of the very fine petioles of leaves, wdth a thick coating all over of

PEBICROCOTUS.

341

what looked like spider’s web ; attached to this web-like substance
here and there, for better disguise, were the drj leaves of the
tamarind-tree ; the lining of very fine grass. The outer diameter
of a nest may fairly be given at 2*2 inches, inner at 1*8, depth of
nest 0*9. Two is the regular number of eggs, at least that was
the number in the three nests I took. In colour they are of a
pale greenish white, sparingly speckled on the narrower half of
the egg with brownish spots, but they have on the broader half the
spots more dense, and forming nt the end a more or less complete
cap. The feat of securing a nest is a most hazardous one, for it
is always fixed close in between two delicate forks at the extreme
end of a slight side-branch near to the top of the tree. On each
occasion that the nest was detected the male bird was found flitting
about near to it, the female all the while sitting on the eggs. On
the last two occasions of finding the nests, it was this flitting to
and fro of the male that attracted us; otherwise the nest is so
small that from the ground the eye can scarcely distinguish it from
the branch. The bird appears to be migratory, for since the
termination of the breeding-season it has disappeared from these
parts.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes to me :—Although this bird is
common enough both at Allahabad and at Delhi, I have found it
difficult to find its nest, from the fact that it is placed at the very
extreme tip of leafy branches. However, with careful ’watching
and patience, I managed to find one nest at Allahabad and five at
Delhi. The first I found on the 3rd July at Chupree near Alla¬
habad. It contained two well-fledged young ones, that hopped
out as soon as the nest was touched. Out of the five at Delhi I
managed to get six eggs; three of the nests when found being
empty, were afterwards deserted by the bhds. Of the two nests
with eggs, one contained four and the other two. The nests are
tiny little cups, made of very fine grass, and coated externally
with cobwebs, to which are attached bits of bark and dry leaves.
The eggs are a greenish stone-colour, thickly speckled with light
purple and brownish red. The earliest nest t have found was on
the 21st March, on the banks of the canal at Delhi, so that the
bird occasionally, at Delhi at least, lays in spring. The average
of eggs I have is 0*68 in length, and 0*55 in breadth.”

Colonel E. A. Butler furnishes us with the following interesting
note :—‘‘ Found a nest at Belgaum, containing two fresh eggs, on
the 3rd September, 1879. It was situated in the fork of one of
the small outer top branches of a tall mango-tree, and was on the
whole about the prettiest nest I have seen in India. It consisted
of a tiny cup about 1| X 2 inches measured interiorly, and 1| x 24
inches exteriorly. Depth inside 1 inch, outside 1^ inches from
rim to proper base, excluding about an inch of lichen continued
down one side of the bough below the fork in which the nest was
built. It was composed, so far as I could judge after a very
minute examination, almost entirely of the white lichen which
grows so freely on the bark of every tree during the rains, with a

342

LANIIDu^l.

few cobAvebs incorporated and wound round the outside to keep it
together, assimilating so perfectly with the branch, upon which it
was placed, which was also overgrown with the same kind of lichen,
that without v^atching the old birds closely it never could have
been discovered.

“ It contained no regular lining, though a feAv coarse dry leaf-
stems of a dark colour were encircled within. 1 observed the birds
building first on the 21st August, and the nest from below looked
then almost finished. The cock and hen worked together, flying
to and fro very busily with bits of lichen picked off the branches
of another tree adjoining. On the 25th I watched the nest for
some time, but the birds only came to it once, and then the hen
bird went on and smeared some cobwebs round the outside, at
least that is what she seemed to me to be doing. On the 28th I
watched it again, and although both birds were in the adjoining
tree, I did not see them go to the nest. On the 31st, about
10 A.M., 1 found the hen on the nest, and she remained on till
about 10.80, when she flew off and joined the cock, who was
sitting pluming himself on a branch of the next tree the whole
time she was on the nest. Immediately she joined him, he com¬
menced catching flies and feeding her, as if she were a young
bird, and eventually they both flew away together. Arriving at
the conclusion that she only went on the nest to lay, I decided on
taking the nest three days later, and accordingly returned for
that purpose with a small boy on the 3rd Sept., and found, as I
expected, the hen silting and the cock in another tree close by.

“ I sent the boy up the tree, and as he approached the nest,
which was some 30 or 35 feet from the ground, the hen bird
became very uneasy, moving her head from side to side, and
looking down to see what was going on below. When the boy
was within about 10 feet of the nest she flew off and joined the
cock, after which I saw her no more. The eggs were then secured
with difficulty, as the branches surrounding the nest were very
thin and blown about a good deal by the wind.

“After breaking off the bough, nest and all, the boy descended.
One branch of the fork in which the nest was placed was rotten,
and broke off at the junction at the base of the nest as the boy
was descending the tree ; but the nest, which was firmly bound to
it with cobwebs, remained in its place and was not injured, and I
had the nest and bough beautifully painted for me by a lady friend
the same day. The eggs were pale bluish green, speckled and
spotted, most densely at the large end, with two shades of dusky
purple, the markings of the lighter shade appearing to underlie
those of the darker. On the 6th Sept., the same pair of birds
commenced a new nest on another mango-tree about 20 yards off.
This time it was placed in a fork of one of the small outside lateral
branches about 25 feet from the ground, and resembled in every
respect the first nest. On the 15th Sept., the hen bird began to
sit, aud on the 18th I sent a boy up the tree by means of a ladder,
and secured two more fresh eggs, similar to those already described.

PERTCROCOTUS.

343

On this occasion the two old birds evinced signs of the greatest
anxiety, the hen remaining on the nest till the boy was close to
her, and, joined by the cock immediate!}" she left it, the pair kept
dying from bough to bough in the greatest possible state of excite¬
ment the whole time the nest was being taken, the hen actually
once or twice going on to the nest again after she had left it, when
the boy was within 3 feet of her. On examining the nest I found
that one of the branches of the fork consisted of a small rotten
stump, similar to the one described in the first nest, and in the
bottom of both nests there wer(‘ three or four small black downy
feathers, intermingled with the dead L. af-stoms that constituted
the lining.”

In his recent “ Xotes on Birds’-nesting in Eajpootana,” Lieiit-
H. E. Barnes writes, Ihie Small Minivet biH‘eds during July and
August.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes:—‘‘You say that tlu^ Small
Miuivet lays during the latter half of June and throughout July
and August. I would tluTcfore rtanark that on the 11th Novcuu-
ber, 1871, I saw several iiewly-tledged young ones at Pocuia.
There could be no mistake about this, as 1 stood under the tree,
which was a small one, and saw the young ones being fed/’

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden i*emark that in the Deccan it is
“common, and breeds in the rains.”

The latter gentleman subsequently added the following note:—

“ In July, my men found a nest with tw’o eggs at Nulwar, Deccan.
It was built on a small branch of a tamarind-tree, :20 feet from the
ground. The nest is similar to that described in the ‘ Bough Draft ’
as being found at Allyghur. The whole of the bark used on the
outer coating is that of tamarind-tree, and tliere are a good many
feathers and much down incorporated into the. structure, inside and
out. The eggs differ considerably in colouring. In both the
ground-colour is greenish white. One is profusely speckled all
over, but more thickly at the smaller end, with brou’nish red and a
few purple blotches, whilst the other egg has the specks less
numerous but larger, and chiefly on the larger end, with little^ or
no purple, and the small end almost unsuHLed.”

Finally, Mr. Oates records that “ in Lower Pegu nests of this
bird may be found from the end of April to fho middle of June.”

The eggs are of a rather broad oval shapi‘, and, as is often the
case even in the typical Shrikes, very blunt at both ends. The
ground-colour is a pale delicate greenish \vhit(‘, and they more
or less richly marked with bright, slightly bro\viiish-i\‘d s]}eck's,
spots, and blotches, whicli, always more nuimu'ous at thi‘ largtHMid,
have a tendency there to form a mottled ii-regular cap. In many
eggs, besides these primary markings, a number of small faint
patches and blotches of pale inky purple arc observable', almost
exclusively at the large end. The (‘ggs ap])ear to ([iiite d('Yoid
of gloss. I have eggs both of Copsi/chus adularh and Tlianinohitt
camhaiensis^ strange as it may seem, closely n'seinbling, except in
size, some types of this bird’s egg; and I have one egg of Menda

344

LANIIDJE.

simillima from the Nilghiris, which, though immensely larger, so
far as tint, colour, and character of ground and markings go, is
positively identical with eggs that I have of this species.

In length the eggs vary from 0*6 to 0*7 inch, and in breadth
from 0*5 to 0*56 inch, but the average of twenty-eight eggs is 0*67
nearly by 0*53 inch.

501. Pericrocotus erythropygius (Jerd.). The White-lellied

Minivet.

Pericrocotus erythropygius (Jercl^^ Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 424; llume^
Cat. no. 277. ,

Mr. J. Davidson, O.S., is apparently the only ornithologist who
has discovered the nest of the Whitehellied Minivet. Writing on
the 25th August, from Khandeish, he says :—“ Yesterday I took
two nests of Pericrocotus erythropyrfms. Both nests were like those
of P. peregrinus, and were placed about 2| feet from the ground
in a fork of a straggling thorn-bush among thin scrub-jungle.
One contained 3 young birds, and one 3 hard-set eggs. T watched
the nest, and found the cock sitting on the eggs, and watched him
for a minute, so there is no possibility of mistake; but the eggs are
not the least what I expected. They are fairly glossy, one being
very much elongated, of a greenish-grey ground, with long longi¬
tudinal dashes of dark brown, as unlike Minivets’ eggs as they can
possibly be. They were the only two pairs I saw in a long morning
walk, and the nests were easily found by watching the birds. 1
wish I had knowm the birds were breeding where they were, as by
going three weeks ago I should probably have found many nests,
as there are miles and miles of similar jungle, and it is barely 12
miles from Dhulia. It is veiy provoking. I have had great
trouble trying to make the Bhils work for me. They will bring in
eggs but not mark them down.’’

Later on, Mr. Davidson wrote:—‘‘ I happened to be staying a few
days at Arvee, in the extreme south of Dhulia, and found this bird
breeding there in considerable numbers. This was in the end of
August (26th to 31st), and I was rather late, most of the nests con¬
taining young, and in some cases the young were able to fly. I,
however, fouud eight nests with eggs (most of them hard-set). All
the nests, which are small and less ornamented than those of P. pere-
grimis, were placed from 3 to 4 feet from the ground, in a small
common thorny scrub. They were all placed in low thin jungle,
and never where the jungle was thick and difficult to walkthrough.
A great deal of the jungle round Arvee is full of anjan-trees, but
none of the birds seem to breed in these.’'

The nests are elegant little cups, reminding one of those of Bhipi--
dura alhifrontata., measuring internally about 1*75 inch in diameter
and 1 inch in depth, the thickness of the walls of the nest being
usually somewhat less than a quarter of an inch. Interiorly the
nest is composed of excessively fine flowering-stems of grasses, and
externally and on the upper edge it is densely coated with fine,

OAMPOPHA.GA.

345

rather silky greyish-white vegetable fibres, in places more or less
felted together. It is not ornamented externally with moss and
lichen, as those of so many of the Pericrocoti commonly are, only
occasionally one or two little ornamental brown patches of withered
glossy vegetable scales are worked into the exterior of the nest.

The eggs are not at all like those of the other Periorocoti with
which we are best acquainted; though less densely, and even more
streakily marked, they most remind me of the egg of Volvocivorci,
and in a lesser degree of that of Hemi^uspicatus.

The eggs vary in shape from rather broad to rather elongated
ovals. The shell is very fine and smooth, but has scarcely any
perceptible gloss. The ground-colour is greenish or greyish white,
and they are profusely marked with comparatively fine longitudinal
streaks of a moderately'dark brown, which in some lines is more
of a chocolate, in others perhaps more umber. At both ends of
the egg, but especially the smaller end, the markings often become
spotty or speckly, but the fine longitudinal streaking of the sides
of the egg is very conspicuous.

In size the eggs vary from 0 69 to 0*71 in length, by 0*51 to
0-58 in breadth. I have measured too few eggs to be able to
give a reliable average.

505. Campophaga melanoscMsta (Hodgs.). The Darh-grey
OucJcoo-Shnke.

Volvocivora melaschistos, ITodgs., Jerd, B. Inch i, p. 415: Ilnme^
Rough Draft iV. E. no. 269.

I have never found the nest of the Dark-grey Cuckoo-Shrike.
Captain Hutton tells us :—

“ This, too, is a mere summer visitor in the hills, arriving up to
7000 feet about the end of March, and breeding early in May.
The nest is small and shallow, placed in the bifurcation of a hori¬
zontal bough of some tall oak tree, and always high up ; it is
composed e.xternally almost entirely of grey lichens picked from
the tree, and lined with bits of very fine roots or thin stalks of
leaves. Seen from beneath the tree the nest appears like a bunch
of moss or lichens, and the smallness and frailty would lead one
to suppose it incapable of holding two young birds of such size.
Externally the nest is compactly held together by being thickly
pasted over with cobw^ebs. The eggs, tw^o in number, of a dull
grey-green, closely and in part confluentiy dashed with streaks of
dusky brown.”

This species, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes and drawings,
breeds in Hepal in the central districts of the hills from April to
July, laying three or four eggs. The nest is a broad shallow
saucer, some 4 inches in external diameter and 1*75 inch in height;
it is placed in a fork wEere two or three slender branches divide,
to one or more of which it is firmly bound with vegetable fibres
and grass-roots, and is composed of fine roots and vegetable fibres.

346

LANIIDJE,

and plastered over externally with pieces of lichen and moss. The
eggs are regular ovals, with a pale-greenish ground, blotched and
spotted with a somewhat olivaceous brown.

A nest of this species found at Mongphoo (elevation. 5500 feet)
on the 15th June contained three eggs nearly ready to hatch off.
The nest was placed on a nearly horizontal fork of a small branch.
It is composed of very fine twigs loosely twisted together and
coated everywhere exteriorly with cobwebs and scraps of grey
lichen. At the lower part, which, owing to the slope of the
branch, had to be thicker, it is exteriorly about an inch and a half
in height. At the upper end it is only about half an inch high.
The shallow saucer-like cavity is about two and a half inches in
diameter and about half an inch in depth.

The eggs of this species, sent me by Captain Hutton from
Mussoorie, much resemble those of Graucalus macii and C, syJcesi,
but they are decidedly longer than the latter, and the general
tone of their colouring is somewhat duller. In shape they are
somewhat elongated ovals, more or less compressed towards one
end; the general colour is greenish white, very thickly blotched
and streaked with dull brown and very pale piu'ple. The mark¬
ings are very closely set, leaving but little of the ground-colour
visible. They have little or no gloss.

They measure 1*03 by 0*72 inch, and 0*95 by 0*68 inch.

Other eggs that I have since obtained have been quite similar,
but have not had the markings quite so densely set: the secondary
markings have been greyer and less purple, and several eggs have
exhibited an appreciable gloss; others, again, were quite like those
first described and entirely devoid of gloss. They measured 0*9 to
0*98 in length by 0*65 to 0*71 in breadth.

508. Campophaga sykesi (Strickl.). The Blade-headed Cudcoo-

Shrilce.

Volvocivora sykesii (Strickl), Jerd. B. Bid. i, p. 414; Hume, Rovqk
Draft JSr. ^ B. no. 268.

Mr. E. E. Blewitt took the eggs of Sykes's Cuckoo-Shrike many
years ago. He furnishes the following note :—

“ I first met with this bird in the southern part of Bundlekund.
Nowhere here is it common, and I have never seen more than a
pair together. It is to be found in wooded tracts of country, but
more frequently among thin large trees surrounding villages. Hr.
Jerdon has correctly described its restless habits, and its careful
examination of the foliage and branches of trees for food. It is
usually a silent bird, but during the earlier portion of the breeding-
season the male bird may frequently be heard repeating for minutes
together his clear plaintive notes. Each time, as it flies from one
tree to another, the song is repeated. The flight is easy, slightly
undujating, and the strokes of the wing somewhat rapid. In the
latter end of July I procured one nest. It was found on a mowa-

CAMPOPHAGA.

347

tree {Basda latifolia), placed on and at the end of two small out-
shooting branches. When my man, mounting the tree, approached
the nest the parent birds evinced the greatest anxiety, hew just
above his head, uttering all the while a sharply repeated cry.
Even when one of the birds was shot the other would not leave
the spot, but remained hovering about and uttering its shrill cry.
The nest is slightly made, and constructed of thin twigs and roots;
the exterior is covered slightly with spider’s web. If we except
the size, the formation of this Cuckoo-Shrike’s nest is almost
identical with that of Oraucalus macii, I secured two eggs in the
nest. In colour they are, when fresh, of a deepish green, mottled
with dark brown spots; indeed the eggs, when first taken, a good
deal resemble those of Copsychussaularis. The maximum number
of eggs, no doubt, is three, as those I secured were fresh-laid.
The bird breeds from June to August.”

The nest above referred to, and now in niy museum, was a very
shallow, rather broad cup. The egg-cavity about 2^ inches in
diameter and about | inch deep, and tlie nest very loosely put
togetlier of very fine twigs, and exteriorly coaled and bound together
with cobwebs. The sides of the nest are about 0*6 inch thick, but
the bottom is a mere network of slender twigs, not above I inch
thick, and can be readily looked through.

Mr. I. Macpherson writes :—“ This bird is found in the open
scrub-forests of the Mysore district, but is nowhere common.

14th May, ISSO.—While passing a small sandal-wood tree a
bird flew out, and on looking into the tree I found a very shallow
nest at the junction of tw’o small branches about 10 feet from the
ground; the nest contained three eggs.

“ Eeturned again in a quarter of an hour and shot the bird (the
male) as it flew out of the tree. The eggs were within a few clays
of being hatched off.

“ 20th May, 1880.—While out driving this morning saw a male
bird of this species fly out of a small sandal-wood tree close to the
roadside. Pulled up to watch, and shortly saw the female bird
fly into the tree. Got out and shot her and took the nest, w'hich
was beautifully fixed in a fork with three branches only eight feet
from the ground.

“ The nest contained three eggs very hard-set.”

Mr. J. Davidson, C.S., remarks:—“This pretty little Cuckoo-
Shrike is one of the earliest migrants in the rains, arriving about
the 8th of June, and breeding all along the scrub-jungles which
stretch between the Nasik and Khaudeisb Collect orates. It appears
particularly partial 1o the Angan forest, and, as far as I remember,
all the many nests I have seen have been in forks of angan trees.
The nest is a pretty firm platform composed of fine roots; and
the eggs, which much resemble those of the Magpie-Kobin, are
three in number.”

Colonel Legge writes, in his ‘ Birds of Ceylon ’:—“ With us
this Ouckoo-Shrilce breeds in April in the Western Province.
Mr. MacVicar writes me of the discovery, by himself, of two nests

348

LAKIIB^.

last year near Colombo. One was built on the topmost branch of
a young jack-tree about 40 feet high. It was very small and
shallow, measuring 2*8 inches in breadth and only 0*8 inch in
depth, and the old bird could be seen plainly from beneath sitting
across it. The other was situated on the top of a tree about
20 feet from .the ground, and was built in the same manner. The
materials are not mentioned.”

I have only seen two eggs of this species, sent me with the nest
and parent bird by Mr. P. E. Blewitt. They are oval eggs,
moderately broad and obtuse at both ends, about the same size as
average eggs of Lanins vittatus. They are slightly glossy, have a
pale greenish-white ground, and are thickly blotched and streaked
throughout, but most densely so towards the large end, with some¬
what pale brown, much the w^ame colour as the markings on typical
eggs of L, erytlironotiLs, They measure 0*85 inch in length by
0*65 and 0*68 inch in breadth respectively. Other eggs since
received from Calcutta and Mysore measure from 0*87 to 0*81 in
length, and from 0*68 to 0*62 in breadth.

509. Campophaga terat (Bodd.)"^. The Pied Ouclcoo-Shrilce.

Lalage terat {Bodd,), Sume^ Cat. no. 269 ter.

The eggs are quite of the Graucaliis and Oampopharja type, but
perhaps a little more elongated in shape. Very regular,* slightly
elongated ovals, with scarcely any gloss on them’ the ground
greenish white, but everywhere thickly streaked and mottled and
freckled over, most thickly about the large end, with a dull pale
slightly olivaceous browm intermingled with brownish, or in some
specimens faintly purplish grey. The tw*o eggs I possess measure
0*85 and 0*87 in length, by 0*61 and 0*62 respectively in breadth.

510. GraiLcalus macii. Lesson. The Large CucLoo-Phrike.

Graucaliis macei, Less., Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 417 ; Hume, Bouqh Draft
N.SfE.jio.m.

My friend Mr. P. E. Blewitt seems to be the only ornithologist
who has taken many nests of the Large Grey Cuckoo-Shrike. I
never wvas so fortunate as to find one. He says :—“ This Shrike
begins to pair about May, and in June the w^rk of nidification
commences. The place selected for the nest is the most lofty
branch of a tree, and is built near the fork of twn outlying twigs.
If this bird has a preference it w’ould appear to be for mango and
mow a trees, on w^hich I found most of the nests. The nest is in
form circular, and its exterior is somewhat thickly made; the

* I cannot find any note among Mr. Hume’s papers regarding the discovery
of the nest of this bird. The nest may possibly have been found at Camorta
(Nicobar Islands), where this specie.s is not uncommon.— Ed.

QEATICALOS.

349

interior is moderately cup-shaped. Thin twigs and grass-roots are
freely used in its construction, while the outer part of the nest is
somewhat thicldy covered with what appears to be spider’s web.
Altogether the nest, considering the size of the birds, is of light
structure. I am sorry I did not take the dimensions of each nesl
secured, but I sent you two very perfect ones. I found the first
eggs in the beginning of July. They are of a dull lightish green,
with brown spots of all sizes, more dense towards the large end.
The maximum number of eggs is three. The bird breeds from
June to August.”

The nests which Mr. Blewitt sent me remind one a good deal
of those of the Dicrurl. They are broad shallow saucers, with an
egg-cavity about 3 inches in diameter, and | inch in depth, com¬
posed in the only two specimens that I possess of very fine twigs,
chiefly those of the furash {Tamcirix orientalis). Exteriorly they
are bound round with cobwebs, in which a quantity of lichen is
incorporated. The nests are loose flimsy fabrics, which but for
the exterior coating of cobwebs would certainly never have borne
removal.

Dr. Jerdon remarks :—I once obtained its nest and eggs. The
nest was built in a lofty casuarina tree, close to my house at
Tellieherry; it was composed of small twigs and roots merely, of mo¬
derate size, and rather deeply cup-shaped, and contained three eggs,
of a greenish-fawn colour, with large blotches of purplish brown.”

Professor H. Littledale writing from Baroda says :—“ The Large
Ouckoo-Shrike is a permanent resident here. I found six nests
last August near Baroda, each with one egg ; and my men found
a nest building in the Police Lines at Khaira on the 10th October.”

Mr. J. Davidson informs us that a pair of Graucalus imidi
were apparently breeding near this place (the Kondabhari Grhat).
Pie found a nest with two young in the previous September near
the same place.”

Mr. Gr. W. Vidal, referring to the South Koiikan, says:—
“ Common; breeds in February and March.”

A nest that was placed in the fork of a bough was composed en¬
tirely of slender twigs, the petioles of some pennated-leaved tree,
bound together all round the outside with abundance of cobwebs, so
that notwithstanding the incoherent nature of the materials the
nest was extremely firm. It is a shallow saucer quite of the
Dicrurine type, with a cavity 3 inches in diameter and barely 0*75
in depth.

The eggs are typically of a somewhat elongated oval, a good deal
pointed towards one end, but some are broader and more of a
typical Sbrilve shape. The eggs are of course considerably larger
than those of Lanim lalitora. The shell is compact and fine, and
faintly glossy. The ground-colour is a palish-green stone-colour,
greener in some, and somewhat more creamy in others. The mark¬
ings are very Shrike-like, and consist of brown blotches, streaks, and
spots, with numerous clouds and blotches of pale inky-purple, which
appear to underlie the brown markings. The markings in some

350

LA]SriIDJE.

eggs are all very faint, and, as it were, half washed out, while in
others they are very bright and clear. In some these are com¬
paratively sparse and few ; in others close-set and numerous,
especially in a broad zone near the large end ; but this zone is by
no means invariably present; in fact, not above one in five eggs
exhibit it. There is something in these eggs which reminds one
oi some of the Terns’ eggs ; and although, when compared with a
large series of L. lahtora, individuals of this la'ter species may be
found resembling them to a certain extent, I do not think that at
first sight any zoologist would have felt sure that they were Shrike’s
eggs.

They vary in length from 1*12 to 1-41 inch, and in breadth from
0*8 to 0*95 inch, but the average of eight eggs is 1*26 by 0*9 inch
nearly.

Subfamily ARTAMIN^.

512. Artamus fuscus, Yieill. The Ashy Sivallow-Shrihe.

Artainus fascua, V., Jerd. B. hid. i, p. 441 ; KumCy Bough Draft
N. no. 287.

Mr. E. Thompson says:—I have frequently found the nests
of the Ashy Swallow-Shrike, and have watched the old birds con¬
structing them, but never took dowi; their eggs. Two or three
pairs may always be found nesting on the long-leaved pine, as one
comes up from Kaladoongee to Nyneetal and passes halfway up
from the first dak chokee at Grhutgurh. They lay in May and
June, constructing their nest on the horizontal extension of a main
branch of some lofty tree, generally Pinus longifolia. The nest,
composed of fine grasses, roots, and fibres, is a loose, only slightly
cup-shaped structure, some 5 inches in diameter.”

T)r. Jerdon says on the other hand:—“ I have procured the
nest of this bird situated on a palmyra tree on the stem of tlie
leap. It was a deep cup-shaped nest, made of grass, leaves, and
numerous feathers, and contained two eggs, white with a greenish
tinge, and with light brown spots, chiefly at the larger end. I see
that Mr. Layard procured the nest in Ceylon, where this bird is
common, in the heads of cocoanut trees, made of fibres and grasses,
and it was probably the nest of this bird that was brought to
Ticlveli as that of the Palm-Swift.”

According to Mr. Hodgson this species begins to lay in March,
the young being fledged in June; the nest is a broad shallow
saucer, from 6 to S inches in diameter, composed of grass and
roots, together with a little lichen, loosely put together, a green
leaf or two being sometimes found as a lining to the nest. The
nest is placed on some broad horizontal branch, where two or three
slender twigs or shoots grow out of it, or on the top of some stamp
of a tree, or broken end of a branch, generally, at a considerable

ABTAMirS.

351

height from the ground. The eggs are figured as white, spotted
and blotclied almost exclusively at the large eiid with yellowish
brown, and measuring 0*8 by 0*52 inch, but no actual measurements
are recorded.

Mr. G-ammie, however, himself found, and kindly sent me, a
nest and eggs of this species, at Mongpho near Darjeeling, at an
elevation of about 3500 feet, on the 13th May, 1873. It was
placed in the hole of a trunk of a dead tree at a height of about
40 feet from the ground, and it contained three hard-set eggs.
The nest was a loose shallow saucer of coarse roots devoid of lining.
The eggs were rather narrow ovals, a good deal pointed towards
one end; the shell fine and with a slight gloss. The ground-colour
v^’awS creamy white, and the markings, which are almost entirely
confined to a broad ring round the large end and the space within
it, consisted of spots and clouds of very pale yellowish brown, in¬
termingled with clouds and specks of excessively pale, nearly washed
out, lilac.

He subsequently furnished me with the following note from
Sikhim :—“ In the hills this bird is migratory, coming about the
last week in February and leaAing in the last week of October. It
is exceedingly abundant on the outer ridges running in from the
Teesta Valley, and most numerous about the elevation of 3000 feet,
but stragglers get up as high as 5000 feet. It prefers dry ridges on
which there are a few scattered tall trees, from the tops of which it
can make short flights, over the open country, after insectvs. It
goes very little abroad in the height of the day, and feeds principally
in the evenings. It rarely keeps on the ing for more than a
minute or two at a time, but occasionally will fly for ten minutes
on end. It is quite as bold and persevering in its habit of attacking
and driving off haw'ks and kites as tlie king-crow. Towards the
end of September it begins to congregate in rows along dead branches
in the tops of trees.

“ It begins to lay in Apidl and, I think, has only one brood in the
year. It builds in holes of trees, on surfaces of large horizontal
branches 30 or 40 feet up, or in depressions in ends of lofty stumps.
The nest is a shallow saucer, made entirely of light-coloured I'oots
and twigs loosely put together. The usual number of eggs appears
to be three.’’

Mr. J. E,. Cripps informs us that at Furreedpore in Eastern
Bengal this species is “ common, and a permanent resident, very
partial to perching on the tips of bamboos, and I have seen as
many as 13 sitting side by side on a bamboo tip. I took seven
nests this season, all from date-trees {Phcenicc sylvestris\ which
trees are very common in the district. The nest is generally
built at the junction of the leaf-stem and the trunk of the tree,
though in two instances the nest was placed on a ledge from which
all leaves had been removed to enable the tree to be tapped for its
juice. In every instance the nest was exposed, and if any bird, even
a hawk, came near, these courageous little fellows would drive it
off. My nests were found from the 5th April to 6th June ; shallow

352

LANIIDiE.

saucers made of due twigs and grasses with a lining of the same,
and contained two to four eggs in each. Height of nest from
ground about 12 to 15 feet. On the 17th April I took two fresh
eggs from a nest, and the birds laying again, I, on the Sth May,
again took three fresh eggs. When on the wing they utter their
note, generally returning to the same perch

And he adds :—

“ 16f/i ApriZjlSTS.—Took two perfectly fresh eggs from anest built
on a date-tree. The date-trees in this district are tapped annually
for the juice, from which sugar is inauufactured. The leaves and
the bark for a depth of 3 inches are sliced away from one half of
the trunk, the leaves on the other half remaining, and at the root
of one of these the nest was built, wedged in between the trunk
and the leaves; the external diameter was inches, depth 3 inches,
thickness of sides ot nest | inch ; a rather shallow cup, composed
exclusively of fine grasses with no attempt at a lining.

‘‘ Vjtli Ainil^ 1878.— Secured two fresh eggs from another nest
on a date-tree. In size and shape they were similar and the
materials were the same grasses with no lining. The trees these
nests were on formed a small clump alongside a ryot’s house.
People w’ere passing under them all day, but the birds never noticed
them. Any bird, from a Kite to a Bulbul, coming near received a
warm welcome. The nests are at all times exposed, and the natives
believe that two males and one female are found occupying one
nest. The birds being gregarious build on adjoining trees, and
while the ladies are engaged with their domestic a:ffairs their lords
keep each other company, so the natives put them down as poly-
androus. I have found over a dozen nests, and every one has been
the ('ounterpart of the other, and only on dole-trees.”

Miss Cockburn writes from the INhlghiris :—‘‘ On the 17th May,
1873, a nest of this bird wns found. It was formed in a perpen¬
dicular hole in a dried stump of a tree, about 15 feet in lieight.
The nest consisted entirely of slight sticks lined w ith fine grass, no
soft material being added as a finish, and the whole structure
went to pieces when removed. This nest contained three
eggs, their colour white, with a few^ dark and light browui spots
and blotches all over, and a strongly marked ring round the thick
end.

“The birds frequently returned to the place while the eggs were
being taken, till one of them w-as shot.”

Mr. J. Davidson remarks :—“ This bird is very local in the Tuin-
kur districts in Mysore, and I liave only found it in three or four
gardens. 1 knew^ it had been breeding (from dissection) since March,
but till to-day (May 9th) I could not find its nest. To-day, howwer,
I saw four or five birds perpetually flying round and round a very
ragged old cocoanut-tree, the highest in that part of the garden,
and determined to send a man up. Tw’o birds, how^ever, at that
moment lit on one branch and I shot them both, and they proved
to be fully-fledged young ones. I sent the man up, however, and
w^as rew^arded by his announcing two old nests and a new^ one con-

ABTAMTJS.

353

taining one egg. The nests were near the trunk of the tree on the
horizontal leaves, and were formed of thin roots and a little grass
and were veiy slight. The egg, which is large for the size of the
bird, is creamy white, with a broad ring round the larger end
formed of blotches of orange, brown, and purple, and in the cap
within the ring there are a number of faint purple spots. The
egg was perfectly fresh, and the old birds defended it by swooping
down upon the man; and I can’t help thinking that both the young
birds and the new nest belonged to one pair of birds, and that as
soon as their first brood was fledged they had commenced to lay
again.”

A nest taken by Mr. Gammie on the 24th April, at an eleva¬
tion of about 3500 feet in Sikhim, was placed on a dead horizontal
limb near the top of a large tree. It contained four eggs slightly
set; it is a somewhat shallow cup, interiorly 3 inches in diameter
by nearly in depth, and composed almost entirely of fine roots,
pretty firmly interwoven. It has no lining, but at the bottom
exteriorly it is coated partially with a sort of plaster, composed
apparently of strips of bark and vegetable fibre partially cemented
together in some way.

The egg sent me by Miss Cockburn is of quite the same type
as those found by Mr. Gammie, but it is a trifle longer, measuring
1*0 by 0*7, and the colouring is much brighter. The ground
is a sort of creamy white. There is a strongly marked though
irregular zone round the large end of more or less confluent
brownish rusty patches (amongst which a few pale grey spots may
be detected), and a good many spots and small blotches of the same
are scattered about the whole of the rest of the surface of the egg.

Numerous eggs subsequently obtained by Mr. Gammie correspond
well with those already descifibed as procured by himself and Miss
Cockburn.

In length the eggs vary from 0*82 to 1*0, and in breadth from
0*6 to 0*72, but the average is 0*94 by 0*68.

513, Artamus leucogaster (Yalenc.). Tli& White-rumped
SiuallowShrike,

Artamus leucorhynchus (Gm.), Hume, Rough Draft N, §* £,
no. 287 bis.

The White-rumped Swallow-Shrike breeds, we know, in the
Andamans and Great Cocos, and that is nearly all we do know.
Mr. Davison says :—‘‘ On the 2nd of May I saw a bird of this
species fly into a hollow at the top of a rotten mangrove stump
about 20 feet high. The next day I went, but did not like to
climb the stump, as it appeared unsafe, so I determined to cut it
down, and after giving about six strokes that made the stump
shake from end to end, the bird flew out. I made sure that as the
bird sat so close the nest must contain eggs, so I ceased cutting
and managed to get a very light native, who voluntered to climb
it; but on his reaching the top, he found, to my astonishment,
. WOL. I. 23

354

ORIOLIDJS.

that the nest, although apparently finished, was empty. The nest
was built entirely of grass, somewhat coarse on the exterior, finer
on the inside; it was a shallow saucer-shaped structure, and was
placed in a hollow at the top of the stump.’’

Family ORIOLIDJE.

518. Oriolus knndoo, Sykes. The Indian Oriole.

Oriolus kundoo, Sykes^ J&'d. B. Ind. ii, p. 107 ] Ilume^ Rough Draft
N. c5* B. no. 470.

The Indian Oriole breeds from May to August (the great
majority, however, laying in June and July) almost throughout
the plains country of India and in the lower ranges of the Hima¬
layas to an elevation of 4000 feet. In Southern and Eastern
Bengal it only, so far as I know, occurs as a straggler during the
cold season, and I have no information of its breeding there. It
does not apparently ascend the Mlghiris, and throughout the
southern portion of the peninsula it breeds very sparingly, if at
all; indeed, it is just at the commencement of the breeding-season,
when the mangoes are ripening, that Upper India is suddenly
visited by vast numbers of this species migrating from the south.

The nest is placed on some large tree, I do not think the bird
has any special preference, and is a moderately deep purse or
pocket, suspended between some slender fork towards the ex¬
tremity of one of the higher boughs. From below it looks like a
round ball of grass wedged into the fork, and the sitting bird is com¬
pletely hidden within it; but when in the hand it proves to be a
most beautifully woven purse, shallower or deeper as the case may
be, hung from the fork of t'wo twigs, made of fine grass and slender
strips of some tenacious bark and bound round and round the
twigs, and secured to them much as a prawn-net is to its w-ooden
framework. Some nests contain no extraneous matters, but
others have all kinds of odds and ends—scraps of newspaper or
cloth, shavings, rags, snake-skins, thread, &c.—interwoven in the
exterior. The interior is always neatly lined with fine grass-
stems.

Yery commonly the bird so selects the site for its nest that
the leaves of the twigs it uses as a framework form more or less
of a shady canopy overhead; in fact, as a rule, it is from very few
points of view that even a passing bird of prey can catch sight of
the female on her eggs. Possibly the brilliant plumage of the
bird (which has endowed it amongst the natives with the name of
Peelulc^ or “ The Yellow One ”) may have had something to do
with the concealment it so generally affects.

The nests vary a good deal in size. I have seen one with an

omoLirs.

355

internal cavitj 3| inches in diameter and over deep. I have
seen others scarcely over 2| inches in diameter and not 2 in depth,
wliich you could have put bodily, twigs and all, inside the former.
As a rule, the purse is strong and compact, the material closely
matted and firmly bound together; but I have seen very flimsy
structures, through which it was quite possible to see the eggs.

Tour is the greatest number of eggs I have ever found in one
nest, but it is quite common to fibid only three well-incubated
ones.

Colonel C. H. T. Marshall reports having found several nests
of this species about Murree at low elevations.

Mr. W. Blewitt tells me that he obtained two nests near Hansie
on the 1st and 14th July respectively. The nests (which he kindly
sent) were of the usual type, and were placed, the one on an
acacia, the other on a loquat tree, at heights of 10 and 12 feet
from the ground. Each contained three eggs, the one clutch much
incubated, the other perfectly fresh.

Er. Scully writes :—‘‘ The Indian Oriole is a seasonal visitant to
the valley of INepal, arriving about the 1st of April and departing
in August. It frequents some of the central woods, gardens,
and groves, and breeds in May and June.’’

Colonel J. Biddulph remarks regarding the nidification of this
Oriole in Gilgit:—“ A summer visitant and common. Appears
about the 1st of May. Nest with three eggs hard-set, taken 8th of
June; several other nests taken later on.”

Writing from near Eohtuk, Mr. F. E. Blewitt says:—“ The
breeding-season is from the middle of May to July. The nest is
made on large trees, and always suspended between the fork of a
branch. I have certainly obtained more nests from the tamarind
than any other kind of tree.

‘‘The nest is cup-shaped, light, neat, and compact. The ave¬
rage outer diameter is 4*8 inches ; the inner or cup-cavity about 3*6.
Hemp-like fibre is almost exclusively used in the exterior structure
of the nest, and by this it is firmly secured to the two limbs of the
fork. Cleverly indeed is this work performed, the hemp being
well wrapped round the stems and then brought again into the
outer framework. Occasionally bits of cloth, thread pieces,
vegetable fibres, <fcc. are introduced. On one occasion I got a
nest with a cast-off snake-skin neatly worked into the outer
material.

“ The lining of the egg-cavity is simply fine grass, if we except
the occasional capricious addition of a feather or two, an odd piece
of cotton or rag, &c. Three appears to be the regular number of
eggs. This bird is to be found in small numbers all over the
country here ; its habits are well described by Jerdon. It is, as I
have observed, hard to please in its choice of a nest site. I have
watched it for days going backwards and forwards, from tree to
tree and from fork to fork, before it made up its mind where to
commence work.”

23^

356

ORIOLIDJE.

Capt. Hutton record>s that “ this is a common bird in the Dhoon,
and arrives at Jerripanee, elevation 4500 feet, in the summer
months to breed. Its beautiful cradle-like nest was taken in the
Hboon on the 29th of Maj, at which time it contained three
pure white eggs, sparingly sprinkled over with variously sized spots
of deep purplish-brown, giving the egg the appearance of having
been splashed with dark mud. The spots are chiefly at the larger
end, but there is no indication of a ring. The nest is a slight,
somewhat cup-shaped cradle, rather longer than 'wide, and is so
placed, between the fork of a thin branch, as to be suspended be¬
tween the limbs by having the materials of the two sides bound
round them. It is composed of fine dry grasses, both blade and
stalk, intermixed with silky and cottony seed-down, especially at
that part where the materials are wound round the two supporting
twigs; and in the specimen before me there are several small
silky cocoons of a diminutive Bomhyx attached to the outside, the
silk of which has been interwoven with the fibres of the external
nest. It is so slightly constructed as to be seen through, and
it appears quite surprising that so large a bird, to say nothing of
the weight of the three or four young ones, does not entirely
destroy it.^’

Prom Puttehgurh, the late Mr. il. Anderson remarked:—“ The
nest and eggs of this bird so closely resemble those of its European
congener (0. galhula) that little or no description is necessary.
The Mango-bird lays throughout the rains, July being the principal
month. One very beautifully constructed nest was taken by me on
the 9th July, 1872, containing four eggs, which, according to my
experience, is in excess of the number usually laid. I have fre¬
quently taken only a pair of well-incubated eggs.

“ Two of the four eggs above alluded to were quite fresh, while
the other two were tolerably well incubated. The nest is fitted
outwardly with tow, which I have never before seen. One of the
pieces of cloth used in the construction of this nest was 6 inches
long.”

“ At Lucknow,” writes Mr. E. M. Adam, “ I found this species
on the 20th May building a nest in a neem-tree, and on the 24th
I took two eggs from the nest. On the 10th June I saw another
pair, only making love, so they probably did not lay till the end of
that month.”

Dr. Jerdon notes that he “ procured a nest at Saugor from a
high branch of a banian tree in cantonments. It was situated
between the forks of a branch, made of flne roots and grass, with
some hair and a feather or two internally, and suspeiided by a long
roll of cloth about three quarters of an inch wide, which it must
have pilfered from a neighbouring veimidah where a tailor worked.
This strip was wound round each limb of the fork, then passed
round the nest beneath, fixed to the other limb, and again brought
round the nest to the opposite side; there v^ere four or five of
these supports on either side. It was indeed a most curious nest.

oRioiitrs.

357

and so securely fixed that it could not have been removed till the
supporting bands had been cut or rotted away. The eggs were
white, with a few dark claret-coloured spots.’^

Major Wardlaw Ramsay says, writing from Afghanistan :—“At
Shalofyan, in the Kurrum valley, in June, I found them in great
numbers : some were breeding; but as I saw quite young birds, it
is probable that the nesting-season was nearly over.’’

Colonel Butler contributes the following note:—“ The Indian
Oriole breeds in the neighbourhood of Deesa in the months of
May, June, and July. I took nests on the following dates :—
24th May, 1876. A nest containing 1 fresh egg.

29th „ ,, „ „ 3 fresh eggs.

“12th June ,, ,, „ 2 much incubated eggs.

“ 12th „ „ „ ,, 3 fresh eggs.

“13th „ „ „ „ 2 „

“ 19th „ „ „ „ 3

“29th „ „ „ „ 2

“29th „ „ „ „ 2

“29th „ „ „ ^, 3

“3rd July „ „ „ 2 „

“ 6th „ „ „ „ 3

“30th „ „ „ „ 2

“The nest found on the 24th May was suspended from a
small fork of a neem-tree about ten feet from the ground, and was
very neatly built of dry grass (fine interiorly, coarse exteriorly),
old rags, and cotton (woven, not raw). The rim was firmly bound
to the branches of the fork with rags and coarse blades of dry
grass. It is an easy nest to find when the birds are building, as
both birds are always together and keep constantly fiying to and
from the nest with materials for building. The cock, as before
mentioned, always accompanies the hen to and from the nest
whilst she is building; but I do not think he assists in its construc¬
tion, as I never saw him carrying any of the materials, neither have
I ever seen him on the nest. On the contrary, whilst the hen is
at the nest building he is generally w^aiting for her, either on the
same tree or else on another close by, occasionally uttering his well-
known rich mellow note. On the 29th May I sent a boy up a
tree to examine a nest. The hen bii'd bad been sitting for a week,
and was on the nest when the boy ascended the tree. The cock
bird flew past, and being a brilliant specimen I shot him, thinking
of course that the nest contained a full complement of eggs. To
my astonishment, however, though the hen bird sat very close,
there were no eggs in the nest, and although she returned to it
once- or twice afterwards, she eventually forsook it without laying.
Possibly she may have laid, and that the eggs were destroyed by
Crows. In addition to the materials already mentioned, this nest
was also composed of tow, string, and strips of paper, all neatly
woven into the exterior, and many of the other nests mentioned

358

OBIOLIDJE.

were exactly similar; sometimes I have found pieces of snake-skin
woven into the exterior.

“ On tke 9th of July I observed a pair of Orioles building on a
neem-tree in one of the compounds in Deesa. "When the nest was
nearly finished a gale of wind rose one night and scattered it all
over the bough it was fixed to. The birds at once commenced to
remove it, and in a couple of days carried ofi every particle of it to
another tree about 100 yards ofi, upon which they built anew nest
of the materials they had removed from the other tree. I ascended
the tree on the 17th of July, and found it contained three fresh
eggs.

The eggs are pure white, sparingly spotted with moderately-
sized blackish-looking spots, if washed the spots run. They vary a
good deal in shape and size, some being very perfect ovals, others
greatly elongated, &c.’’

Major C. T. Bingham writes:—“ The Indian Oriole builds at
Allahabad and at Delhi from the beginning of April to the end of
July. In the cold weather this bird seems to migrate more or less,
as but few are seen and none heard during that season. The nests
are built generally at the top of mango-trees and well concealed;
they are constructed of fine grass, beautifully soft, mixed with
strips of plaintain-bark, with which, or with strips of cotton cloth
purloined from somewhere, the nest is usually bound to a fork in
the branch. The egg-cavity is pretty deep, that is to say from
to 3 inches.”

Mr. Greorge Reid records the following note from Lucknow:—
“ The Mango-bird, or Indian Oriole, though a permanent resident,
is never so abundant during the cold weather as it is during the
hot and rainy seasons from about the time the maugo-trees begin
to bloom to the end of September. It frequents gardens, avenues,
mango-topes, and is frequently seen in open country, taking long
flights between trees, principally the banian and other Fid, upon
the berries and buds of which it feeds. I have the following
record of its nests :—

“June 16th. Nest and no eggs (building).

“ July 2nd. 2 eggs (fresh).

“ July 2nd. 1 egg (fresh).

“July 5th. 3 eggs (fresh).

“ July 25th. 3 young (just hatched).

“ August 5th. 2 young (fledged).”

Messrs. Davidson and Wen den, writing of this bird in the
Deccan, say:—“ Common, and breeds in June and July.^^

Colonel A. C. McMaster informs us that he “found several
nests of this bird at Kamptee during June and July; they corre¬
sponded exactly with Jerdon’s admirable description. Has any
writer mentioned that this bird has a faint, but very sweet and
plaintive song, w^hich he continues for a considerable time? I
have only heard it when a family, old and young, w^ere together,
i. e. at the close of the breeding-season.”

OBIOLUS.

359

Lieut. H. E. Biirnes, writing of Eajpootana in general, tells us
that this Oriole breeds during July and August.

Mr. 0. J. W. Taylor, speaking of Manzeerabad in Mysore, says:—
“ Abundant in the plains. Eare in the higher portions of the
district. Breeding in June and July.”

The eggs are typically a moderately elongated oval, tapering a
good deal towards one end, but they vary much in shape as well
as size. Some are pyriform, and some very long aiid cylindrical,
quite the shape of the egg of a Cormorant or Solan Groose, or that
of a Diver. They are always of a pure excessively glossy china-
white, which, when they are fresh and unblown, appears suffused
with a delicate salmon-pink, caused by the partial translucency of
the shell. Well-defined spots and specks, typically black, are more
or less thinly sprinkled over the surface of the egg, chiefly at the
large end. Normally, as I said, the spots are black and sharply
defined, and there are neither blotches nor splashes, but numerous
variations occur. Sometimes, as in an egg sent me by Mr. Nunn,
all the spots are pale yellowish brown. Sometimes, as in an egg
I took at Bareilly, a few spots of this colour are mingled with the
black ones. Deep reddish brown often takes the place of the
typical black, and the spots are not very unfiequently surrounded
by a more or less extensive brownish-pink nimbus, which in one
egg I have is so extensive that the ground-colour of the whole of
the large end appears to be a delicate pink. Occasionally several
of the clear-cut spots appear to run together and form a coarse
irregular blotch, and one egg I possess exhibits on one side a large
splash. The eggs as a body, as might have been expected, closely
resemble those of the Golden Oriole, to which the bird itself is so
nearly related; and as observed by Professor Newton in regard to
the eggs of that species, so in my large series, the prevalence of
greatly elongated examples is remarkable.

The eggs vary in length from 1-03 to 1*32, and from 0*75 to
0*87 in breadth; but the average of fifty eggs measured was ITl
by 0*81.

521. Oriolus melanocephalns (Linn.). The Indian Blade-
headed Oriole,

Oriolus melanocephaliis, Linn., Jei'd. B. Ind. ii, p. 110; Hume,
Rough Draft N. cj* E. no. 472.

Oriolus ceylonensis, BonaiJ., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 111.

I have already noticed (‘ Stray Leathers,’ vol. i, p. 439) how
impossible it is to draw any hard-and-fast line, in practice, between
this the so-called “ Bengal Black-headed Oriole ” and the supposed
distinct southern species, 0. ceylone'nsis, Bp.

The present species certainly breeds in suitable {i. e, well-wooded
and not too bare or arid) localities throughout Northern and
Central India, Assam, and Burma, and I have specimens from
Mahableshwar, from the Nilgiris, and e\en Anjango, that are

360

OEIOlXDiE.

nearer to typical 0. melanoce])lialus ttan to typical 0, ceyloneoisis.
Of its nidification southwai'ds I know nothing. I have only
myself taken its eggs in the neighbourhood of Calcutta.

It appears to lay from April to the end of August. The nest
of this species, though perhaps slightly deeper, is very much like
that of (9. Icundoo ; it is a deep cup, carefully suspended between
tw’o twigs, and is composed chiefly of tow-like vegetable fibres,
thin slips of bark and the like, and is internally lined with very-
fine tamarisk twigs or fine grass, and is externally generally more
or less covered over with odds and ends, bits of lichen, thin flakes
of bark, &c. It is slightly smaller than the average run of the
nests of (9. Icundoo, The egg-cavity measures about 3 inches in
diameter and nearly 2 inches in depth. I myseK have never found
more than three eggs, but I daresay that, like 0. Icundoo^ it may
not unfrequently lay four.

The late Captain Beavan Avrites :—“ A nest with three eggs,
brought to me in Manbhoom on 5th April, 1865, is cup-shaped ;
interior diameter 3*5, depth inside 2 inches. It is composed
outside of woolly fibres, flax, and bits of dried leaves, and inside of
bents and small dried twigs, the whole compact and neat. The
eggs are of a light pink ground (almost flesh-coloured), with a few
scattered spots of brownish pink, darker and more numerous at
tlie blunt end. They measure 1*325 by barely 0*8.^’

Brom Raipoor, Mr. B. E. BleAAitt remarks :—“ Oriolits melano-
ce^lialus indiscriminately selects the mango, mowah, or any other
kind of large tree for its nest, which is invariably firmly attached
to the extreme terminal twigs of an upper horizontal branch, vary¬
ing from 20 to 35 feet from the ground, Owing to the position
it selects for the safety of its nest, it sometimes happens that the
latter cannot be secured without the destruction of the eggs. It
nidificates in June and July, and it would appear that both the
birds, male and female, engage in the construction of the nest.
Three is the normal number of the eggs, though on one occasion
my shikaree found four in a nest.”

Buchanan Hamilton tells us that this species ‘‘ frequents the
groves and gardens of Bengal during the w^hole year, and builds a
very rude nest of bamboo-leaves and the fibres that invest the top
of the cocoanut or other palms. In March I found a nest with
the young unfledged.”

I confess that I believe this to be a mistake : neither season nor
nest correspond Avith what I ha\^e myself seen about Calcutta.
The nests, so far from being rude^ are A^ery neat.

Mr. J. E. Cripps AAUutes from Burreedpore in Eastern Bengal;—
“ Very common, and a permanent resident. On the 20th April I
found a nest containing t\A^o half-fledged young ones ; in the garden
was a clump of mango-trees, and attached to one of the outer twigs,
but overhung by a lot of leaves, and about 12 feet from the
ground, hung the nest, of the usual type.”

Mr. J. DaAddson met with this Oriole on the Kondabhari O-hat
in Khandeish. On the 16th August he saAv a brood, while on an

OBIOLUS.

361

adjoining tree there was a nest with two slightly-set eggs. He
says :—“ It was a very deep cup on the end of a thin branch, and
though in cutting the branch to get at the nest, it got turned at
right angles to its proper position, the eggs were uninjured. I do
not think this nest belonged to the same pair as that which had
young ones dying.

“ These Orioles are very common here, and I found three nests :
one was new and empty; from another the birds had just flown ;
while the remaining one contained one fresh egg. The bird would
no doubt have laid more; but to get at the nest I had to cut the
branch ofl, and it was only then I discovered that only one egg
had been laid.”

Major C. T. Bingham says:—Plentiful at Allahabad across
the Ganges, notwithstanding which I only found one nest, and
that I have no note about, but I remember it was some time in
June, and contained four half-fledged young ones; the materials
of the nest were the same as those used by 0. Icuncloo.^’

Writing of his experience in Tenasserim he adds :—“ On the
5th March I found a nest of this bird in a small tree near the
village of Hpamee. It, however, contained three unfledged young,
so I left it alone.

“ On the 21st April I found a second nest suspended from the
tip of a bamboo that overhung the path from Shwaobah village to
Hpamee. This contained two awfully hard-set eggs, white, with
a few dark purple blotches and spots at the larger ends. Nest
made of grass and dry bamboo-leaves, lined wn'th the dry midribs
of leaves, and firmly bound on to the fork of the bamboo with a
strip of some bark.”

Mr. Oates writes from Pegu:—‘‘ My nests of this Oriole have
been found in March, April, and May, but I have no doubt they
also breed in June. No details appear necessary.”

Typically the eggs are somewhat elongated ovals, only slightly
compressed towards one end, but pyriform as well as more pointed
varieties may be met with. The shell is very fine and moderately
glossy. The ground-colour varies from a creamy or pinky white to
a decided but very pale salmon-colour. They are sparingly spotted
and streaked with dark brown and pale inky purple. In most
eggs the markings are more numerous towards the large end.
Some have no markings elsewhere. The dark spots, especially
towards the large end, are not unfrequently more or less enveloped
in a reddish-pink nimbus. Though much lai-ger and much more
glossy, some of the eggs, so far as shape, colour, and markings go,
exactly resemble some of the eggs of Dicrums ater. The eggs of
0, Jcundoo are typically excessively glossy china-white, with few
weU-defined black spots. The eggs of 0. melanocepJiahts are
typically somewhat less glossy, with a pinky ground and more
numerous and less defined brownish-purple spots and streaks. I
have not yet seen one egg of either species that could be mistaken
for one of the other, although of course abnormal varieties of each
approach each other more closely than do the typical forms.

362

ORIOLIDJE.

The dozen eggs that I possess of this species vary from 1-1 to 1*2
in length, and from 0*78 to 0*87 in breadth, and the average is 1*14
by 0*82. Although the average is somewhat larger than that of the
preceding species, and although none of the eggs are quite as small
as many of those of 0. Tcundoo^ still none are nearly so large as the
finest specimens of the latter’s egg. Probably had I an equally
large series of the eggs of the present species, we should find that
as regards size there was no perceptible difierence between the
two.

522. Oriolus traillii (Vigors). The Maroon Oriole.

Oriolus traillii {Vig.), Jtrd. JB. Ind. ii, p. 112; Hkmie, Cat. no. 474.

Prom Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes :—I took a nest of this
Oriole on the 24th April, at an elevation of about 2500 feet. It
was suspended, within ten feet of the ground, from an outer fork
of a branch of a small leafy tree, which grew in a patch of low
dense jangle. It is a neat cup, composed of fibrous bark and strips
of the outer part of dry grass-stems, intermixed with skeletonized
leaves aud green moss, and lined with fine grass. Besides being
firmly bound by the rim of the cup to the horizontal forking
branches by fibrous barks, several strings extended from one branch
to the other, both under and in front of the nest, while other
strings from the body of the nest were fastened to an upright twig
that rose immediately behind the fork, thus most securely retain¬
ing it in its position.

‘‘ Externally the nest measured 5 inches wide by 2*75 in height;
internally 3*25 wide by 2 deep. It contained three fresh eggs.

“ The female came quite close, making loud complaints against
the robbing of her nest.”

The nest is that of a typical Oriole, usually very firmly aud sub¬
stantially built, and of course always suspended at a fork between
two twigs- A nest taken by Mr. Gammie in Sikhim on the 20th
April, at an elevation of about 2500 feet, is a deep substantial cup,
nearly 4 inches in diameter and 2| in depth internally. It is
everywhere nearly an inch in thickness. The suspensory portion
composed of vegetable fibres ; towards the exterior dead leaves,
bcamboo-sheaths, green moss, and tendrils of creeping plants are
profusely intermingled; interiorly, it is closely and regularly lined
with very fine grass.

A nest sent me by Mr. Mandelli was found on the 3rd April at
Namtchu, and contained three fresh eggs. It is precisely similar
to the one above described, except that in the lining roots are
mingled with the fine grass, and that instead of being suspended
in a fork, it was partly wedged into and partly rested on a fork.

A.s a rule, however, as I know from other nests subsequently
obtained, the nests are always suspended like those of the Common
Oriole.

Two eggs of this species obtained by Mr. Gammie closely

ETJLABETID^.

363

resemble those o£ 0, melanocepTialus. In shape they are regular
moderately elongated ovals ; the shell is strong, firm, and moderately
glossy. The ground is white with a creamy or brownish-pink
tinge; the markings are blackish-brown spots and specks, almost
confined to a zone about the large end, where they are all more or
less enveloped in a brownish-red haze or nimbus. In length they
measure 1*12 by 0*82, and 1*14 by 0*83.

Family EULABETIDiE.

523. Eulabes religiosa (Linn.). The Southern GracTcle.

Eulahes religiosa (Linn.'), Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 337; Hume, Rough
Draft N, E. no. 092.

The Southern G-rackle breeds in Southern India and Ceylon from
March to October.

Mr. Erauk Bourdillou, wilting from Travancore, gives me the
following account of the eggs. He says :—“ This bird, an abun¬
dant resident, lays a blue egg pretty evenly marked with brown
spots, some light and some darkish, in a nest of straw and feathers
in a hole of a tree generally a considerable height from the ground.

“ I have only taken one nest, which contained a single egg
slightly set, on 23rd March, 1873, the egg measuring 1*37 long
and 0*87 broad.

Later Mr, Bourdillon says:—“ Since writing the foregoing I
took on 21st April two fresh eggs from the nest of a Southern
Hill-Mynah (Eulahes religiosa). The nest was of grass, feathers,
and odds and ends in a hole in a nanga (Mesua coromanddiana)
stump, abour 25 feet from the ground. The eggs of this Mynah
are blue, with purplish and more decided brown spots.

“ I am 'positive as to the identity of the egg. Both the eggs
taken last year and the two taken the other day were obtained
under my personal supervision. In both instances I watched the
birds building, and when we robbed the nests saw the female fly
off them.^’

These two eggs sent me by Mr. Bourdillon are very beautiful.
In shape they are very gracefully elongated ovals ; the shell is
very fine and smooth, but has only a rather faint gloss. The
ground-colour is a delicate pale sea-green or greenish blue, and
the eggs are more or less profusely spotted or splashed ^dth
purplish, or, in some spots, chocolate-browm and a very pale
purple, which looks more like the stain that might be supposed to
be left by one of the more decided coloured markings that had
been partially washed out than anything else.

The eggs measure 1*37 by 0*9 and 1*35 by 0*87.

Mr. J. Darling, junior, writes :—“The Southern G-rackle breeds
in the S. W^naad rather plentifully, and I have had numbers of

364

EULABETIDJiJ.

taiiae ones brought up from the nest, but have never succeeded
in getting a perfect egg owing to my having found all the nests in
very hard places to get at.

I cut down a tree containing a nest and broke all the eggs,
which must have been very pretty—blue ground, very regularly
marked with purplish-browm spots. The nest w^as composed of
sticks, twigs, feathers, and some snake-skin. I have found them
in March, April, September, and October. I hope this year to
get a number of eggs, as Culputty is a very good place for
them.”

Mr. 0. J. W. Taylor notes from Manzeerabad in Mysore:—
“ Common up in the wooded portions of the district. Breeding in
April and May.”

Mr. T. Fulton Bourdillon, speaking of this Grackle in Travan-
core, says :—“ This bird lays one or two light blue eggs beautifully
blotched with purple in the holes of trees. It does not like heavy
jungle, but after a clearing has been felled and burnt it is sure to
appear. During the fine weather it is very abundant on the hills,
descending to the low country at the foot when the rains have
fairly set in. The nest scarcely deserves the name, being only
a few dead leaves or some powdered wood at the bottom of the
hole, and there about the end of March the egg or eggs are laid.
The young birds, which can be taught to speak and become very
tame, are often taken by the natives, as they can sell them in the
low country. I have obtained on the following dates eggs and
young birds:—

“March 29th. One egg slightly set.

“ April 20th. Twm young birds.

“ April 22nd. „ „

“ April 25th. Two eggs slightly set.

“ May 2nd. One young bird.

“I also had three eggs, slightly set, brought me on May 21.
They are rather smaller and a deeper blue than the ones obtained
before, being 1*25 x 1, IT9 x *95, 1*21 x *97 inch. They were all
out of the same nest, so that the bird sometimes lays three eggs,
though the usual number is tw*o.”

Colonel Legge writes in the ‘Birds of Ceylon’:—“The Black
Myna was breeding in the Pasdun Korale on the occasion of a
visit I made to that part in August, but I did not procure its
eggs.^’

Other eggs subsequently sent me by Mr. Bourdillon from
Mynall, in Southern Travancore, taken on the 9th and 13th April,
1875, are precisely similar to those already described. The eggs
that I have measured have only varied from 1*2 to 1*37 in length,
and from 0*86 to 0*9 in width.

ETTLABES.

365

524. Eulabes intermedia^ (A. Hay). The Indian Grachle.

Eulabes intermedia (A. Hay), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 339.

Eulabes javanensis (OsbecJc), Hume, Rough Draft N, 8^ no. 693.

The Indian Grackle, under which name I include E, andama-
nensis, Tytler, breeds, I know, in the iN'epal Terai and in the
Kunmon Bhabur; and many are the young birds that I have seen
extracted by the natives out of holes, high up in large trees, in
the old anti-mutiny days when we used to go tiger-shooting in
these grand jungles. I never saw the eggs however, which, I
think, must have all been hatched off in May, when we used to
be out.

In the Andamans,"’ writes Davison, they breed in April and
May, building a nest of grass, dried leaves, &c. in holes of trees.”
He also, however, never took the eggs.

Mr. el. E. Cripps tells us that this species is “ common during
March to October in Dibrugarh, after which it retires to the hills
which border the east and south of the district. About the tea-
gardens of Dibrugarh there are always a number of dead trees
standing, and in these the Grackles nest, choosing those that are
rotten, in wEich they excavate a hole. I have seen numbers of
nests, but as these were so high up and the tree so long dead and
rotten, no native v'ould risk going up.”

Mr. J. Inghs notes from Cachar :—“ This Hill-Mynah is com¬
mon in the hilly district. It breeds in the holes of trees during
April, May, and June.”

Major 0. T. Bingham writes from Tenasserim :—‘‘ I saw several
nest-holes of this bird, which was very common in the Deserve, but
none of them were accessible; and it wasn’t till the 18th April
that I chanced on one in a low tree, the nest being in the hollow
of a stuDip of a broken branch. It was composed and loosely put
together of grass, leaves, and twigs, and contained three half-
fledged young and one addled egg of a light blue colour, spotted,
chiefly at the largo end with purplish brown.”

The eggs very similar to those of E. religiosa, but, what is very
surprising, it is very considerably smaller.

01 E.religiosa the eggs vary from 1*2 to 1*37 in length, and from
0-86 to 0*9 in breadth, and the average of eight is 1*31 by 0*88.

This present egg only measures 1*12 by 0*8, and it must, I
should fancy, be abnormally small.

In shape it is an extremely regular oval. The ground is a pale
greenish blue, and it is spotted and blotched pretty thickly at the

* Mr. Hume does not recognize E. javanensis and E. inte)'mcdia as distinct.
The following account refers to the nidification of the latter, except perhaps
Major Bingham’s later note, in which he states that he procured two distinct
sizes of eggs in the Meplay valley (Thoungyeen). It is very probable that
Major Bingham found the nests of both species on this occasion. I have seen
no specimen of E. javanensis from the Thoungyeen valley, but at Malewun,
further south, it occurs along with E. intermedia .— Ed.

366

ErLABETIDiE.

large end (where all the larger marlvings are) and very thinly at
the smaller end with purple and two shades (a darker and lighter
one) ot chocolate-brown, the latter colour much predominating.
The shell is very fine and close, but has but little gloss.

And later on Major Bingham again wrote:—One of the
commonest and most widely spread birds in the province. The
following is an account of its nidification:—

‘‘ This bird lays two distinct sizes of eggs, all, however, of the
same type and coloration. Out of holes in neighbouring trees,
on the bank of the Meplay, on the 13th March, 1880, I took two
nests, one containing three, and the other two eggs. The first lot
of eggs measured respectively 1*15x0*77, 1*15x0*80, and 1*16 x
0*79 inch ; while those in the second nest 1*30 x 0*95, and 1*27 x
0*93 inch respectively. All the eggs, however, are a pale blue,
spotted chiefly at the larger end with light chocolate. The nests
were in natural hollows in the trees, and lined with grass and
leaves loosely put togt^ther.”

The eggs apparently vary extraordinarily in size; they are
generally more or less elongated ovals, some slightly pyriform and
slightly obtuse at both ends, some rather pointed towards the
small end. The shell in all is very fine and compact and smooth,
but some have scarcely any appreciable gloss, while others have a
really fine gloss. The ground-colour is pretty uniform in all, a
delicate pale greenish blue. The markings are always chiefly con¬
fined to one end, usually the broad end; e^’en about the large end
they are never very dense, and elsewhere they are commonly very
sparse or almost or altogether wanting. In some eggs the mark¬
ings are pretty large irregular blotches mingled with small spots
and specks, but in many eggs again the largest spot does not
exceed one twelfth of an inch in diameter. In colour these
markings are normally a chocolate, often with more or less of a
browm tinge, in some of the small spots so thickly laid on as to be
almost black, in many of the larger blotches becoming only a pale
reddish purple, or here and there a pale purplish grey. In some
eggs all the markings are pale and washed out, in others all are
sharply defined and intense in colour. Occasionally some of the
smaller spots become almost a yellowish brown.

526. Eulahes ptilogenys (Blyth). The Ceylon Gmcicle.

Eulabes ptilogenys {Bl.), Ekmej Cat, no. 693 bis.

Colonel Legge writes in his ‘ Birds of Ceylon ’:—This species
breeds in June, July, and Augmst, laying its eggs in a hole of a
tree, or in one which has been previously excavated by the Tellow^-
frouted Barbet or Eed "Woodpecker. It often nests in the sugar-
or kitool-palm, and in one of these trees in the Peak forest I took
its eggs in the month of August. There was an absence of all nest
or lining at the bottom of the hole, the eggs, which were two in
number, being deposited on the bare wood. The female was sitting

CAIORUns.

367

at the time, and was being brought fruit and berries by the male
bird. While the eggs were being taken the birds flew round
repeatedly, and settled on an adjacent tree, keeping up a loud
whistling. The eggs are obtuse-ended ovals, of a pale greenish-blue
ground-colour (one being much paler than the other), sparingly
spotted with large and small spots of lilac-grey, and blotched over
this with a few neutral-brown and sepia blots. They measure from
1*3 to 1*32 inch in length by 0*96 to 0*99 in breadth.’^

527. Calornis chalybeius (Horsf.). The Glossy Calornis,
Calornis chalybaeiis^ {Horsf.), Hume, Cat. no. 690 his.

Of the Qlossy Calornis Mr. Davison remarks that “ it is a per¬
manent resident at the Nicobars, breeding in holes in trees and in
the decayed stumps of old cocoanut-palms, apparently from Decem¬
ber to March. At the Andamans it is much less numerous, and is
only met with in pairs or in small parties, frequenting the same
situations as it does in the Nicobars.”

Mr. J. Inglis writes from Cachar : —“ This Tree-Stare is rather
rare. It breeds about April in the holes of dead trees ; when the
young are able to fly it departs. It again returns about the middle
of Tebruary.’’

In Teuasserim this species was observed nesting by Mr. J. Darling,
junior, who says:—“ 22nd March. Noticed several pairs of Calornis,
with nests, in the big wooden bridge over the Kyouk-tyne Creek
about Ir]- mile out of Tavoy, and also a great number of their nests
in the old wooden posts of an old bridge further down the Creek.”

Mr. AV. Davison, when in the Malay peninsula, took the eggs of
this bird. He remarks :—“ I found a few pairs frequenting some
areca-palms at Laugat, and bi'eeding in them, but only one nest
contained eggs, three in number. The nest was a loose structure
almost globular, but open at the top, composed externally of very
coarse dry grass (lallung or elephant-grass), and lined with green
durian leaves cut into small bits. The nest was too lightly put
together to preserve. This nest and several other empty ones
were placed at the base of the leaves where they meet the
trunk.

“ The three eggs obtained were slightly set, so that three is pro¬
bably the normal number laid.

‘‘ I noticed several other pairs breeding at the same time in holes
of a huge dead tree on JugraHill at Laugat, but I was unable to
get at the nests.”

The eggs are quite of the Eulahes type, moderately broad ovals,
more or less compressed towards the small end, occasionally pyri¬
form. The shell firm and strong, though fine, smooth to the touch
in some cases, with but little, but generally with a fair amount of

* Mr. Hume considers the Andaman Calornis distinct from the Calornis
inhabiting Cachar, Teuasserim, &c. I have united them in the ‘Birds of
India.’— Ed.

368

STTJBFID^.

gloss. The ground is a very pale greenish blue. A iiiiraber of
fairly large spots and blotches, intermingled with smaller specks and
spots, are scattered about the large end, often forming an imperfect
irregular zone, and a few similar specks and spots are scattered
thinly about the central portion of the egg, occasionally extending to
the small end. The colour of these spots varies; they are generally
a brownish-reddish purple and a paler greyer purple, but in some
eggs the sputs are so thick in colour that they seem almost black.
In some they are almost purely reddish brown without any purplish
tinge, and some again, lying deep in the shell, are pale grey.

8ix eggs measure from 0*92 to 1*1 in length, and from. 0*71 to
0*76 in breadth, but the average of six eggs is 1 by 0*74.

Family STURNID^.

528. Pastor roseus (Linn.). The Rose-coloured Starlimj,
Pastor roseus {Linn.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 333 ; Hume, Cat no. 690.

The llose-coloLirecl Starling has not yet been discovered breeding
in India, but Mr. Doig has written the following note on the sub¬
ject, which is one of great interest. He writes from the Eastern
JSharra, in Sind :—

“ Though I have not as yet discovered the breeding-place of this
bird, I think it as well to put on record what little I have noticed,
in the hope that it may be of assistance in eventually finding out
where it goes to breed. I began v\'atching the birds in the middle of
April, and every week shot one or two and dissected them, but did
not perceive any decisive signs of their breeding until the 10th May,
when I shot two males, both of which showed signs of being about
to breed at an early date. Again, on the 15th May, out of seven
that I shot in a fiock, six were males with the generative organs fully
developed - the seventh was a young female in immature plumage, the
ovaries being quite undeveloped. The birds were feeding in the bed
of a dried-up swamp, along with flocks of Sturnus minor, and were
constantly flying in flocks, backwards and forwards, in one direc¬
tion. Unfortunately, important work called me to another part of
the district, and when I returned in a fortnight's time I could not
see one. Where can they have gone ? And they remain away such a
short time! 1 have seen the old birds return as early as the 7th July,
accompanied by young birds barely fledged, and I should not be at
all surprised if these birds are found to breed in some of the Native
States on the east of Sind. That they could find time to migrate
to the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to breed, and return again by
the middle of July, I cannot believe, especially after having found
them so thoroughly in breeding-time, while still in the east of Sind.
Another suspicious circumstance is the absence of females in the

STUB-NUS.

369

flocks I met with. Perhaps some of mj readers may have an
opportunity of finding out whether Pastor roseus occurs in the
districts lying to the east of Sind in the month of June, as there is
no doubt that the breeding-time lies between the 20th May and the
commencement of July.”

529. Stnrnus humii, Brooks. The Hhnalayan Starling.

Stunuis unicolor, Mann,^ apudJerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 322.

Sturnus nitens, JEEume ; Humej Bough Draft N. B. no. 682.

The Himalayan Starling breeds in Candahar, Cashmere, and the
extreme north-west of the Punjab. It is the bird which Dr. Jerdon
includes in his work as/S. unicolor very diiferent bird, which does
not occur within our limits), and which Mr. Theobald referred to
as breeding in Cashmere as Btivrnus vulgaris^ which bird does not,
as far as I can learn, occur in the Valley of Cashmere, though it
may in Yarkand.

This Starling lays towards the end of April at Peshawur, where
I fouud it nesting in holes in willow-trees in the cantonment com¬
pounds. In Candahar it lays somewhat earlier, and in the Valley
of Cashmere somewhat later, viz. in the month of May.

It builds in holes of trees, in river-banks, and in old buildings
and bridges, constructing a loose nest of grass and grass-roots, with
sometimes a few thin sticks ; it is perhaps more of a lining to the
hole than a true nest. It lays five or six eggs.

Mr. Brooks says:—‘‘It is like S. umcolo)\ but smaller, with
shorter wing and more beautiful I'eflections. It is excessively
abundant in Cashmere, at moderate elevations, and in the Valley,
and breeds in holes of trees and in river-banks. The eggs are like
those of vulgaris^ but rather smaller. The latter bird occurs
plentifully in the plains of India in the cold weather, and is as pro¬
fusely spotted as English specimens. The bills vary in length, and
are not longer, as a rule, than those of British birds. I did not
meet with /S^. vulgaris in Cashmere. It appears to migrate more to
the west, for it is said to be common in Afghanistan. nitens
also occurs in the plains in the cold season. I have Etawah
specimens. They are at that time slightly spotted, but can always
be very easily distinguished from S. vulgarisP

Mr. W. Theobald makes the following remark on its nidification
in the Valley of Cashmere :—“ Lays in the second and third weeks
of May; eggs ovato-pyriform; size IT 5 by 0*85 ; colour, pale clear
bluish green; valley generally, in holes of bridges, tall trees, c&c.,
in company with Oorvus monedulaP

Captain Hutton records that “ S, vulgaris remains only during
the coldest months, and departs as spring approaches : whereas the
present species builds in the spring at Candahar, laying seven or
eight blue eggs, and the young are fledged about the first week in
May.’’

* Mr. Brooks here refers to B. menzhieri, —Ed.

VOL. I.

24

370

STURNID-E,

The eggs of this species are generally somewhat elongated ovals,
a good deal compressed towards one end, and not uncommonly more
or less pyriform. They are glossy, but in a good light have the
surface a good deal pitted. They are entirely devoid of markings,
and seem to have the ground one uniform xevj pale sea-greenish
blue. They appear to vary very little in colour, and to average
generally a good deal smaller than those o£ the Common Starling.

They vary in leogth from 1*02 to 1*19, and in breadth from 0*78
to 0*87; but the average of twenty eggs is 1*13 by 0*83.^

531. Sturntis minor, Hume. The Small Indian Starling.

Sturnus minor, Hume-, Htmej Cat no. 681 his.

Mr. Scrope Hoig furnishes us with the following interesting note
on the breeding of S. minor in Sindh:—

“ Last year I mentioned to my friend, Captain Butler, that I
had noticed Starlings going in and out of holes in trees along the
‘ Harra ’ in the mouth of March, and that I thought they must be
breeding there; he said that I must be mistaken, as S. vulgaris
never bred so far south. As it happens we were both correct—he
in saying /S. vulgaris did not breed here, and I in saying that
Starlings did. My Starling turns out to be the species originally
described from Sindh as Sturnus minor by Mr. Hume; and as I
have now sent Mr. Hume a series -of skins and eggs, 1 trust he will
give ns a note on the subject of our Indian Starlings. In Pebruary
I shot one of these birds, and on dissection found that they
were beginning to breed; later on, early in March, I again dis¬
sected one and found that there was no doubt on the subject,
and so began to look for their nests; these I found in holes in
kundy trees growing along the banks of the Narra, and also
situated in the middle of swamps. The eggs were laid on a
pad of feathers of Platalea leucorodia and Tantalus leucocej)halus<^
which were breeding on the same trees, the young birds being
nearly fledged; the greatest number of eggs in any one nest was
five. The first date on which I took eggs was the 13th March,
and the last was on the 15th May.

“ The eggs are oval, broad at one end and elongated at the other;
the texture is rather waxy, with a fine gloss, and they are of a pale
dehcate sea-green colour.

* Sturnus porphyronotus, Sharpe. The Central-Asian Starling.

This species breeds in Kashgharia, and visits India in winter. Dr. Scully
writes:—“This Starling breeds in May and June, making its nest in the holes
of trees and walls, and in gourds and pots placed near houses by the Yarkand is
for the purpose. It seems to make only a simple lining for its hole, composed
of grass and fibres. The eggs vary in shape from a broadish oval to an elongated
oval compressed at one end ; they are glossy and, in a strong light, the surface
looks pitted. The eggs are quite spotless, but the colour seems also to vary a
good deal—from a deep greenish blue to a very pale light sea-blue. In size
they vary from IT to 1'22 in length, and from 0*80 to 0*86 in breadth ; but the
average of nine eggs is 1*19 by 0*83.”

STURlflA..

371

“ The birds during the breeding-time confine themselves closely
to their breeding-ground, so much so, that except when close
to their haunts none are ever seen.

‘‘ The size of the eggs varies from 1-00 to ITO in length, and
from *70 to *80 in breadth. The average of twelve eggs is 1*03 in
length and *79 in breadth.’’

He subsequently wrote:—“ I first noticed this bird breeding on
the 11th March ; on the 10th, while marching, I saw some on the
side of the road and shot one, and on opening it found it was breed¬
ing. Accordingly on the 11th, on searching, I found their breeding-
ground, which was in the middle of a Dhund thickly studded over
with kundy trees, in the holes of which they had their nests. The
nest lay at the bottom of the hole, which was generally some 18 inches
deep, and consists of a few bits of coarse sedge-grass and feathers
of T. leucoceplialus and P. leucoroclia (which were breeding close
by). Pive was the maximum number of eggs, but four was the
normal number in each nest.

“ I afterwards found these birds breeding in great numbers all
along the Eastern Harra wherever there were suitable trees (kundy
trees). At the place 1 first found them in, the young ones are now
many of them fledged and flying about, while in other places they
are just beginning to lay.

“ The total length of their breeding-ground in any district must
be close on 200 miles, but entirely confined to the banks of the
river. If you looked four miles from the river, one side or the
other, you would not see one. Can Pastor roseus breed in India
in some similar secluded spot ? I have been rather unlucky in
getting their eggs, as at each place which I visited personally the
birds had either young ones or were just going to lay.”

The eggs of this species are moderately broad ovals, sometimes
slightly elongated, always more or less appreciably pointed towards
the small end. The shell is extremely smooth and has a fine gloss.
The colour, which is extremely uniform in all the specimens, is an
excessively delicate pale blue with a faint greenish tinge, a very
beautiful colour. They vary from 1 to 1*18 in length, and from
0*71 to 0*82 in breadth.

537. Sturnia blythii (Jerdon). BiytVs Myna,

Temenuchus blythii Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 331.

Sturnia blythii (Jerd.^j Hume, Cat, no. 689.

Mr. Iver Macpherson sent me from Mysore three eggs and a
skin of a Myna, which latter, although in very bad order, is un¬
doubtedly blythii. He says :—“ It is very possible that the bird
now sent is S, malabarica, and it is such a bad specimen that I
fear it will not be of much use to you for the purpose of identifi¬
cation. I think it is 8turnia blythii, as Jerdon says that S. mala¬
barica is only a cold-weather visitant in the south of India.

“ I will, however, try and procure you a good specimen of the

24 *

372

STUBNIDiE.

bird. It is only found in our forests bordering the Wynaad, and
as it is far from common, I am not well acquainted with it.

‘‘I am also inclined to think that it is not a permanent resident
with us, but that a few couples come to these forests only to breed.

“ The only nest I have ever found was talcen on the 24th April,
1880, and was in a hole of a dry standing tree in a clearing made
for a teak plantation and contained three fresh eggs.

“ A few days subsequently I saw a brood of young ones flying
about a dry tree in the forest, so probably the breeding-season here
extends through April and May.”

The eggs are very similar to those of Sturnia malcibarica and
/8. ne7noricola, but perhaps slightly larger. They are moderately
elongated ovals, generally decidedly pointed towards the small end.
The shell is very fine and smooth, and has a fair amount of gloss.
In colour they are a very delicate pale greenish blue. They
measure 0*99 and 1 in length by 0*71 in breadth.

538. Sturnia malabarica (G-m.). The Greij-heacled Myna,

Teinenuchiis malabaricus Jerd, B, Ind, ii, p. 330 j Hwyie^

Rough JDy'aft N, ^ JE. no. 688.

I have never met with the nest of the Grrey-headed Myna
myself, but am indebted to Mr. Gammie for its eggs and nest.
That gentleman says :—I obtained a nest of this species near
Mongphoo (14 miles from Darjeeling), at an elevation of about
3400 feet. The nest was in the hollow of a tree, and was a
shallow pad of fine twigs, wdth long strips of bark intermingled in
the base of the structure, and thinly lined with very fine grass-
stems. The nest was about 4 inches in diameter and less than 14
inch in height exteriorly, and interiorly the depression was perhaps
half an inch deep. It contained four hard-set eggs.”

This year he w^rites to me :—The Grey-headed Myna breeds
about Mongphoo, laying in May and June. I have talcen several
nests now, and I found that they prefer cleared tracts where only
a ew trees have been left standing here and there, especially on
low but breezy ridges, at elevations of from 2500 to 4000 feet.
They always nest in natural holes of trees both dead and living,
and at any height from 20 to 50 feet from the ground. The nest
is shallow, principally composed of twigs put roughly together in
the bottom of the hole. They lay four or five eggs.

‘‘ The Grey-headed Myna is not a winter resident in the hills.
It arrives in early spring and leaves in autumn. It is very abun¬
dant on the outer ranges of the Teesta Yalley, and is generally
found in those places frequented by Artamus fuscus. It feeds
about equally on trees and on the ground, and a flock of 40 or 50
feeding on the ground in the early morning is no unusual sight.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps, writing from Eureedpore, Eastern Bengal,
says:—“Very common from the end of April to October, after
which a few birds may be seen at times. I cannot call to mind
ever having seen these birds descend to the ground. They must

STTJENIA.

373

nest here, though I failed to find one. In front of my verandah
was a large Foinciana recjia, in the trunk of which, and at about
seven feet from the ground, was an' old nest-hole of Xantliolcema
which a priir of these birds widened out. Daring all May and
June I watched these birds pecking away at the rotten w^ood and
throwing the bits out. They generally used to engage in this
work during the heat of the day; and, although I several times
searched the hole, no eggs were found; the pair were not pecking
at the decayed wood for insects, for I watched them through
a glass. Had I remained another month at the factory most
likely they would have laid during that time; it was on this
account their lives were spared. This species associates with its
congeners on the peepul trees when they are in fruit, which they
eat greedily.”

Subsequently detailing his experiences at Dibrugarh in Assam,
he adds:—“ On the 27th May I found a nest with three callow
young and one fresh egg. The birds had excavated a hole in a
rotten and dead tree about 18 feet from the ground, and had
placed a pad of leaves only at the bottom of the hole. They build
both in forest as well as the open cultivated parts of the country.”

Mr. Oates remarks:—“ This Myna lays in Pegu in holes of
trees at all heights above 20 feet. It selects a hole which is diffi¬
cult of access, and I have only been able to take one nest. This
was on the 18th May. This nest, a small pad of grass and leaves,
contained three eggs, which were slightly incubated. They
measured 0*86 by 0-7, 0*8 by 0*7, and 0*83 by 0*72.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes from Tenasserim :—“ I shot a
Myna as she fieu' out of a hole in a zimbun tree (Dillenia pe^ita-
cjyna), I had nearly a fortnight before seen the birds ; there was
a pair of them, busy taking straw and grass-roots into the hole; and
so on the 18th April, when I shot the birds, I made sure of finding
the full complement of eggs, but to my regret on opening the
hollow, I only found one egg resting in a loose and irregularly
formed nest of roots and leaves. This solitary egg is of a pale
blue colour.”

The eggs vary a good deal in shape: some are broad and some
are elongated ovals, but all are more or less pointed towards the
small end; the shell is very fine and delicate, and rather glossy;
the colour is a very delicate pale sea-green, without any markings
of any kind. They vary from 0*89 to 1*0 in length, and from 0*69
to 0*72 in breadth; but the average of ten eggs is 0*93 by 0*7.

539. Sturnia nemoricola, Jerdon. The White-winged Myna.

Sturnia nemoricola, Jerd.^ Hume, Cat, no. 688 bis.

Mr. Oates writes from Lower Pegu :—Of S. nemoricola I have
taken two sets of eggs ; one set of two eggs fresh, and one of
three on the point of being hatched; the former on 12th May, the
latter on 6th June. In size the two clutches vary extraordinarily.

374

STUBKID-ZB.

The first two eggs measure *82 x *62 and *85 x *63 ; the second lot
measure 1*01 x *7, 1*0 x *7, and 1*0 x *7.

“ The eggs are very glossy, and the colour is a uniform dark
greenish blue, of much the same tint as the egg of Acridotheres
tristisJ’

543. Ampeliceps coronatus, Blyth. The Gold-crest Myna.

Ampeliceps coronatus, Hume, Rough Draft N. ^ D. no. 693
sex; id. Cat. no. 693 ter.

Of the nidification of this beautiful species, the Grold-crest Myna,
we possess but little information. My friend Mr. Davison, who
has secured many specimens of the bird, writes :—“ On the 13th
April, 1874, two miles from the town of Tavoy, on a low range of
hills about 200 feet above the sea-level, I found a nest of the Gold-
crest Grakle. The nest was about 20 feet from the ground in a
hole in the branch of a large tree. It was composed entirely of
coarse dry grass, mixed with dried leaves, twigs, and bits of bark,
but contained no feathers, rags, or such substances as are usually
found in the nests of the other Mynas. The nest contained three
young ones only a day or two old.”

544. Temenuchus pagodarum (Gm.). The Blade-headed Myna.

Temenuchus pagodarum Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 329; Hume,

Rough Draft N. iif JS. no. 687.

The Pagoda or Black-headed Myna breeds throughout the more
open, dry, and well-wooded or cultivated portions of India. In Sindh
and in the more arid and barren parts of the Punjab and Eajpoo-
tana on the one hand, or in the more humid and jungly localities
of Lower Bengal on the other, it occurs, if at all, merely as a
seasonal straggler. 'Row Adams, quoted by Jerdon (vol. ii,
p. 330), could say that he never saw it in the plains of the North-
West Provinces (where, as a matter of fact, it is one of our
commonest resident species), altogether puzzles me.

Neither in the north nor in the south does it appear to ascend
the hills or breed in them at any elevations exceeding 3000 or
4000 feet.

The breeding-season lasts from May to August, but in Dpper
India the great majority lay in June.

According to my experience in Northern India it nests exclusively
in holes in trees. Dr. Jerdon says that “at Madras it breeds
about large buildings, pagodas, houses, &c.” This is doubtless
correct, but has not been confirmed as yet by any of my Southern
Indian correspondents, who all talk of finding its nest in holes
of trees.

The whole is thinly lined with a few dead leaves, a little grass,
and a few feathers, and occasionally with a few small scraps of
some other soft material.

They lay from three to five eggs.

TEMENUCHirS.

375

Trom Hansie Mr. W. Blewitt writes :—“ During June and the
early part of July 1 found numerous nests of this species in holes
of shishum, peepul, neem, and siriss trees situated on the hank of
the Hissar Canal. The holes where at heights of from 12 to 15
feet from the ground, and in each a few leaves or feathers were
laid under the eggs. Tive was the greatest number found in any
one hole.”

Eecording his experience in the Delhi, Jhansi, and Saugor
Divisions, Mr. P. E. Blewitt tells us that the Pagoda Myna breeds
from May to July, building its nest in holes of trees, selecting
wPere possible those most inaccessible. I have always found the
nest in the holes of mango, tamarind, and high-growing jamiin
trees. Peathers and grass, sometimes an odd piece of rag, are
loosely placed at the bottom of the hole, and on these the eggs
repose.

The eggs are pale bluish green, and from four to five form the
regular number. I may add that only on one occasion did I obtain
five eggs in a nest.”

“ In Oudh,” writes Mr. E. M. Adam, ‘‘ I took one nest of this
species, in a hole in a mango-tree, on the 5th May, containing
five eggs.”

Major 0. T. Bingham remarks:—All nests I have found at
Allahabad and Delhi have been in holes in trees, in the end of
May, June, and July. Nest strictly speaking there is none, but
the holes are lined with feathers and straw, in which the eggs,
four in number, are generally half buried.”

Lieut. H, E. Barnes tells us that this Myna breeds in Eajputana
in June, and that he found one nest in that month in a hole of a
tree with three eggs.”

Colonel E. A. Butler records the following notes:—“ The Black-
l^eaded Myna breeds plentifully in the neighbourhood of Deesa in
June, July, and August, but somehow or other I was unlucky this
year (187(5) in procuring eggs. On the 30th July I found a nest
containing four young birds and another containing four eggs
about to hatch. On the 2nd of August I found three nests,
all containing young birds. On the 2Uth August I found four
more nests; three contained young birds and the fourth four fresh
eggs. All of these nests were in holes of trees, in most instances
only just large enough at the entrance for the bird to pass through.
In some cases there was no lining at all except wood dust, in
others a small quantity of dry grass and a few’ feathers. The
average height from the ground was about 8 or 10 feet; some nests
were, however, not more than 4 or 5 feet high.

“ Belgaum, 21st May, 1879.—A nest in the roof of a house
under the tiles; three fresh eggs. Another nest on the same date
in a hole of a tree, containing one fresh egg. The hole appeared
to be an old nest-hole of a Barbet. Other nests observed later on,
in June and July, in the roofs of houses under the tiles. Another
nest in the hole of a tree, 27th April, containing four fresh eggs.
Three more nests, 4th May, containing three incubated eggs, three

376

STTTKNIDJE.

fresh eggs, and three young birds respectively. Two of the nests
were in the nest-holes of Barhets, from which I had taken eggs
the month previous. 7th May, another nest containing four fresh
eggs.

“I can confirm Dr. Jerdon’s statement, quoted in the Eough
Draft of ‘Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds,’ relative to this
species breeding in large buildings, having observed several nests
myself this season at Belgaum on the roofs of bungalows. In
one bungalow, the mess-house of the 83rd Eegt., there were no
less than three nests at one time built under the eaves of the
roof.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, writing of the Deccan, say:—
‘‘ Not quite so common as AcridotTieres tristis. Breeds at Satara in
May.”

Mr. Benjamin Aitken remarks :—“ In ISTests and Eggs, p. 433,
you write:—‘ Dr, Jerdon says that at Madras it breeds about
large buildings, pagodas, houses, &c. This is doubtless correct, but
has not been confirmed as yet by any of my Southern Indian
correspondents, who all talk of finding its nest in holes of trees.’
On the 29th June last year I w’as at the Anniversary Meeting of
the Medical College, and the proceedings were disturbed by the
incessant clatter of Uvo broods of young of this species. The iiests
were in holes in the wall near the roof, and the two pairs of old
birds, which were feeding their young, kept coming and going the
whole time, flying in at the windows and popping into the holes
over the peoples^ heads. In the following naonth a nest of young
w'ere taken out of a hole in the outer wall of a house 1 w’as staying
at, and the birds laid again and hatched another brood.

“ I very rarely saw the Black-headed Myna in Bombay, Poona,
or Berar, but here, in Madras, it is, if anything, commoner than
A. t7'istis.^^

And Mr. J. Davidson, writing from Mysore, also confirms
Jerdon’s statement; he says :—“ T, 'pagoda7'wn bi^eeds here in holes
in the roofs of houses as well as in trees.”

Of the breeding of this Myna in Ceylon, Colonel Legge says :—
“ In the northern part of Ceylon this Myna breeds in July and
August, and nests, I am informed, in the holes of trees.”

Mr. A. Gr. E. Theobald notes that “ early in August I found a
nest of T, pagodarum at Ahtoor, the hill-station of the Shevaroys.
It was down in the inside of a partly hollow nut-tree log, attached
to a scaffolding, about 2j feet down and, say, 35 feet from the
ground, and was composed of dry leaves and a few feathers. It
contained three fresh eggs.”

The eggs of this Myna are, of course, glossy and spotless, and
the colour varies from very pale bluish white to pale blue or
greenish blue. I have never seen an egg of this species of the full
clear sky-blue often exhibited by those of A. tristis, S. contra, and
A. giuginianus.

The eggs vary in length from 0-86 to 1*15, and in breadth from
0*66 to 0*8; but the average of fifty-four eggs is 0*97 by 0*75,

GRACTTLIPICA,—ACRIDOTHERES.

377

546. Grraculipica nigricollis (Payk.). The Blaclc-neelceiL Myna,

All that we know of the nidification of this species is contained
in the following brief note by Dr. John Anderson:—

‘‘ It has much the same habits as Sturnopastor contra var. siiper-
ciliaris, I found it breeding in the month of May in one of the few
clumps of trees at Muangla.’^

Muangia lies to the east of Bhamo.

549. Acridotheres tristis (Linn.). The Common Myna,

Acridotheres tristis {Linn.)^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 325; JBCume, Rongh
Draft N. §■ E, no. 684.

The Common Myna breeds throughout the Indian Empire,
alike in the plains and in the hills. A pair breed yearly in the roof
of my verandah at Simla, at an elevation of 7800 feet.

They are very domestic birds, and greatly aiffect tlie habitations
of man and their immediate neighbourhood. They build in roofs
of houses, holes in walls, trees, and even old wells, in the earthen
chatties that in some parts the natives hang out for their use
(as the Americans hang boxes for the Purple Martin), and, though
very rarely, once in a way on the branches of trees.

Captain Hutton says:—“ This is a summer visitor in the hills,
and arrives at Mussoorie with the A. fasons, Wagl. It builds in
the hole of a tree, which is lined with dry grass and feathers, and
on no occasion have I ever seen a nest made on the branches of a
tree composed of twigs and grass as stated by Captain Tickell.

But in this instance Captain Tickell may have been right, for I
have once seen such a nest myself, and Mr. B. M. Adam writes:—
“ Near Sambhur, on the 7th July, I saw a pair of this species
building a large cup-shaped nest in a babool tree; ” while Colonel
(x. P, L. Marshall affirms that this species frequently lays in
cup-shaped nests of sticks placed in trees, like small Crows^ nests.
And he subsequently writes:—‘‘ I can distinctly reaffirm what I
said as to this species building a nest in the forlv of a tree. In the
compound of Kalunder gari choki, in the Bolundshahr district, I
found no less than five of these nests on one day; the compound is
densely planted with sheeshum trees, which were there about twenty
feet high, and the nests were near the tops of these trees. I found
several other similar nests on the canal-bank, one with young on
the 11th September.”

Also writing in this connection from Allahabad, Major C. T.
Bingham says :—

Twice I have found the nest of this bird in trees, but it
generally builds in holes, both in trees and walls, and commonly in
the thatch of houses. Once I got a couple of eggs from a nest made
amidst a thick-growing creeper.”

Neglecting exceptional cases like these, the nest is a shapeless but
warm fining to the hole, composed chiefly of straw and feathers,

378

but in wbich fine twigs, bits oE cotton, strips of rags, bits of old
rope, and all kinds of odds and ends may at times be found incor¬
porated.

Tbe normal breeding-season lasts from June to August, during
wbich period they rear two broods ; but in Eoss Island (Andamans),
where they were introduced some years ago, they seem to breed all-
through the year. Captain 'Wimberley, who sent me some of their
eggs thence, remarks :—The bird is now very common here. As
soon as it has cleared out one young brood, it commences building
and laying again. This continues all the year round.”

I think this great prolificness may be connected with the
uniformly warm temperature of these islands and the great heat
of the sun there all through the year rendering much incubation
unnecessary. Even in the plains of IS'orthern India in the hot
weather when they breed these birds do not sit close, and since at
the Andamans the weather is such all the year round that the
eggs almost hatch themselves, this may be partly the reason why
these birds have so many more broods there than with us, where,
for at least half the year, constant incubation w^ould be necessary.
I particularly noticed when at Eareilly how very little trouble these
Mynas sometimes took in hatching their eggs, and I may quote
what I then recorded about the matter:—

In a nest in the wall of our verandah we found four young
ones. This was particularly noteworthy, because from my study-
window the pair had been watched for the last month, first
courting, then flitting in and'out of the hole with straws and feathers,
ever and anon clinging to the mouth of the aperture, and laboriously
dislodging some projecting point of mortar; then marching
up and down on the ground, the male screeching out his harsh
love-song, bowing and swelling out his throat all the while, and then
rushing after and soundly thrashing any chance Crow (four times
his weight at least) that inadvertently passed too near him ; never
during the whole time had either bird been long absent, and both
had been seen together daily at all hours. I made certain that
they had not even begun to sit, and heboid there w^ere four fine
young ones a full week old chirping in the nest! Clearly these
birds are not close sitters down here; but I well remember a pair
at Mussoorie, some 6000 feet above tbe level of the sea, the most
exemplary parents, one or other being on the eggs at all hours of
the day and night. The morning’s sun beats full upon the wall in
the inner side of which the entrance to the nest is; the nest itself
is within 4 inches of the exterior surface; at 11 o’clock the
thermometer gave 98° as its temperature. I have often observed
in the river Terns (Seeua aurantia^ Bhynclioiis alhicollis, Sterna
javanica) and Pratincoles {Glareola lactea), who lay their eggs in
the bare white glittering river-sands, that so long as the sun is high
and the sand hot they rarely sit upon their eggs, though one or
other of the parents constantly remains beside or hovering near and
over them, hut in the early morning, in somewhat cold and cloudy
days, and as the night drawls on, they are all close sitters. I

ACRIDOTHEBES.

379

suspect that mstinct teaches the birds that, when the natural
temperature of the nest reaches a certain point, any addition of
their body-heat is unnecessary, and this may explain why during
the hot days (when we alone noticed them), in this very hot hole,
the parent Mynas spent so little of their time in the nest whilst
.the process of hatching was going on/’

They lay. indifferently four or five eggs. T have just as often
found the former as the latter number, but I have never yet met
with more.

Trom Lucknow Mr. Gr. Held tells us:—‘‘ Generally speaking
the Common Myna, like the Crow {Gorvus splendens), commences to
breed with the first fall of rain in June—early or late as the case
may be—and has done breeding by the middle of September. It
nests indiscriminately in old ruins, verandahs, walls of houses, &c.,
but preferentially, I think, in holes of trees, laying generally four,
but sometimes five eggs.”

Colonel E. A. Butler writes:—“ In Karachi Mynas begin to lay
at the end of April. The Common Myna breeds in the neighbour¬
hood of Deesa during the monsoon, principally in the months of
July and August, at which season every pair seems to be engaged
in nidification. I have taken nests containing fresh eggs during
the first- week of September; and birds that have had their first
nests robbed or young destroyed probably lay even later still.”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes informs us that this Myna breeds in
Eajputana during June and July.

Mr. Benjamin Aitken has furnished me with the following
interesting note :—“ A pair of Mynas clung tenaciously for two
years, from June 1863 to August 1865, to a hole in some matting
in the upper verandah of a house in Bombay. During this period
they hatched six broods, one of which I took and another was de¬
stroyed, by rats perhaps. 1 had a strong suspicion that more than
one set of eggs were destroyed besides.

‘"The remarkable thing I wish to note is that every alternate brood
of young contained an albino, pure white and with pink eyes ;
being three in all. Every time a new set of eggs was to be laid,
a new nest w^as built on the top of the old one. I once tore down
the whole pile, as it was infested with vermin, and found that
seven nests had been made, one upon another, showing that the
Mynas must have occupied the hole long before I noticed them.
Each nest was complete in itself and w'ell lined, and as Mynas are
not sparing of their materials, the accumulated heap was nearly
two feet deep. Every separate nest contained a piece of a snake’s
skin, and with reference to your remark on this point I may say
that every Myna’s nest that I have ever examined has had a piece
of snake-skin in it. This may, I think, be simply accounted for
by the fact of snake-skin lying about plentifully in those places
where Mynas mostly pick up their building-materials. The
breeding-season extends into September in Bombay ; and though
it usually begins in June, I found a nest of half-fledged young at
Khandalla on the 31st May, 1871.

380

STURKID2E.

“ With reference to your remarks in ‘ Nests and Eggs,’ that you
have never met with more than five eggs in a nest, I would mention
that T took six eggs from a nest in the roof of a house I occupied
at Akola, on the 20th June, 1870.

“At the same station in August 1869 a nest of young M 3 mas
was reared above the hinge of the semaphore signal at the railway-*
station. One or other arm of the signal must have risen and
fallen every time a train passed, but the motion neither alarmed
the birds nor disarranged the nest.”

Messrs. Davidson and Wenden remark of this Myna in the
Deccan:—“ Common, and breeds in May and June.”

Mr. J. Inglis, writing from Cachar, says :—“ The commonest of
all birds here. Breeds throughout the summer months. It makes
its nest generally in the roofs of houses or in holes in trees. It
lays about five eggs of a very pale blue colour.”

Finally, Mr. Oates writes from Pegu :—“ Commences making
nest about 15th March. I have taken eggs as late as I7th July,
but in this case the previous brood had been destroyed. Normally
no eggs are to be found after June.”

The eggs, which are larger than those of either Sturnopastor
contra or A, (jin cj ini amis ^ in other respects resemble these eggs
greatly, but when fresh are, I think, on the whole of a slightly
darker colour. They are rather long, oval, often pear-shaped,
eggs, spotless and brilliantly glossy, varying from very pale blue
to pure sky- or greenish blue.

In length they vary from 1*05 to 1*28, and in breadth from 0*8
to 0*95; but the average of ninety-seven eggs is 1*19 by 0*86.

550. Acridotheres melanosternus, Legge. The Common Ceylon

Myna.

Acridotheres melanosterniiS; Legge^ Hume, Cat. no. 684 bis.

Colonel Legge tells us, in his ‘ Birds of Ceylon,’ that this
species breeds in Ceylon from February until May, nesting
perhaps more in the month of March than in any other. It builds
in holes of trees, often choosing a cocoanut-palm which has been
hollowed out by a Woodpecker, and in the cavity thus formed
makes a nest of grass, fibres, and roots. I once found a nest in
the end of a hollow areca-palm which was the cross beam of a
swing used by the children of the Orphan School, Bonavista, and
the noise of whose play and mirth seemed to be viewed by the birds
with the utmost unconcern. The eggs are from three to five in
number; they are broad ovals, somewhat pointed towards the
small end, and are uniform, unspotted, pale bluish or ethereal
green. They vary in length from 1*07 to 1*2 inch and in breadth
from 0*85 to 0*92 inch.

“ Layard styles the eggs ‘ light blue, much resembling those of
the European Starling in shape, but rather darker in colour.’ ”

AORIDOTHEEES

381

551. Acridotheres gin^nianus (Lath.). The BanTc Myna.

Acridotheres ginginianus {LathX Jerd. B. ii, p.326; BLunie,
Rough Draft N, B. no. 685.

The Bank Myna breeds throughout the North-West Provinces
and Oudh, Behar, and Central Bengal, the greater portion of the
Central Provinces, and the Punjab and Sindh. Adams sajs it does
not occur in the Punjab; but, as Colonel C. H. T. Marshall correctly
pointed out to me years ago, and I have verified the facts, it breeds
about Lahore and many other places, and in the high banks of the
Beas, the Sutlej, the Jhelum, and the Indus, congregating in large
numbers on these rivers just as it does on the Jumna or the
Ganges.

It builds exclusively, so far as my experience goes, in earthen
banks and cliffs, in holes which it excavates for itself, always, I
think, in close proximity to water, and by preference in places
overhanging or overlooking running water.

The breeding-season lasts from the middle of April to the middle
of July, but I have found more eggs in May than in any other
month.

Pour is the usual number of the eggs ; I have found live, but
never more. If Theobald got seven or eight, they belonged to two
pairs ; and the nests so run into each other that this is a mistake
that might easily be made, even where coolies were digging into
the bank before one.

There is really no variety in their nesting arrangements, and a
note I recorded in regard to one colony that I robbed will, I think,
sufficiently illustrate the subject. All that can be said is that very
commonly they nest low down in earthy cliffs, where it is next to
impossible to explore thoroughly their workings, while in the in¬
stance referred to these were very accessible:—

“ One morning, driving out near Bareilly, we found that a colony
of the Bank Myna had taken possession of some fresh excavations
on the banks of a small stream. The excavation was about 10 feet
deep, and in its face, in a band of softer and sandier earth than the
rest of the bank, about a foot below the surface of the ground, these
Mynas had bored innumerable holes. They had taken no notice of
the workman who had been continuously employed within a few
yards of them, and who informed us that the Mynas had first
made their appearance there only a month previously. On digging
into the bank we found the holes all connected with each other, in
one place or another, so that apparently every Myna could get into
or out from its nest by any one of the hundred odd holes in the
face of the excavation. The holes averaged about 3 inches in dia¬
meter, and twisted and turned up and down, right and left, in a
wonderful manner; each hole terminated in a more or less well-
marked bulb (if I may use the term), or egg-chamber, situated
from 4 to 7 feet from the face of the bank. The egg-chamber was

382

STTTENIDJE.

floored with a loose nest of grass, a few feathers, and, in many
instances, scraps of snake-skins.

‘‘ Are birds superstitious, I wonder? Do they believe in charms?
If not, what induces so many birds that build in holes in banks to
select out of the infinite variety of things, organic or inorganic,
pieces of snake-skin for their nests? They are at best harsh, un-*
manageable things, neither so warm as feathers, which are ten times
more numerous, nor so soft as cotton or old rags, which lie about
broadcast, nor so cleanly as dry tvdgs and grass. Can it be that
snakes have any repugnance to their ‘ worn out w^eeds,’ that they
dislike these mementos of their fall and that birds which breed in
holes into which vsnakes are likely to come by instinct select these
exuviae as scare-snakes ?

‘‘ In some of the nests we found three or four callow young ones,
but in the majority of the terminal chambers were four, more or
less, incubated eggs.

I noticed that the tops of all the mud-pillars (which had been
left standing to measure the work by) had been drilled through and
through by the Mynas, obviously not for nesting-purposes, as not
one of them contained the vestige of a nest, but either for amuse¬
ment or to aifford pleasant sitting-places for the birds not engaged
iu incubation. Whilst we were robbing the nests, the whole colony
kept screaming and flying in and out of these holes in the various
pillar-tops in a very remarkable manner, and it may be that, after
the fashion of Lapwings, they thought to lead us away from their
eggs and induce a belief that their real homes were in the pillar
tops.’’

Colonel Gr. T. L. Marshall remarks :—This species breeds in the
Bolundshahr District in June and July. It makes its nest in a
hole in a bank, but more often in the*side of a kiicha or earthen
well. A number of birds generally breed in company. The nest
is formed by lining the cavity with a little grass and roots and a
few feathers. On the 8th July I found a colony breeding in a well
near Khoorjah, and took a dozen fresh eggs.”

W riting from Lucknow, Mr. Gr. Reid says :—During the breed¬
ing season it associates in large flocks along the banks of the Goointi,
where it nidificates in colonies in holes in the hanks of the river!
Prom some of these holes I took a few fresh eggs on the 15th May,
and again on the 30th June on revisiting the spot. In the district
it breeds in oM irrigation-wells and occasionally in ravines with good

st00p D3jH.ks*

Major 0. T. Bingham, writing from Allahabad, says :—Breeds
m June, JMy, and August in holes in sandy banks of rivers and
nuilahs.^^ Eggs, five in number, laid on a lining of straw and

* “ When the sn^e,” says an Arabic commentator, “ tempted Adam it
aynged animal To punish its misdeeds the Almighty depHveclitTfw^^
and condemned it thereafter to creep for ever on its belly, adding as a perpetual
remmder to it of its trespass, a command for it to cast its sHn yearly/’ ^

iETHIOPSAE.

383

Colonel E. A. Butler notes:—“ The Bank Myna lays about
Deesa in June and July. On the 26tb June I lowered a man down
several wells, finding nests containing eggs and nests containing
young ones, some nearly fledged. The nests are generally in holes
in the brickv’ork, often further in than a man can reach, and several
-pairs of birds usually occupy the same well. The eggs vary much
in shape and number. In some nests I foiiad as many as five, in
others only two or three. In colour they closely resemble the eggs
of A. tristis, but they are slightly smaller, the tint is of a decidedly
deeper shade, and the shell more glossy. July 5th, several nests,
some containing eggs, others young ones. July ISth, numerous
nests in wells and banks, some containing fresh, others incubated
eggs, and others young birds of all sizes. The eggs varied in num¬
ber from two to five. I took twenty-six fresh eggs and then
discontinued.”

Lieut. H. E. Barnes informs us that in Bajputana this Myna
breeds about May.

The eggs are typically, I think, shorter and proportionally broader
than those of other kindred species already described; very pyri¬
form varieties are, however, common. They are as usual spotless,
very glossy, and of different shades of very pale slyy- and greenish
blue. Although, when a large series of the eggs of this and each
of the preceding species are grouped together, a certain difference
is observable, individual eggs can by no means be discriminated,
and it is only by taking the eggs with one’s own hand that one can
feel certain of their authenticity.

In length they vary from 0*95 to IT6, and in breadth from
0*72 to 0*87; but the average of forty-seven eggs is 1*05 by 0*82.

552. .Ethiopsar fuscus (Wagl.). The Jungle Myna.

Acridotheres fuscus ( TFar/h), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 327: Hume. Rouqh
Draft N. ^ E. no. 686:

The Jungle Myna eschews the open cultivated plains of Upper,
Central, and Western India. It breeds throughout the Himalayas,
at any elevations up to 7000 feet, where the hills are not bare, and
in some places in the sub-Himalayan jungles. It breeds in the
plains country of Lower Bengal, and in both plains and hills of
Assam, Cachar, and Burma, and also in great numbers in the
ISTilgiris and all the wooded ranges and hilly country of the
Peninsula. The breeding-season lasts from March to July, but the
majority lay everywliere, I thinlv, in April, except in the extreme
north-w^est, where they are later.

Normally, they build in holes of trees, and are more or less
social in their nidification. As a rule, if you find one nest you
will find a dozen within a radius of 100 yards, and not unfrequently
within one of ten yards. But, besides trees, they readily build in
holes in temples and old ruins, in any large stone wall, in the
thatch of old houses, and even in their chimneys.

The nest is a mere lining for the hole they select, and varies in

384

STTIRH'IDiE.

size.and shape with this latter; fine twigs, dry grass, and feathers
are the materials most commonly used, the feathers being chiefly
gathered together to form a bed for the eggs; but moss, moss and
fern roots, flocks of wool, lichen, and down may often be found in
greater or less quantities intermingled with the grass and straw
which forms the main body, or with the feathers that constitute
the lining, of the nest. I have never found more than five eggs,
but Miss Cockburn says that they sometimes lay six.

From Murree, Colonel 0. H. T. Marshall writes :—“ This Myna,
which takes the place of A. trlstis in the higher hills, breeds always
in holes in trees. We found five or six nests in June and early in
July.’^

They breed near Solan, below Kussowlee, and close to Jerripani,
Captain Hutton’s place below Mussoorie, in both which localities I
have taken their nests myself.

Captain Hutton remarks :—“ This is a summer visitant in the
hills, and is common at Mussoorie diiriug that season ; but it does
not appear to visit Simla, although it is to be found in soine of the
valleys below it to the south. It breeds at Mussoorie in May and
June, selecting holes in the forest trees, generally large oaks, which
it lines with dry grass and feathers. The eggs are from three to
five, of a pale greenish blue, shape ordinary, but somewhat inclined
to taper to the smaller end. This species usually arrives from the
valleys of the Dhoon c4bout the middle of March; and, until they
begin to sit on their eggs, they congregate every morning and
evening into small flocks, and roost together in trees near houses;
m the morning they separate for the day into pairs, and proceed
with the building of nests or laying of eggs. After the young are
hatched and well able to flv, all betake themselves to the Dhoon in
July.”

In Kumaon I found them breeding near the Eamghur Iron¬
works, and, writing from Nynee Tal, Colonel G. F. L. Marshall
says that they “ breed very commonly at Bheem Tal (4000 Feet),
but I have not noticed them at ISlynee Tal. I took a great many
eggs; they were all laid in holes in rotten trees at a height of 2 to
8 feet from the ground; they average much smaller than the eggs
of A, tristis, but are similar in colour.”

Writing from ^sepal, Dr. bcully says :—“ This species is common
and a permanent resident in the Valley of Nepal, but does not occur
m such great numbers as A, tristis. It is also found in tolerable
abuudance in the Nawakot district and the Hetoura Dun in winter.
It breeds in the Valley in May and June, laying in holes in trees
or walls ; the eggs are very like those of A, tristis, but smaller—
not so broad. I noticed on two or three occasions an albino of
this species, which was greatly persecuted by the Crows.'’

Mr. G. Vidal remarks of this bird in the South Konkan
Exceedingly common. Breeds in May. The irides of all I have
seen were pale slate-blue.”

’’ writes Mr. Wait,
time from the end o

‘‘the Jungle Myna’s eggs
: February to the beginning

“ In the Nilgiris,
may be found at^ny

JETHIOPSAE.

385

of July. They nest in chimneys, hollow trees, holes iin stone
walls, &c., filling in the hole with hay, straw, moss, and twigs, and
lining the cavity with feathers. They lay from three to five long,
oval, greenish-blue eggs, a shade dai'her than those of the English
Starling.^’

^ Erom Kotagherry Miss Cockbiirn tells us that ‘‘ these Mynas
breed in the months of March and April, and construct their nests
(which consist of a few straws, sticks, and feathers put carelessly
together) in the holes of trees and old thatched houses. They lay
five or six eggs of a beautiful light blue, and are extremely careful
of their young. ' The nests of these birds are so common in the
months above mentioned that herd-boys have brought me more
than fifty eggs at a time.

About a year ago a pair took up their abode in my pigeon-cot,
and although the eggs were oft^n destroyed they would not leave
the place, but continued to lay in the same nest. At last one of
them was caught; the other went away, but returned the next day
accompanied by a new mate. At length the hole was shut up, as
they committed great depredations in the garden, and were useful
only in giving a sudden sharp cry of alarm when the Mhorimghee
Hawk-Eagle, a terrible enemy to Pigeons, made its appearance, thus
enabling the gardeners to balk him of his intended victim.”

Hr. Jerdon states that ‘‘it is most abundant on the Nilgiris,
where it is a permanent resident, breeding in holes in trees, making
a large nest of moss and feathers, and laying three to five eggs of
a pale greenish-blue colour.”

Mr/ C, J. *W. Taylor informs us that at Manzeerabad, in Mysore,
this Myna is common everywhere, and breeds in April and May.

Captain Horace Terry notes that in the Pulney hills the Jungle
Myna nests in April.

Mr. Eh odes W. Morgan, writing from South India, says in
‘ The Ibis ’:—“ It breeds on the Heilgherries in holes of trees. The
hole is filled up with sticks to within about a foot of the entrance,
and a smooth lining of paper, rags, feathers, &c. laid down, on
which are deposited from two to six light blue eggs. The young
are fed on small frogs, grasshoppers, and fruit. An egg measured
1*2 inch by *88. Breeds in May.”

At Dacca Colonel Tytler found them nesting in temples and
houses about the sepoy lines.

Mr. J. E. Cripps tells us that at Eurreedpore, in Bengal, this
species is “ pretty common, and a permanent resident. This
species associates with A. tristis, but is seen on trees aw’ay
from villages, which the latter never is. Prefers well-wooded
country, whereas A. tristis never goes into jungle. On the 29th
of June, 1877, I found a nest in a hole of a tree, about 12 feet off
the ground. The diameter of the entrance-hole was two and a half
inches, and inside it widened to six inches and about twenty inches
in depth. The nest was a uiere pad of grass and feathers, and
contained four very slightly incubated eggs. And again on the
17th July, seeing the hole occupied, I again sent up a hoy, who found

TOL. I. *25

380

STUENIBiB.

another four fresh eggs. The tree formed one of an avenue leading
from tlie house to the vats, and as men were always going along
the road it surprised me to find these birds laying there; the hole
had been caused by the heart of the tree rotting.’^

Mr. Oates remarks of this Myna in Pegu:—This bird does not
appear to lay till about the 15th April. I have taken the eggs,^
and I have seen numerous nests with young ones of various ages
in the middle of May. They breed by preference in lioles of
trees and occasionally in the high roofs of monastic buildings.’’

The eggs of this species, which I have from Mussoorie, Dacca,
Kumaon, and the Nilgiris, approximate closer to those of Acrido-
tlieres iristis than to those of A, (jim/iniamis. They are rather long
ovals, somewhat pointed usualty, but often pyriform. They are
perhaps, as a rule, somewhat paler than those of either of the
above-named species, and are of the usual spotless glossy type,
varying in colour from that of skimmed milk to pale blue or
greenish blue. Typically, I think, they are proportionally more
elongated and attenuated than those either of A, tristis, A.
(jinginianus^ or S. contra.

in length they vary from 1*03 to 1*31, and in breadth from 0*78
to 0*9 ; but the average of forty eggs is 1*19 by 0*83.

555. Sturnopastor contra (Linn.). The Pied Myna.

Sturnopastor contra (Linn.)j Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 323 ,* Iliirnc^ lloxiyh
Draft N. E, no. 683.

The Pied Pastor, or Myna, breeds throughout the North-Western
Provinces and Oadh, Bengal, the eastern portions of the Punjab and
Eajpootaua (it does not extend to the western portions nor to
Sindh), the Central Provinces, and Central India.

The breeding-season lasts from May to August, but the majority
of the birds lay in June and July. It builds in trees, at lieights of
from 10 to 30 feet, usually towards the extremities of lateral
brauches, constructing a huge clumsy nest of straw, grass, twigs,
roots, and rags, with a deep cavity lined as a rule with quantities
of feathers. Occasionally, but very rarely, it places its nest in
some huge hole in a great arm of a mango-tree. I have seen
inany hundreds of their nests, but only two thus situated.

As a rule these birds do not build in society, but at times, ‘
especially in Lower Bengal, I have seen a dozen of their nests on
a single tree.

The nest is usually a shapeless mass of rubbish loosely put to¬
gether, rough and ragged.

A note I recorded on one taken at Bareilly will illustrate sulll-
ciently the kind of thing:—

“ At the extremity of one of the branches of these same mango-
trees, a small truss of hay, as it seemed, at ouce caught every eye.
This was one of the huge nests of the Pied Pastor, and proved to be
some 2 feet in length and 18 inches in diameter, composed chiefly

STUBNOPASTOE.

387

of dry grass, but with a few twigs, many feathers, and a strip or
two of rags intermingled in the mass. The materials were loosely
put together, and the nest was placed high up in a fork near the
extremity of a branch. In the centre was a well-like cavity some
9 inches deep by 3| inches in dhimeter, at the bottom of which,
JJ^ongst many feathers, lay four fresh eggs.”

Pive is the full complement of eggs, but they very often lay only
four, and once in a hundred times six are met with.

Prom Hansie Mr. W, Blewitt writes that he ‘‘ found niiiuerous
nests during May and June. They were all placed on keekur-
trees, at heights of from 10 to 15 feet from the ground, the trees
for the most part being situated on the banks of a canal or in the
Dhana Beerh, a sort of jungle preserve.

“The nests were densely built of keekur and ziz 3 q)hus twigs,
and thickly lined with rags, leaves, and straw. Pive was the
greatest number of eggs that I found in any one nest.”

Writing of his experience in the Delhi and Jhansi Divisions, Mr. P.
B. Blewitt remarks that ‘‘ the Pied Pastor breeds from June to
August, making its nests between the outer branchlets of the
larger lateral branches of trees, without special choice for any o-iie
kind. The nest is altogether roughly made, though some ingenuity
is evinced in putting all the material of which it is composed to¬
gether, Twigs, grasses, rags, feathers, &c. are all brought into
requisition to form the large-made structure, which I have found,
though less commonly, at a higher altitude from the ground thau
the 8 or 10 feet Jerdon speaks of.”

Major C. T. Bingham writes :—“ Breeds in Allahabad in June,
July, and August; and at Delhi in May, June, and July. The
nest is a large shapeless mass of straw, feathers, and rags, having
a deep cavity for the eggs, which are generally five in number.
The nest is almost always placed at the extreme tip of some slender
branch, and there is no attempt at concealment.”

Mr. J. E. Cripps tells us that at Purreedpore, in Bengal, this
Myna is “ very common, and a permanent resident. They eat
fruit as well as insects. Lay in May and June, building their huge
nests at various heights from the ground, and in any tree that
conies in handy. I have generally found the nests lined with the
white feathers of the paddy-birds; some of the feathers being as
much as six and seven inches in length. The nests were composed
principally of doob-grass ; three to four eggs in each nest.”

Prom Cachar Mr. J. Inglis writes :—‘*The Pied Pastor is very
common all the year. It breeds during March, April, May, and
June, making its nest on any sort of tree about 15 feet or more
from the ground; about 100 nests may often be seen together.
It prefers nesting on trees on the open fields. I do not know the
number of its eggs.”

The eggs are typically moderately broad ovals, a good deal
pointed towards one end, but pyriform and elongated examples
occur ; in fact, a great number of the eggs are more or less pear-
shaped Like those of all the members of this subfamily, the eggs

25 '^

388

STUKNIDJE.

are blue, spotless, and commonly brilliantly glossy. In shade they
vary from a delicate bluish white to a pure, though somewhat pale,
sky-blue, and not uncommonly are more or less tinged with green.

They vary in length from 0*95 to 1*25, and in breadth from
0*75 to 0’9 ; but the average of one hundred eggs is ITl by 0*82
nearly. ^

556. Sturnopastor superciliaris, Blyth. The Burmese Pied Myna.

Sturnopastor superciliaris, BL, Mumej Bough Draft N. §• E. no. 083
bis.

Of the Burmese Pied Pastor, or Myna, Mr. Eugene Oates says
that it is common and resident throughout the plains of Pegu.
Writing from Wau he says :—

“ On the 2Sth of April, having a spare morning, I took a very
large number of nests and eggs. The eggs .were in various stages
of incubation, but the majority were freshly laid. On May 7th 1
took another nest with two eggs. These were quite fresh.

The nest is a huge cylindrical structure, about 18 inches long
and a foot in diameter, composed of straw, leaves, and feathers. It
is placed at a height of from 10 to 25 feet from the ground, in a
most conspicuous situation, generally at the end of a branch which
has been broken and where a few leaves are struggling to come
out. A bamboo-bush is also a favourite site. This Myna will,
by preference, build near houses, but in no case in a house; it
must have a tree.”

The eggs, w^hich I owe to Mr. Oates, are, as might be expected,
very similar indeed to those of our Common Pied Pastor, but they
seem to average somewhat smaller.

They are moderately broad ovals, a good deal pointed towards
one end, and in some cases more or less compressed there, and
slightly pyriform.

The specimens sent are only moderately glossy. In colour they
vary from very pale bluish green to a moderately dark greenish
blue, but the great majority are pale.

In length they vary from 1*0 to 1*1, and in breadth from 0*73 to
0*82 : but the average of fifteen^gggs is 1*04 by 0*77.

INDEX

abbotti, Tricliastoma,
103.

-, Turclinus, 103.

Abrornis albigularis, 275.

- albosuperciliaris,

38,270.

-castaneiceps, 272.

-chloronotus, 260.

-flaviventris, 273.

-poliogcuys, 272.

- schisticeps, 274,

276.

- superciliaris, 273,

275.

-xantlioschistoa, 271.

Acanthopneuste davisoni,
269.

-occipitalis, 267.

Aeanthoptila leucotis,
252.

-nepalensis, 252.

-pellotis, 252.

Accentor alpinus, 70.

-modularis, 70.

Acredula rosea, 36.
Acridotheres fuscus, 377,
383.

- ginginianus, 376,

380, 381, 386.

-melanosfcernns, 380.

-tristis, 66, 376, 377,

383, 384, 385, 386.
Acrocephalus agricola,
229.

arundinaceus, 224,
225.

-brunnescens, 224.

- diimetorum, 226,

228.

- stentoreus, 224,

250.

Actinodura egertoni, 136.

Actinodura nipalensis,
137.

iEgifcbaliscus erythroce-
phalus, 36.

u^githina tiphia, 151,
153, 332.

-zeylonica, 151, 153.

asmodium, Conostoina,
42.

aenea, Chaptia, 210, 212.
jEthiopsar fuscus, 383.
alRnis, Cypselus, 71.

-, Dumeticola, 229.

-, Sylvia, 256, 257.

-, Tribura, 230.

agricola, Acrocephalus,
229.

-, Calamodyta, 229.

albicollis, Rhynchops,
166, 378.

albifrontata, Rhipidura,
328, 332, 333, 334.

-Leucocerca, 152,

155.

albignlaris, Abrornis,
275.

-, Dumetia, 94.

-, Q-arrlilax, 45, 52,

/ 54,75,77,79.. ,
albirictus, Bucbanga,
198.

albiventris, Brachy-
pteryx, 128, ,131.

-Oalkne; 128.

-, Pnoepyga, 223.

albosuperciliaris, Abror¬
nis, 38, 270.

Alcippe atriceps, 107,
109.

- nepalensis, 104,

108.

-nigrifrons, 110.

Alcippe pbscocephala,
10(), 107.

-pbayrii, 108.

-poiocepliala, 106.

Alcurus striatiis, 169.
Allotrius melanotis, 151.

-ccnobarbus, 151.

alpinus, Accentor, 70.
Ainpeliceps coronatiis,
374.

ampelinus, Hypocolius,
162.

analis, Otocompsa, 186.

-, Pycnonotus, 186.

andamanensis, Oorvus, 4.
Anorthura neglecta, 221.
Aracbnecbthra asiatica,
142.

argentauris, Leiotbrix,
160.

-, Mesia, 160.

Argya caudata, 69, 70,
253, 254.

-earlii, 68, 69.

- malcolmi, 64, 70,

71, 72, 75, 78, 80.

-subruia, 74.

Artamus fuscus, 350,
372.

-leucogaster, 353.

-leucorhynchus, 353.

arundinacea, Salicaria,
95.

arundinaceus, Acrocepha¬
lus, 224, 225.
asiatica, Arachnechthra,
142.

assimilis, Neornis, 277,
278, 279.

ater, Dicrurus, 156, 198,
201,204,205, 209,217,
232, 242, 318, 361.

390

HjTDEX.

atricapillus, Molpastes,
173.

atrieeps, Alcippe, 107,
109.

-, Parus, 31, 35, 40,

198.

-, Bhopocichla, 109.

atrigularis, Orthotomus,
235, 275.

-, Suya, 277, 2S5.

auranfcia, Seena, 378.

bacti'iann., Pica, 13.
baclius, Micronisus, 76.
ha.ya, Ploceiis, 301.
beavaai, Prinia, 242.
belangeri, Garrulax, 48.
tengalensis, Graininicola,
248.

-, Molpastes, 174,

175,179,181.

Phringa remifer, 216.

-tectirostris, 216.

bi color, Pratincola, 328.
bispeciilaris, Garrulus,

27, 28, 29.

blanforcli, Prymoeca, 305.

-, Ixus, 190.

-, Prinia, 305.

-, Pycnoiiotus, 190.

bl 3 rthii, Sturnia, 371.

-, Teinenucbas, 371.

bourdilloni, Ehopocichla,
109.

Bi'aehypteryx albiventris,
128, 131.

-cruralis, 129.

-nipalensis, 130.

-palliseri, 131.

-ruliventris, 129,

131.

brcvirostris, Perieroco-
tus, 337.

brunnea, Larvivora, 127.
bninneifrons, Iloreites,
282.

brunneipeetus, Pumeti-
cola, 229.

-, Tribura, 230.

brunneseens, Acrocepha-
lus, 224.

brunneus, Ixus, 192.
biiclianani, Pranklinia,
240, 243, 244, 253,
255, 276, 277.
Puclianga albirictus,
198.

-intermedin., 208.

-leucopygialis, 209.

-longieaudatii, 203.

Piilaca newarensie, 206.

burmanicus, Molpastes,
173.

buriiesi, Laticilla, 247.
Burnesia gracilis, 287,

-lepida, 237.

burnesii, Earycercus, 247.

cachinnans, Troclialo-
pterum, 56, 60, 62, 63,
66, 73, 106.

cccrulatus, Pryonastes,
45, 46, 50.

cscrulescens, Pieruriis,
209.

cseruleus, Picrurn.s, 200.

-, Parus, 94,267.

cncsius, Parus, 31, 38.
Calamodyta agrieola,

229.

-dumetorum, 226.

-stentorea, 224.

caligata, Iduna, 254.
Callene albiventris, 128.

--rufiventris, 129.

callipyga, Leiotbrix, 147.
Calornis clialybeius, 367.
Campophaga melano-
schista, 345.

-sykesi, 346.

-terat, .348.^

caniceps, Collyrio, 318.

-, Lanins, 318, 320,

323, 328.

-, Megalacma, 197.

canifrons, Spizixus, 184.
eanorus, Crateropus, 64,
65, 71, 74.

-, Malacocercus, 73,

76.

cantator, Cryptolopha,
272.

capistrata, Lioptila, 133.

-, Sibia, 133.

capitalis, Hemipus, 328,
329.

Caprimulgus indicus,
207.

castanea, Merula, 60.
castaneiceps, Abrornis,

. 272.

-, Cryptolopha, 272.

--, Minla, 118.

-, Sittipariis, 118.

castaneicoronata, Oligu-
ra, 132.

castaneiventris, Sitta,
194.

castaneo-coronata, Tesia,
132.

eaiidata, Argya, 69, 70,
253, 254.

caiidata, Chatarrhsea,

70.

-, Pnoepyga, 222.

-, Urocicbla, 222.

CepUalopyrus flammi-
ceps, 161.

Certhia familiaris, 220%

-liimalayana, 220.

-hodgsoni, 220.

ceylonensis, Oriolus, 359,
360.

-, Zosterops, 145.

Chcetornis locustelloides,
252.

-striatiis, 2.51, 252.

chalybcius, Calornis, 367.
Chaptia mnea, 210, 212.
ChataiTbrca caudata, 70.

-earlii, 68.

Chibia liottentotta, 203,
208, 213, 217.
chinensis, Oissa, 17.
cbloronotus, Abrornis,
260.

-, Proregulus, 260.

Cbloropsis jerdoni, 155.
cbrysaia, Stachyrbis, 112.
chrysoeus, Liopai'us, 120.

-, Proparus, 120.

cbrysopterum, Trocbalo-
pteron, 57.

cbrysotis, Proparus, 120.
cinereicapilla,Franklinia,
246.

cinereifrons, Crateropus,
81.

-, Garrulax, 81.

cinereocapilla., Prinia,
246.

cinereus, Parus, 31, 32.
cinnamomeiventris, Sitta,
193.

cinnaraomeus, Passer, 38.
Cissa chinensis, 17.

-ornata, 19.

-sinensis, 17.

-speciosa, 17.

Cisticola cursitaiis, 236,
244,245,246.

-achoenicola, 236,

240.

-volitans, 236, 240.

Coccystes jaeobinus, 71,
77.

- - melanoleucus, 75.

76, SO.

Oolmus monedula, 12.
Collyrio caniceps, 318.

-erythronotus, 318.

-lahtora, 306.

-nigriceps, 315.

Conostoma scmoclium,
42.

contra, Stuniopastor,
376, 377, 380, 386.
Copsychus saularis, 343,
3i7.

qpmx, Corvus, 1.
coroiiatus, Ampeliceps,
374.

-Ortbotoinus, 282.

-, l^liyllergates, 282.

eorone, Corvus, 4.

Corvus andamauensis, 4.

-corax, 1.

-eorone, 4.

-culminatus, 4.

-ianpudicus, 8.

-insolens, 12.

-interraedius, 4.

-ja.poucnsis, 1.

-iawrenoii, 1.

-levaillantii, 4.

-litt oralis, 1.

-macrorhyuchus,4,8.

-monediila, 12.

-pseudo-corone, 4.

-splondens, 8, 12,

370.

-thibetanus, 1.

Orateropus canorus, 64,
65, 71, 74.

-cinereifrons, 81.

-griseus, 77, 78, 79.

-inalabaricus, 74,77,

78.

-rufescens, 81.

-somervillii, 78, SO.

-striatus, 79.

- terricolor, 72, 73,

74, 77, 78.

crepitans, QEdicnemus, 8.
Oriniger flaveolus, 163.

-, ictericus, 164, 185.

crinigera, Suya, 282, 285,
286.

cristatus, Lanius, 326,
327.

-, Parus, 261, 262,

267.

-, Begulus, 223.

cruralis, JBraebypteryx,
129.

-, Prymoebares, 129.

Crypsirbina varians, 25.
Oryptolopha cantator,
272.

-castaneiceps, 272.

-jerdoni, 271, 272.

-poliogenys, 272.

-xanthoschista, 270,

271, 272.

IlirDEX.

culminatus, Corvus, 4.

0 arnica garrula, 257.
curruca, Sterparola, 257.

-, Sylvia, 257.

cursitans, Cisticola, 236,
244, 245, 246.

-, Prinia, 240.

cyana, Larvivora, 127.
cyauiventris, Tesia, 131.
Oyanoderma erythropte-
rum, 115.

cyanuroplera, Siva, 138.-
Oypselus affinis, 71.

-palmariim, 327.

davisoni,AcantbopnGuste,

269.

-, Ixus, 188.

-, Pycnonotiis, 188.

Dendrocitta liimalayen-
sis, 17, 23.

-- leucogastra, 22.

-rufa, 17, 19.

— sinensis, 23.
Dendropbila frontalis,
196.

Dierurus ater, 156, 198,

201.204.205.209, 217,
232, 242, 318, 361.

-caerulescens, 209.

-cseruleiis, 209.

-bimalayanus, 206.

-leucopygialis, 209.

-longicaudatus, 22,

200.201.203.205.209,
210, 217, 326,

-macrocercus, 198.

-nigrescens, 208.

Pissemuroides lopborbi-
nus, 215.

Dissemurulus lopborbi-
nus, 215.

Pissemurus paradiseus,
214,217.

Prymooatapbus nigri-
capitatus, 102.

-tictelli, 103.

Prymoebares cruralis,
129.

-nepalonsis, 130.

Prymoeca blanfordi,
305.

-inornata, 256.

-insignis, 251.

-jerdoni, 300, 304,

-valida, 300.

Prymoica bengalensis,
248.

Prymoipus inornatus,
301.

-longicaudatus, 301.

391

Prymoipus neglectus, 209.

-sylvaticus, 290.

-terricolor, 301,

302.

Pryonastes cceriilatiis, 45,
46, 50.

-ruficollis, 45.

dubius, Proparus, 117.

-Scbociiipai’us, 117.

Pumetia albigularis, 91.

-hyperytbra, 02,

115.

Pumetieola afBnis, 229.

-bmnneipectus, 229.

-fortipes, 279.

dumetorum, Acrocepba-
lus, 22G, 228.

-, Calamodyta, 226.

earlii, Argya, 68,69.

-, Chatarrbs3a, G8.

egertoni, Actinodura,
136.

Elapbrornis palliseri,
131.

emeria, Otocompsa, 177,
178, 180, 183.
eremita, Graculus, 31.
erytbrocephalum, Tro-
cbalopterum,55,58, GO,
66 .

erytbrocepbaliis, AiJgitba-
lisciis, 36.

erythrogenys, Pomato-
rbinus, 87, 88.
erythronotus, CoUyrio,
318.

-, Lanius, 307, 310,

313,314,315,316,318,
320, 322,323,325,326,
335,348.

erytbroptera, ?Iirafra,
253.

erytbropterum, Cyano-
derma, 115.

erytbropterus, Pteru-
tbius, 150.

erytbropygius, Pericro-
cotus, 344.

Esacus recurvirostris, 8.
Eudynamis orientalis, 9.
eugenii, Myiopboneus,
123.

Eulabes intermedia, 3G5.

-javanensis, 365.

-ptilogenys, 366.

-rebgiosa, 363, 3G5.

earopsea, Sitta, 193.
Eurycercus burnesii, 247.
excubitor, Lanius, 310,
312.

392

INDEX.

fairbanki, Troelialopte-
, i‘um, 64.

familiaris, Certliia, 220.
ferrea, Pratincola, 300.
ferrugilatusj Pomatorlii'
nus, 88.

ferruginosus, Pomato-
I'hiniis, 82, 86.
finlaysoni, Ixus, 187.

-, Pycnouotus, 187,

188.

flammeus, Pericrocotus,
336.

flammiceps, Cepbalopy-
rus, 161.

flaveolus, Criniger, 163.
flavicollis, Ixnlus, 145.

-, Pas.ser, 247.

flayirostris, Urocissa, 16,
17,27.

flayiventris, Abrornis,
273.

-, Otocompsa, 188.

-, Prinia, 91, 289.

-, Pycnonotus, 183.

-, Pubigula, 183.

flayoliyaceus, Neornis,
277,278.

fortipes, Dumeticola, 279.

-, Horornis, 277, 278,

279.

Franklinia buehanani,
240,243, 244, 253, 255,
276,277.

-cinereicapilla, 246.

gracilis, 240.

-rufesceiis, 242.

Fregilus hirr.alayensis,

frontalis, Dendrophila,
196. '

-, Sitta, 196.

fuliginosa, Suya, 235.
falyiyenter, Horornis,
259, 260.

fuscatus, Phylloscopus,
259, 260,

fuscicapillum, Pollor-
neum, 102.

fuscicanclata, Otocompsa,
177, ISO, 182, 187.
fiiscus, Acridotheres,
377, 383.

-, ALthiopsar, 383.

-, Artamus, 350, 372.

galbnla, Orioliis, 356.
Gampsorliynchiis rufn-
lus, 44.

ganeesa, Hypsipetes, 167.
garriila, Ourruca, 257.

Garrulax albigiilaris, 45,
52, 54, 75, 77, 79.

-bo.langeri, 48.

-cinereifrons, 81.

--leucolophus, 47-

-moniliger, 49, 50.

-ocellatus, 54.

-pectoralis, 49, 51.

-rulicollis, 45.

Garrulus bispecularis, 27,
28,29.

-glandariiis, 23.

-lanceolatiis, 17, 19,

26, 29, 30.

-leucotis, 28.

Gecinus nigrigenys, 28.
ginginianus, Acrido¬
theres, 876, 380, 381,
386.

glandarius, Gtirruliis, 28.
Glareola lactea, 378.
gracilis, Burnesia, 287.

-, Franklinia, 240,

-, Lioptila, 135.

-, Malacias, 135.

-, Prinia, 240.

-, Sibia, 135.

Graculipica nigricollis,
377.

Graculus eremita, 31.
Graminicola bengalensis,
248.

Gramm atoptila striata,
67.

Grancaliis macii, 159,
346, 347, 348, 349.
griseus, Crateropus, 77,
78, 79.

-, Malacocercus, 78.

gularis, Mixornis, 116.

-, Paradoxornis, 44.

-, Scaiorhynchus, 44.

•-, Yuhina, 139.

haimorrhous, Molpastes,
169, 173, 175, 177,
17S:

-, Pycnonotus, 169.

haplonotus, Machlolo-
pbus, 39. '

hardwickii, Lanins, 311.
Hemipteron nepalensis,
99.

Hemipns capitalis, 328,
329.

-picaicolor, 329.

-picatus, 327, 329,

330,345.

liemispila, Nucifraga, 30.
Heraixus niacclellandi,
168.

Hierocoecyx variiis, 75,
76, 79.

himalayana, Oerthia, 220.
bimalayanus, Dicrurus,
206.

himalayensis, Dendro-
citta, 17, 23. •

-, Fregilus, 31.

-, Sitta, 192.

Hirundo rustica, 147.
liodgsoni, Oerthia, 220.

-, Prinia, 240.

Horeites brnnneifrons,
282.

-major, 281.

-pailidipes, 281.

-pallidus, 280.

Horornis fortipes, 277,
278, 279.

-fulvi venter, 259,

260.

-major, 281.

-paliidipes, 281.

-pallidus, 280.

liorsileldi, Myiophoneiis,

horafieldii, Pomatorhi-
niis, 84.

hottentotta, Ohibia, 203,
208, 213, 217.
humii, Phylloscopus, 261,
262, 2(^3, 264, 207,
268, 269.

-, Reguloides, 262.

-, Sturnus, 369.

byperythra, Dumctia, 92,
115.

Plypocolius ampelinus,
162.

Hypolais rama, 254, 255,
256.

Hypsipetes ganeesa, 167.

-macclellandi, 168.

-neilgherriensis, 167.

-ps«aroides, 164, 168,

205, 208.

lanthocincla ocellata, 54.

-rufigularis, 54.

icterica, lole, 185.
ictericus, Oriniger, 164,
185.

Iduna caligata, 254.
igneitincta, Minla, 1(>1.
imbricatum, Trocha-
lopteruin, 64.
iinpudicus, Corvus, 8.
indica, Pratincola, 129.
indicus,Caprimulgus, 207.

-, Metopidius, 77.

-, Passer, 267.

INDEX.

893

inornata, Drymoeca,

25(5.

-, Priiiia^ 235, 301,

305.

inornatus, Drymoipus,
301.

jiiquieta, Seotocerca, 276.
insigiiis, Drymoeca, 251.
iusolens, Corvus, 12.
intermedia, Duclia-nga,
208.

•-, Eulabes, 365.

intermedius, Corvus, 4.

-, JVIolpastes, 175.

lole icterica, 185.
lora tipliia, 153.

-zeylanica, 151, 152,

153.

Irena puella, 157, 158,
159.

Ixops nepalensis, 137.
Ixiilus flavicollis, 145.

-occipitalis, 145.

Ixus blaiitdrdi, 190.

-brumieus, 192.

-davisoni, 188.

-fiiilaysoni, 187.

-luteolus, 189.

-plumosus, 191.

jacobinus, Ooccystes, 71,

77. •

japonensis, Corvus, 1.
javanensis, Eulabes, 365.
javauica. Sterna, 378.
jerdoni, Ohloropsis, 155.

-, Cryptolopha, 271,

272.

-, Drymoeca, 300,304.

-, Macblolopliu.s, 39.

-, Pbyllornis, 155,

156.

-, Prinia, 304.

jocosa, Otocompsa, 178.

khasiana, Suya, 286.
kundoo, Oriolus, 143,
150, 354,360, 361, 362.

lactea, Glareola, 378.
lahtora, Collyrio, 306.

-, Lanius, 22, 306,

307, 308, 309, 310,
312, 313,315,320, 321,

322, 323, 334, 349,
350.

Lalage terat, 348.
lanceolatiis, Garrulus, 17,
19, 26, 29, 30.

Lanius caniceps, 318,320,

323, 328.

-cristatus, 320, 327.

Lanius crythronotiis, 307,
310, 313,314,315,310,
318, 320,322,323,325,
326, 335, 348.

-excubitor, 310, 312.

-hardwickii, 311.

-lalitora, 22, 306,

307,308,309,310,312,
313, 315,320,321, 322,
323, 334, 349, 350.

-nigriceps, 315, 316,

326.

-tepbronotiis, 325,

326.

-vittatus, 199, 311,

335,348.

Larvivora brimnea, 127.

-cyana, 127.

Laticilia burnesi, 247.
lawrencii, Corvus, 1.
Layardia rufescens, 81.

-subrufa, 74.

Leiothrix argentauris,
160.

-callipyga, 147.

lepida, Bumesia, 287.

-, Prinia, 287.

leucocepbalus, Tantalus,
370,371.

Leucocerca albifrontata,
152, 155.

leucogaster, Artamus,363.
leucogastra, Dendrocitta,
22 .

leucogenys, Molpastcs,
175, 178, ISO, 183.

-, Otocompsa, 175.

leucoloiDhus, Gurrulax,
47.

leucopsis, Sitta, 196.
leucopterus, Platysmurus,
26.

leucopygialis, Bucbanga,
209.

-, Dicrurus, 209.

leucorbynchus, Artamus,
353.

leucorodia, Platalea, 370,
371-

leucotis, Acantboptila,
252.

-, Garrulus, 28.

-, Molpastes, 177,

179, 180, 183.

-, Otocompsa, 177.

levaillantii, Corvus, 4.
lineatum, Trocbalo-
pterum, 55, 64, 66, 77.
Lioparus cbrysinus, 120.
Lioptila capi strata, 133.

-gracilis, 135.

-melanoleuca, 135.

Liothris Intca, 114, 119,
147,160.

littoralis, Corvus, 1.
locustelloides, Chmtornis,
252.

longicauda, Ortbotomus,
231, 291.

longicaudata, Bucbanga,
203.

longicaudatus, Dicrurus,
22, 200, 201, 203, 205,
209, 210, 217, 326.

-, Drymoipus, 301.

longirosbris, IJpupa, 28.
Lopbophanes melano-
lopbus, 40, 266.

-rufinucbalis, 42.

lopborbinus, Disseinu-
roides, 215.

-, ])issemiirubiR, 215.

lutea, Liotbrix, 147, 160.
lutcivcutris, Tribura, 231.
luteolus, ixus, 189.

-, Pyciionotus, 189.

luteus, Liotbrix, 114,119.

macclellandi, Hemixus,
168.

-, Hypsipetes, 168.

macgrigorise, Niltava,
129.

Macblolopbus baplono-
tus, 39.

-jerdoni, 39.

-spilonotus, 37.

-xantbogenys, 38.

macii, Graucalus, 159,
346, 347, 348, 349.
macrocercus, Dicrurus,
198.

macrorbynchus, Corvus,
4, 8.

magnirostris, IJroeissa,
15.

major, Horeites, 281.

-, Horornis, 281.

-, Parus, 156.

malabarica, Sturnia, 371,
372.

malabaricus, Crateropus,
74, 77, 78.

-, Malacocercus, 74.

-, Temenuclms, 61.

Malacias gracilis, 135.

- melanoleucLis, 135.

Malacocercus canorus,
73, 76.

-griseiis, 78.

-malabaricus, 74.

-malcolmi, 72.

-somervillei, 80.

-striatus, 79, 81.

394

INDEX.

Malacoccrcus terricolor,
73, 74.

malcolmi, Argya, 04, 70,
71, 72, 75, 78, 80.

-, Malacocercus, 72.

mandellii, Pellorneum,

99 .

Megaljunia canieeps, 197.
Megalainia vii’idis., 33.
Megalurus palustris, 249,
2r)0, 251.

raelauiclerus, Pycnono-
tiis, ISS.

-, Riibignla, 188 .

melanocephalus, Oriolus,
359, 3{)0, 301, 303.
melanoleuca, Lioptila,
135.

melanoleucuij, Ooecystcs,
75, 76, SO.

-, Malacias, 135.

melanolophus, Lopho-
pbanes, 40, 266.
melanopa, Stoparola, 186.
raelanoschista, Campo-
phaga, 345.

melanosternus, Acrido-
theres, 380.

melanotis, Allotrius, 151.

-, Pteruthius, 151,

melanurus, Pomatorhi-
nus, 83.

melascliistos, Yolvoci-
vora, 345.

Merula castanea, 60.

-si minima, 343.

-vulgaris, 122, 137-

Mesia argentauris, 160.
Metopidius indiciis, 77.
Micronisus badius, 76.
Miula castaneiceps, 118.

-igneitincta, 161.

minor, Sturnus, 370.
minus, Trichastoina, 103.
Miratra erythroptera,
253.

Mixornis gidaris, 116.

- rubricapillus, 115,

116.

modularis, Accentor, 70.
Molpastes atricapillus,
173.

- bengalensis, 174,

175, 179, 181.

-burmanicus, 173.

- licemorrhous, 169,

173, 175, 177, 178,
251.

-intermedius, 175.

-leucogenys, 175,

178, 180, 183.

Molpastes leucotis, 177,
179, 180, 1S3.

-pusillus, 169-

-pj'gmseus, 174.

monedula, Oobcus, 12.

-, Corvus, 12.

moniliger, Grarrulax, 49,
50.

monticola, Parus, 34,
35, 38.

Muscicapula supercili-
ari.s, 2()S.

musicus, Turdus, 56.
Myiophoneus eiigenii,
123.

-liorsHeldi, 124.

-teinudiicki, 120, 129,

162.

Myzornis pyrrhura, 155.

nasalis, Pyctorbis, 98.
neglecta, Anortliura, 221.

-, Sitta, 193.

-, Troglodytes, 221.

noglectus, Drymoipus,
299.

neilgherriensis, HviDsi-
petes, 167.

nemoricola, Sturnia, 373.
Neornis assimilis, 277,
278. 279.

- llavolivaceus, 277,

‘ 278.

nepalensis, Acantlioptila,
252.

-, Alcippe, 104, 108.

-, Drymochares, 130.

-Ixops, 137-

newarensis, Pulaca, 206.
nigi*escens, Dicrurus, 208.
nigricapitatus, Drymoca-
taphus, 102.
nigriceps, Collyrio, 315.

-, Lanius, 315, 316,

326.

-, Stacbyrbis, 110,

112, 113.

nigrifrons, Alcippe, 110.

-, Eliopocichla, 110.

nigrigenys, Grecinus, 28.
nigrimentum, Tiochalo-
pterum, .57, 136.

-, Yuliina, 139.

nigrorufa, Ocbromela,
115.

Niltava macgrigorise,

129.

nipalensis, Actiuodura,
137.

-, Brachyptoryx, 130.

-, Hemipteron, 99.

nipalensis, Pellorneum,
99.

-Troglodytes, 221.

nitens, Stui-nus, 369.
I7ucifi*aga heniispila, 30.

oeeip)italis, Acantlio- ^
pneuste, 267.

-, Ixuliis, 145.

-Eeguioides, 259,

207.

-, Urocissa, 14, 17,

24.

ocellata, lantliocincla,
54.

ocella-tns, Garrulax, 54.
ochroeephalus, Tracliyco-
TTJIIS, 184.

Ocliromela nigroruia,
11.5.

GEdicnemus crepitans, 8.
cenobarbus, Allotrius,

1.51.

OliffLira eastaneicoronata,
132.

olivacous, Pomatorhinus,
82, S3,

orientalis, Eudynamys, 0.
Oriolus ceyloneusis, 359,
3GO.

-galbula, 356.

- kimdoo, 143, 150,

354, 360, 361, 362.

- melanoceplialus,

359, 3()0, 361, 363.

- traillii, 362.

ornata, Cissa, 19.
Ortlibtomus atrigularis,
235, 275.

-coroiiatus, 282.

- longicaiida, 231,

291.

- sufcorius, 231, 238,

242, 295, 296.
Otoeoinpsa analis, 186.

- emeria, 177, 178,

180, 183.

-llaviventris, 183.

-fuscicaudata, 177,

ISO, 182, 187.

-jocosa, 178.

-leucogenys, 175.

-leucotis, 177.

pagoclarum, Temenuebus,
374, 376.

pallidipes, Horeites,
281.

■-, Horornis, 281.

pallid us, Horeites, 280.
-, Horornis, 280.

IJTDEX.

395

palliseri, Erachypteryx,
131.

-, Elaphrornis, 131.

palmarum, Cypselus,
327.

palpebrosus, Zosterops,

9 67, 140, 142, 144.
paliistris, Megalurus, 249,
250, 251.

-, Parus, 34, 94.

paracliseus, Dissemuriis,
214, 217.

paradisi, Terpsiphonc,
332.

Paradoxornis gularis,

44.

-riificeps, 43.

Parus atriccps, 31, 35,
40, 19S.

-cfBruleus, 94, 267.

-eii3siiis, 31, 38.

-cinerciis, 31, 32.

-cristatus. 261, 262,

267.

-major, 156-

-monticola, 34, 35,

38.

-palustris, 34, 94.

Passer ci imam omens, 38.

-flavicollis, 247.

-indicus, 267.

Pastor roseus, 368, 371.
poctoralis, Garrulax, 49,
51.

Pellorneum fuscicapil-
lum, 102.

-mandcllii, 99.

-nipalensis, 99.

-riificeps, 99,100,

-subochraccum, 100.

pellotis, Acantlioptila,
252.

pelvicLis, Tepbrodornis,
330.

percgrinus, Pcricroeotus,
339, 344.

Pericrocotus breYirostris,
337.

-erytbropygius, 344.

-flammeus, 336.

-peregrinus, 339,

344.

-roseus, 338.

-speciosiis, 335.

pbacocepbala, Alcippe,
106,107.

pbayrii, Alci^Dpe, 108.
pboeniceum, Trocbalo-
pterum, 58.

Phyllergates coronatus,
282.

Phyllopncustc rama,

254.

Phyllornis jerdoni, 155,
i5().

Phylloscopus fuscatus,
269, 260.

-humii, 261, 262,

263, 264, 267, 268,
209.

-prorcguln8,260,261,

262.

-rufa, 267.

-sibilatrix, 260, 264.

—^ subviridis, 262.

-supcrciliosiis, 260.

-trochilus, 265, 2()6,

267.

-tj'tleri, 258.

-viridanus, 258, 259.

- viridipeunis, 269.

Pica bactriana, 13.

-rustica, 13.

pica?color, Plemipiis, 329.
picaoidcs, Sibia, 132.
picatus, Heuiipus, 327,
320, 330, 345.
pileata, Timelia, 90, 91.
Platalea leucorodia, 370,
371.

Platysmurus leucoptcrus,
26.

platyiira, Schoenicola,
251.

Ploceus baya, 301.
pliimosus, Xxus, 191.

-, Pycnonotus, 191.

Pnoepyga albiveutris,
223.

-caudata, 222.

-pusilla, 132.

-squainata, 223.

poiocepliala, Alcippe,
106.

poliogenya, Abrornis,
272.

-, Cryptolopba, 272.

Pomatorbiuiis erythro-
geuys, 87, 88.

-ferrugilatus, 88.

-ferruginosiia, 82,86.

-borsfieldii, 84.

-melanurus, 83.

-olivaceus, 82, 83.

-riificollis, 87.

-schisticeps, 81.

pondicerianus, Tepbrod-
ornis, 332.

porpbyronotus, Sturnns,
370.

prmcognita, Stacbyris,

Pratincola bieolor, 328.

-ferrca, 300.

-indiea, 129.

Prinia beavani, 242.

-blaufordi, 305.

-cinerocapilla, 246.

-cursitans, 240.

-flaviventris, 91, 289.

-gracilis, 240.

-hodgsoni, 240.

-inornata, 235, 301,

305.

-jerdoui, 304.

-lepida, 287.

-socialis, 230, 242,

291, 293, 295, 304.

-sonitans, 292.

-stewarti, 2-K), 201,

294, 295, 296, 297.

-sylvatica, 290.

Propariis dubius, 117.

-cbrysicus, 120.

-chrysotis, 120.

-viuipeotiis, 119.

pro regains, Phylloscopus,
260, 261,262.

-, Rcguloidcs, 260.

Psaroglossa spiloptera,
158,161.

psaroides, Ilypsi petes,

164,168, 205, 208.
pseudo-coronc, Ci)rvus,4.
Pterutbius orytbroptorus,
150.

-melanotis, 151.

ptilogenys, Ealabes, 366.
puella, Irena, 157, 158,
159.

pusilla, Pnoepyga, 132.
pusillus, Molpastes, 1(>9.
Pycnonotus analis, 186.

-blanfordi, 190.

-davisoiii, 18S.

-finlaysoni, 187,188.

-flaviventris, 183.

-lioemorrlious, 169.

-luteolus, 189.

-melanicterus, 188.

-plumosns, 191.

-pygams, 174.

-simplex, 192.

Pyctorhis nasalis, 98.

-sinensis, 94, 95,

107.

pygseus, Pycnonotus, 197.
pygma3us, Molmstos,
174.

pyrrbops, Stacliyi'is, 114.

-, Stacliyrbidopsis,

114.

pyrrhura, Myzornis, 155.

396

index.

ram a, Hypolais, 254,2o5,
356.

-, Pbyllopneuste, 254.

recnrvirostris, Esacus, 8.
Beguloides chloroiiotus,
260.

-liiimii, 262.

-occipitalis, 259, 267.

-proregiilus, 260.

-subviriclis, 262.

- superciliosus, 262,

203.

-Tiridipennis, 260.

Regains cristatua, 223.
religiosa, Eulabes, 363,
365.

remifer, Rhringa, 216.
Rhipidui’a albifrontata,
328, 332, 333, 344.
Eliopociehla atriceps,
109.

-bourdilloni, 109.

-nigi'ifrons, 110.

'Rhyncliops albicoUis,
166,37s.

rosea, Acredula, 36.
roseus, Pastor, 368,
371.

--, Fericrocotus, 338.

Rubigula flaviveiitris,
183.

-melanicterus, 188.

rubricapillns, Mixornis,
115, 116.

rufa, Dendrocitta, 17,
19.

-, Phylloscopus, 267.

rufesceiis, Crateropus,
81.

-, Franklinia, 242.

-, Layardia, 81.

rufi ceps, Paradoxornis,
43.

-, Pellorneum, 99,

100 .

-, ScjEorhyncbus, 43.

-, Staebyrhidopsis,

112 .

-, Stachyris, 112.

ruficollis, Garrulax, 45.

-—, Dryonastes, 45.

-, Pomatorhiuus, 87.

rufigiilaris, lanthocincla,
54-

rufinucbalis, Lopliopha-
nes, 42.

rufiventris, PracbyiDteryx,
129,131.

-, Callene, 129.

rufogulare, Trochalopte-
ron, 54.

rufulus,Gampsorhynclius,

44.

rustica, Hirundo, 147.

-, Pica, 13.

Euticilla tithys, 269.

Salicaria arundiiiacea, 95.
Sal^^ornis spilonota, 220.
Saroglossa spiloptera,
161.

saiilaris, Copsychus, 343,
347.

Seaiorhyncbiis gularis,
44.

-rufieeps, .43.

schisticeps, Abrornis, 274,
276.

-, Pomatorliinus, 81.

schoenicola, CisLicola,
236,240.

Schoenicola platyura, 251.
Schoeniparus dubius, 117.
Scotocerca inquieta, 276.
Seena aurantia, 378.

Sibia capistrata, 133.

-gracilis, 135.

-picaoides, 132.

sibilatrix, Phylloscopus,
260,264.

simile, Trochalopterum,
60.

simillima, Merula, 343.
sim)Aex, Pycnonotus,

sinensis, Cissa, 17.

-, Bendrocitta, 23.

-, Pyctorhis, 94, 95,

107.

-, Brocissa, 14.

Sitta castaneiventris,
194.

-cinnamomeixentris,

193.

—— europaea, 193.

-frontalis, 190.

-himalayensis, 192.

-lencopsis, 196.

-neglecta, 193.

-tephronota, 195.

Sittiparus castaneiceps,
118.

Siva cyanuroptera, 138.

-strigula, 114, 137.

soeialis, Prinia, 230, 242,
291, 293, 295, 304.
somer villei, Malacocercus,
80.

soinervillii, Crateropus,
78, SO.

sonitans, Prinia, 292.
speciosa, Cissa, 17.

speciosa, Pcricrocotus,
335.

spilonota, Salpornis, 220
spilonotus, Machlolo-
phiis, 37.

spiloptera, Saroglossa,
161. •'

-, Psaroglossa, 158,

161.

Spizixiis canifrons, 184.
splendens, Corvus, 8, 12.
379.

squainata, Pnoepyga,

223.

squamatum, Trochalo-
ptenim, 61.

Stachyrliidopsis pyr-
rhops, 114.

-ruficeps, 112.

Stachyrhis chrysma, 112.

-nigriceps, 110, 112,

113.

-prmcognita, 112,

-pyri’hops, 114.

-ruficejDS, 112.

stentorea, Calamoclyta,

224.

stentoreus, Acrocepbaliis,
224, 250.

Sterna javanica, 378.
Sterparola curruca, 257.
steward, Prinia, 24(),
291, 294, 295, 200,
297.

Stoparola melanops, 186.
striata, Gramniatoptila,
67.

striatus, Alcunis, 169.

-, Chsetornis, 251,

252.

-, Crateropus, 79.

-, Malacocercus, 79,

81.

strigula, Siva, 114, 137.
Sturnia blythii, 371.

- malabarica, 371,

372.

-nemoricola, 373.

Sturnopastor contra, 376,
377, 380, 386.

-supereiliaris, 388.

Sturnus humii, 3(>9.

-minor, 370.

•-nitens, 369.

-porphyronotus,

370.

-unicolor, 369.

-vulgaris, 162, 369,

370,

siibochraceum, Pollor-
ueum, 100.

INDEX.

397

subrufa, Argya, 74.

-, Layardia, 74.

subunicolor, Troclialo-
pterum, 50.

subviridis, PIijlloscopus,

-Heguloides, 2G2.

siCJ^erciliaris, Abrornis,
273, 275.

-, Museicapula, 2G8.

-Sfcurnopastor, 388.

-, Xiphorhamphus,

89.

superciliosus, Pliyllosco-
pus, 260.

-, Peguloicles, 262,

263.

sutorius, Orthotomus,
231, 238, 242, 295,
296.

Suya atrigularis, 277,

285.

-crinigera, 282, 285,

286.

-fuligiiiosa, 235.

-tbasiana, 286.

sykesi, Cumpophaga,
346,

sykesii, Volvocivora, 346.
sylvatica, Priuia, 290.
sylvaticus, Dryuioipus,
299.

Sylvia afTuiis, 256, 257.

-curruca, 257.

sylvicola, Tepbrodornis,

331.

Tantalus leucocephalus,

370, 371.

tectirostris, Ehringa, 216.
Temeuiichus blytliii,

371.

-malabaricus, 61.

- pagodarum, 374,

376.

temmincki, Myiophoneus,
120, 129, 162.
Tephrodornis pelvicus,
330.

- pondicerianus,

332.

-sylvicola, 331.

tepbronota, Sitta, 195.
tephronotua, Lauius, 325,
326;

terat, Campophag<a, 348.

-, Lalage, 348.

Tergsiphoiie paradisi.

terri color, Crateropus,

72, 73, 74, 77, 78.

-, Drymoipus, 301,

302.

-, Malacocercus, 73,

7A

Tosia castanoo-coroiiata,
132.

-cyaniveiitris, 131.

Thamnobia cambaiensis,
343.

tbibetaniis, Gorvus, 1.
thoraeicM, Tribura, 220.

230, 231.

tickclli, Drymocatap]Ills,
103.

Timolia pilcata, 00, 01.
tiphia, u'EgiUiiiia, 151,
153, 332.

-, lora., 153.

titliys, Puticilla, 260.
Trachycoinus ocbroce-
pbalua, 184.
traillii, Oriolus, 362.
Tribura alliius, 230.

-brimneipectus, 230.

-luteivontris, 231.

-tlioracica, 220, 230,

231.

Trichastonia abbotti, 103.

-minus, 103.

tristis, Acridothores, 66,
376,377,383,384, 385,
3S(),

Trocbalopterum each in-
nans, 56, 60, ()2, 63,
66, 73, 106.

-cbrysoptcrurn, 57.

- orythrocepbalum,

55, 58, 60, ()G.

-fair ban la, 64.

-iiubricatum, 64.

-lineatum, 55,64,66,

77.

- nigriniontum, 57,

136.

-phoenicemn, 58.

-rufogularo, .54,

-simile, 60.

-squamatum, 61.

-subiinicolor, 50.

-variegatum, 56, 59,

66 .

trocliilus, Phylloscopus,
265, 2(56, 2(>7.
Troglodytes neglecta,
221 .

-nipaleiisis, 221.

Tiirdiuus abbotti, 103.

Turdus musicus, 56.
tytleri, Phylloscopus,

iinieolor, Sturnus, 369.
Upupa loiigirostris, 28.
Urociehla caudata, 222.
Urocissa llavirostris, 16,
17, 27.

-magniros(ris, 15.

- occipitalis, 14, 17,

24.

-sinensis, 14.

valida, Dryniocca, 300.
varians, Ciypsirbina, 25.
variegatum, Trocbalo-
pteriim, 56, 59, 66.
variiis, Hicrococcyx, 75,

_ 7(), 70.

viuipeetus, Propanis,

no.

viridanus, Phylloscopus,
258, 250.

viridipennis, Phyllosco¬
pus, 2()0.

-, Reguloides, 260.

viridis, Mcgalaiina, 33.
vittatus, Lanius, 100,311,
335, 348.

volitans, Cisticola, 236,
240.

Volvocivora roelaschisios,

34i>,

•-sykesii, 340.

vulgaris, Morula, 122,
137.

-, StuniuB, 162, 360,

370.

xanthogenys, Machlolo-
pluis, 38.

xaiithoschista, Cry])tolo-
pha, 270, 271, 272.

xanthoschistos, Abrornis,
271.

Xiphorhamphus super-
ciiiaris, 89.

Yuhina gularis, 130.

-nigriiiientum, 130.

zeylonica, -Egitbina, 151,
153.

-, lova, 151,152,153.

Zostcrops coylonensis,
145.

-palpobrosLis, 67,

140, 142, 144.

PlilNTED

BY TA.YLOE AND EEANCIS, EED LION

COUilT, ELEET STllEET.