494 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL RIST. SOCIETl, Vol. XXV. 



The hole, which had evidently been excavated by the parent birds, lead 

 to a small cavity about 5 inches deep in which was placed the nest, which 

 was composed of moss copiously lined with grey hair. There were 5 fresh 

 eggs, white Sf)Otted all over but mainly at the large end, with red brown. 



They measured about 0-69" by 0'50". So far as 1 am aware the only 

 previous record of the taking of this bird's eggs is in a note of mine at page 

 542 of Vol. XIII of this Journal. 



Falco subbuteo (The Hobby). — On May 16th, at Konain, elevation 7,800 

 feet, my attention was drawn by a lot of squealing to two little falcons 

 engaged in driving off a Jungle crow. The falcon's nest was placed near 

 the top of a large deodar tree, some 100 feet from the ground. 



I examined the birds carefully with my glasses and they were unmistake- 

 ably the European Hobby. 



The nest was unfortunately empty, and 10 days later it was still in the 

 same condition. This is, I believe, the first record of the nesting of the 

 Hobby within Indian limits.* 



A^A/ithaliscus niveigularis (The White-throated Tit). — The white-throated 

 tit is not very rare in the wooded areas just below the snows. 



On June 11th in rather open mixed broad leafed forest of cherry, birch, 

 &c., I noticed one of these birds carrying food in his bill. 



It was not long before he gave away the position of his nest, which was 

 placed in the fork of a cherry tree, 10 feet from the ground. 



The nest exactly resembled that oi the English long-tailed Tit. It har- 

 monized so closely with its surroundings (lichen-covered bark) that it 

 would probably have escaped my notice had its position not been betrayed 

 by the parent bird. 



The nest was copiously lined with feathers, mainly those of the 

 Monal pleasants. It contained half fledged young. 



The nidification of this bird has not been previously recorded. 



Siva striyula (The Stripe-throated Siva) — A nest of this bird found at 

 9,500 feet in a dense thicket of dwarf willow was placed at a height of 

 about 7 feet from the ground. 



It was composed of dry grass, bamboo and other dry leaves, held to- 

 gether with 2i\itt\pi\iG]\Qn{Usneabarbata) and was lined with fine black 

 roots and the dry (brown) needles of the Blue Pine. 



It contained three slightly set eggs, hedge sparrow blue with black spots 

 perfect little miniatures of those of the English song thrush. These agree 

 exactly with those described by me at page 469 of Vol. XI of this Journal, 

 and one cannot help suspecting that the eggs found by Hodgson and 

 described in the F. B. I. as being " pale bluish speckled with red " must 

 have belonged to some other species. 



Chelidorhynx hppoxanthum (The "i ellow-bellied Flycatcher), — The Yellow 

 bellied fantail is common in the valley between 10,000 and 11,500 feet, in 

 the zone of the birch and of the high level silver fir {Abies n-ebbiana). 



In the cold weather it descends to the lower valleys and even to the sub- 

 Himalayan tract, but so far as my experience goes, it is absolutely confined 

 to the big level forests in the breeding season, pace R. Thompson's state- 

 ment to the effect that it breeds in the Kumaon Bhabar. 



I found three nests, at about 10,500 feet elevation, two in birch trees, 

 about 20 feet from the ground and one in a silver fir, 12 feet up. The nests 

 are beautiful little cups with nearly vertical sides measuring 2" in height 

 by 2i" external and 1^" internal diameter. They are composed of fine 

 moss decorated on the exterior with bits of a foliaceous lichen, and are 

 lined with red moss fruits. 



• The Central— Asian Hobby has been recorded as breeding' in Kashmir, Kurran 

 and Khapran Valleys, Murree Hills, the Galls and Simla.— Eds. ''J 



