NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA. 105 



the same trees, their young then nearly Hedged. 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 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 

 delicate sea-green colour. 



" 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*0 to 11 inch in length, and 

 from 0*7 to - 8 in breadth. 



" The average of 12 eggs measured is 1'03 by 0*79." 



683.— THE PIED PASTOR. 



Sturnopastor contra, Lin. 



The claims of this species to be included amongst the birds of 

 Western India are very doubtful. Mr. Hume gives Eastern Raj- 

 pootana as one of the localities in which it occurs, and I saw it 

 once near Khundwa ; further east it is very common. 



They breed abundantly in the Central Provinces during May and 

 June, and the first half of July, making huge shapeless nests, composed 

 of grass, straw, roots, &c, which are placed in high trees of various 

 heights from the ground. 



The eggs, six in number, occasionally only four or five (I once found 

 seven), are moderately broad ovals in shape, pointed at one end. 

 They vary enormously in size, in length from 0*95 to 1^25, and in 

 breadth from 0*75 to 0*9, the average is I'll inches in length by 

 nearly 0*82 in breadth. 



In colour they vary from pale spotless bluish -white to pale blue, 



more or less tinged with green. 

 © © 



684.— THE COMMON MYNA. 



Acridotheres tristis, Lin. 

 The Common Myna is very abundant throughout Western India, 

 except, perhaps, in Ratnagiri and the extreme south, where it is 

 replaced to a great extent by the Southern Dusky Myna . 



They are very familiar birds, and are found in greater numbers 

 near houses, being comparatively scarce in unfrequented jungle. 

 14 



