748 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Tul. XXV. 



but unfortunately failed to get it. But 1 am quite certain of its identity 

 as 1 have seen and shot a good many in the Kaira district where it is 

 common. It was apparently in full plumage and the comb on the bill was 

 very evident. I expected to see the female about but only the male was 

 on the wing. T asked the local " Mohanas " what the duck was and they 

 said they did not recognise it, but thought it must be a foreigner. 



The jheel was a low hollow formed out of old flooded rice fields and the 

 only cover was afforded by " pan " or the common bull-rush reeds, with a 

 fair amount of open water in the middle. 



1 see from page 24 of "Indian Ducks and Their Allies" that Hume 

 speaks of it as " a mere straggler to the easternmost portions " of Sind. 



Camp, da Hyderabad, Sind, 

 I9th Februanj 1918. 



Pt. E. GIBSON, i.o.s. 



No. X.— A FEW NOTES ON THE NESTS AND EGGS OF SOME 

 OF THE BURMESE SCIMITAR BABBLERS. 



When writing his notes on the Indian Timeliides and their allies (J., 

 B.N.H.S. Vol. XXIII) the late Col. H. H. Harington asked me for nesting 

 notes on some of the Burmese species of Pomatorhinus ; at the time I could 

 not give him any information, but I have since found nests of 3 species and 

 subspecies. Grant's Slaty-headed Scimitar Babbler, I'omatorhinus schisticeps 

 meavsi, Shan States Scimitar Babbler, P. olivaceus ripponi, and Tweeddale's 

 Scimitar Babbler, P. nuc/mlis, notes on which may be of interest. 



The eggs are, of course, all white, and of what appears to be the usual 

 shape, gloss and texture for this part of the subfamily. Those of the 8 

 subspecies which 1 have taken are indistinguishable from each other in 

 these respects. The shells are fine-grained and rather thin and fragile, 

 especially when compared with eggs of White-browed Laughing-Thrush, 

 Dryonastes sannio, of which 1 was taking some clutches at Maymyo at the 

 time when I found P. o. riyyoni. In this, I have found some difterence 

 between these eggs and those of MacClelland's Scimitar Babbler, P. enjthro- 

 (jenijs inacclellandi , which are not only bigger but have comparatively stouter 

 shells. In shape, the eggs of this last species are generally less pointed ; 

 my eggs of P. s. vu-arsi, P. o. ripponi and P. nuchnlis are all considerably 

 ponited at the small end while the greater number of my series of P, e. 

 macclellandi are distinctly obtuse as are those of Phayre's Scimitar Babbler, 

 P. ferruyinosus phai/rei in a smaller degree : all my eggs of this group are 

 glossy. 



The nests of the three Scimitar Babblers bear a close family resemblance, 

 both to each other, and to those of Baker's Rufous-necked Scimitar Babbler, 

 P. ruficoUis bakeri, P. e. macchllaiuli, and Phayre's Scimitar Babbler, 1\ 

 ferriiyinnsus piiayvei, all of which 1 have taken several times m the North 

 Chin hills. They are domed, built rather untidily of bamboo leaves, lined 

 with grass and fibres. As far as I remember, I have only found two cup- 

 shaped nests, and in both cases the dome was replaced by an overhanging 

 tuft of grass. One of these was P. e. viacclellandi, the other P. r. hakeri . 

 All the other nests were domed although the roof was sometimes rather a 

 flimsy affair. 



(1). Pomatorhinus schisticeps viearsi — (116a) Grant's Slaty-headed Scimi- 

 tar Babbler. Upper Chindivin, about 40 miles North of Kindat. Fonnd 2 fresh 

 eggs on 21-4-14 which I had to take as I was moving camp next day. Size 

 1-02" X • 78", and 106" X -78". The nest was placed in a clump of dead 

 bamboos, about a foot from the ground. 



