ARGTA. 73 



" It is in the nests of this species and our Common Laughing- 

 Thrush {T. cnclihinans) that 1 have chiefly found the eggs of the 

 Pied Crested Cuckoo." 



Of this species Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall remarks :— " I liave 

 taken eggs on the 20th June in Cawnpoor, the 31st July in Bolund- 

 shuhur,_ and the 25th August in AUyghur. The nest is almost 

 always in a keekur tree in a fork about halfxA-ay up, and near the 

 end of a branch. It is composed of keekur-twigs and lined with 

 roots. It is thinner in structure than that of M. ierricolor, but 

 has an outer casing of thorns which the latter wants. They lay 

 four blue eggs, larger and paler than those of M. canorus." 



Lieut. H. E. Barnes writes that in Eajputana the Large Gre^ 

 Babbler is " very common. I have found nests in each month froiii 

 January to December. They have, I believe, several broods in the 

 year ; and even when nesting associate in small parties of seven or 

 eight." 



Messrs. Davidson and Wendeu say :— " Common, and breeds in 

 the Deccan." 



Major C. T. Bingham says :— " Breeds both at Allahabad and 

 at Delhi from March to quite the end of August, placing its loosely 

 constructed (rarely firmly built) nest of twigs and fine grass-roots 

 generally at no great height in babool-trees. Twice only I have 

 found them in dense mango-trees at about thirty feet from the 

 ground. The nests are not, I think, as a rule, so deep as those of 

 Crateropus terricolor ; once or twice 1 have found the soft down of 

 the Madar {Catatropes hamiltonii) incorporated into the lii.ino' of 

 grass-roots. The eggs are generally three or four in number." 



Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes :—" All the nests which I have 

 seen of the Large Grey Babbler have been on babool-trees. At 

 Akola (Berar) in 1870, a great many had their nests during the 

 month of July. I have recorded two instances of nests placed at 

 a height above the ground of 15 feet and 20 feet. These were at 

 Poena, one on the 21st April, and the other on the 10th May. 1 

 could not go up to the nests, but the birds in both cases were sitting 

 closely. I have twice found nests with only three newly-hatched 

 young ones." 



Colonel Butler informs us that " the Large Grey Babbler breeds 

 in the neighbourhood of Deesa during the rains. Both the nest 

 and eggs closely resemble those of O. terricolor, but the latter 

 differ slightly in being less elongated, not so pointed at the small 

 end, rounder at the large end, and someuhat paler iji colour. I 

 have taken nests on the following dates : — 



"July 19, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs. 



" June 30, 1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs. 



"July 15, 1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs. 



" July 20, 1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs. 



" The nest in every instance was similar to that described by 

 Jerdon, viz. : — a loose structure of dend roots, twigs, and grass, the 

 interior being neatly lined with closely-woven roots of ' khus-khus.' 

 The old birds generally select some thorny tree {Mimosa &c.) to 



