98 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATVBAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1890. 



Mr. Davidson differs from me in this. He says: — " Judging 

 from the nmnerous empty nests one sees, from which young have been 

 hatched, while others contain eggs, I think they must have two 

 broods." 



Guided only by my experience in Poona, I should feel inclined 

 to agree with him in this conclusion, as there I found nests from 

 April to September ; but in Saugor, Central Provinces, the breeding 

 season is much shorter : in fact, except during the last two weeks in 

 June and the first two in July, only an occasional nest is found. 

 This period is much too short for two broods. 



The principal reason that induces birds to breed at one particular 

 time is, I suppose, the greater abundance of food suitable for 

 feeding their young at that season, and in a district where these 

 influences exist for a long period, birds wo\ild likely enough have 

 two broods ; whereas in less favourable circumstances they would 

 restrict themselves to one. 



The nest is cup-shaped, more or less deep. It is suspended as a 

 rule between two twigs forming a fork, much in the same way as 

 that of the Golden Oriole, to which it bears a marked resemblance, 

 except of course in size. Sometimes the nest is suspended hammock- 

 like from two or more hanging twigs, a leaf or two of which is often 

 incorporated in the nest. 



The nests vary much, but are always soft and delicate, although 

 well and firmly made. The materials of which they are composed are 

 fine grass, rootlets, tow, moss, &c, bound together with cobwebs, 

 thread, vegetable fibres, &c. Generally it is unlined, but sometimes 

 it is well lined with silky down. 



The eggs, three or four in number, generally four, are somewhat 

 narrow oval in shape, pointed at one end, but broader varieties are 

 not uncommon. They vary much in size, but usually they measure 

 about - 62 inches in length by nearly 0-47 in breadth. As Mr. Hume 

 remarks in Nest* and Eggs of Indian Birds, "abnormally large and 

 small specimens are common ;" they vary in length from 0'53 to - 7, 

 and in breadth from 042 to 058. 



In colour they are pale, unspotted, glossless, bluish-white. 31r 

 Hume gives two as the normal number of eggs, but my experience 

 is very different, as the following details will show :— During the 



