NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA. 13 



larger end, where they often form an imperfect zone or irregular 

 cap. 



Hyderabad, Sind, July. H. E. Barnes. 



J)eesa July to September. Bo. 



Kliandeish, September. J. Davidson, C.S. 



Ba ro((a, June to August. II. Littledale, B.A. 



543.— THE COMMON WREN WARBLER. 

 Brymceca inornata, Sykes. 



The Warblers belonging to the Brymceca group, seem to be very 

 much mixed, the different species being very hard to discriminate. 

 Personally I have only met two in the flesh that I could feel sure 

 about ; these are the present species and Brymceca sylvatica. 



I strongly suspect that specimens of this last often do duty for 

 rufescens and imignis. 



The Common or Earth-brown Wren Warbler is a permanent resi- 

 dent throughout Western India, breeding from the middle of July to 

 the end of September. 



It usually constructs a rather pretty nest, composed of fine strips 

 torn from blades of green grass, which are plaited together like those 

 of the Baya, but the strips are finer and the nest is altogether neater. 

 It is usually fastened to the thorny twigs of acacia bushes, at no 

 great height from the ground, and the shape depends largely on the 

 position of these twigs. 



According to my experience, the nests are never lined, but Mr. 

 Davidson writes that he has taken nests lined with fine fluff, with 

 similar eggs, apparently belonging to this bird, but he has never 

 actually shot the parents. 



Another type of nest is composed of similar material, but is much 

 coarser and is more loosely woven. 



Nests of this latter description are built in clumps of sarpat, 

 guinea, or other coarse-growing grass, or even in standing corn ; they 

 are purse- shaped with the aperture on one side, the opposite side 

 being prolonged and projecting over so as to form a canopy. 



In some cases the nests are sewn by shreds of fine grass, to the 

 under side of a large leaf of the shrub that grows so commonly in 

 grass jungle ; this leaf forms a canopy over it, and effectually protects 



