THE BIRDS OF TRAVANCORE. G63 



here it lays two eggs of a beautiful salmon colour indistinctly blotched 

 and streaked with grey and darker salmon. The eggs are peculiarly 

 cylindrical, either end baing top or bottom. The breeding season extends 

 from January to March. 



The average of several eggs is l'l X *8. — T. F. B." 



(177) Lyncornis cerviniceps. — The Great-eared Nightjar. 

 Blanford, No. 1096 ; Hume, No. 114 ter. 

 This fine Nightjar is not uncommon about the foot of the hills in 

 forest usually near water. They come out shortly after sunset and may 

 be seen in flocks hawking. 



Sub-order Podargi. 



Family Podargidce. 



(178) Batrachostomus moniliger.— The Ceylonese Frogmouth. 

 Blanford, No. 1099 ; Jerdon, No. 105. 



This is a difficult bird to obtain as it is entirely nocturnal and frequents 

 dense jungle. There is only one specimen in the Museum. 



" It breeds at elevations of 2,000 — 3,000 feet from January to the end 

 of February. My brother is the only person who has ever succeeded 

 in getting the nest of this very extraordinary bird with the young bird, 

 but since then I have picked up the curious pad which forms the nest, 

 though I should never have known what it was without seeing the other. 

 The first nest was taken on 24th February and contained a young bird 

 of about ten days' old. Beneath the tree, which was a small sapling, 

 were the remains of a white egg, evidently belonging to the above-men- 

 tioned nest. The latter was placed in a fork about 12 feet from the 

 ground, and was an almost flat pad 3 inches in diameter, by nearly an 

 inch in thickness, composed of a sort of felt which was really the bird's 

 down combined with moss, leaves, and small twigs. — T. F. B." 



Order TROGONES. 

 Family Trogonid^e. 

 (179) Hy\RPACTES farciatus. — The Malabar Trogon. 

 Blanford, No. 1100 ; Jerdon, No. 115. 

 Not uncommon in heavy forest from 1,000 feet upwards. A solitary 

 bird whose presence is often advertised by the low mewing sound it 

 utters. 



" It is very shy and retiring, keeping entirely to thick jungle, and 

 owing to this habit its nest and eggs are very rarely met wittu I 



