NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA. 133 



by flu 1 beginning of Tunc numbers of young arc to be seen about, 

 and by the 1st July most of the eggs then remaining are hard set. 

 The majority of the birds lay in June, early or late according to 

 season. 



" In shape and general appearance they are very lapwing-like, 

 reminding one much of the eggs of Lobwanellus indieus ; they are, 

 however, as a rule, smaller, more pointed, with less numerous, but 

 more clearly defined markings. In shape they are moderately broad 

 ovals elongated ; and in some pinched out, as it were, towards one 

 end, reminding one of the eggs of the Red-shank. 



" The texture is very fine and compact, and the eggs have, man}' 

 of them, a certain amount of gloss, entirely wanting in the Red- 

 wattled Lapwing's eggs. The ground-colour appears to vary as in 

 the Plovers : in some it is a darker or paler olive-brown, in others 

 a- greenish- stone colour, or pale cafe-au-lait. The markings consist 

 of specks, spots, blotches, and streaks irregularly sprinkled over the 

 whole surface of the egg, but most thickly so, as a rule, towards the 

 large end. The markings are black, blackish-brown, and rich umber- 

 brown. As a rule, the markings are all clearly defined and are much 

 of the same colour. The secondary markings of pale inky-purple, so 

 characteristic of most of the Lapwings' eggs, are normally almost 

 totally wanting on the Stilt's. 



" In length they vary from 1*5 to 1*8 and in breadth from 1*1 to 

 1 32, but the average is 164 by 1-21"." 



Eastern Narra, Sind. 8. B. Doig. 



900. THE BRONZE-WINGED JACANA. 

 Parra indica, Lin. 



The Bronze-winged Jacana, although probably a permanent resi- 

 dent, occurs but sparingly in the southern half of the Presidency, 

 and appears to be very locally distributed. Mr. Hume gives his 

 opinion that the Bronze- winged Jacana docs not occur in Sind, 

 Cutch, Kathiawar, Jodhpore, or in part of Rajpootana. I can only 

 say that Mr. Littledale found them breeding at Baroda, and that 

 I found them breeding at the Milana tanks near Dcesa, and abundantly 

 on all the large tanks near Neemuch. I have not seen it in Sind. 



They breed from the latter end of May to the beginning of October, 

 but the months in which the majority lay are June and July. 



