ALCrPPE. 



105 



decided tendency to form a more or less perfect, and more or less 

 confluent, cap or zone at the large end 



0-52Z lletm.^^" """""'"'' ^''^ '^"^ ^'' ' ^^ '^"Sth' '^'^ ^-5^ ^-^ 



Prom Sikhim, Mr Gammie writes:-"! have only found this 



Babbler breeding m May at elevations about 5000 feet, but t 



?o t feet Th''^^" f much lower elevations, probablV down 

 to -.000 feet. The nests are placed within 2 or 3 feet" of the 

 ground, between several slender upright shoots, to uhich thev are 

 hrmly attached. They are exceedingly neat and compaSidl? 

 cups, measunng exterually about 4 inches across by 275 deep 

 internally 2-15 wide by 1-6 deep. They are composed of cW 

 bamboo-leaves held together by a little g'rass and verv fine, ha r- 

 hke fern-roots. The egg-cavity is lined with fern-roots, 

 ihe eggs are three or four in number " 

 Numerous nests of this species kindiy sent me by Messrs 

 Gammie, Mandelli and others, taken during the month^s of Sly 



to ooOO feet were all ot the same type and placed in the same situ- 

 ations namely amongst low scrub and brushwood, at heights of 

 from 18 inches to 3 feet from the ground. The interior and, in 



composed of fine black hair-like roots, with which, in some cases 



mingled. _ The cavities are generally much about the same size say 

 2 inches in diameter by 1-25 in depth ,: but the size of the nesls al 

 a who e varies very much. The nest is always coated exteriorly 

 mth dry leaves of trees and ferns, broad blades of grass, and the 

 like, fixed together sometimes by mere pressure, but generally here 



so mucrtlf;/' '°^'*'r:^/ ^^^ ^^-^ -^^s, and this c-oating-var es 

 so much that one nest before me measures 5-5 in external diJmeter 

 and another barely 4, the external covering of fern-leaves fl a 's 



tTe otL'tt'""' ^'""^ '""^ ^"'^ abundant^in the fori^, "S^^ 

 the other the covering consists entirely of broad dry blades of erass 

 very neatly laid together. Two, three, and four fresh eZl ^Z 



eggs found "'""' "'^'^' ^"' "^ "° '''' ^-^'^ "-- ^ban ^ "' 

 Two nests taken by Mr. Gammie contained three and two fresh 

 eggs respectively. The eggs had a delicate pink ground, and e e 

 richly bio ched in one egg exclusively, in the Others chiefl; about 'he 

 larger end, with chestnut, or almost maroon-red, here and the e 

 a most deepening m spots to black, and elsewhere paling off into a 

 rufous haze The markings are confluent about the lar|e end, and 

 there in places mtermingled with a purplish tinge. The ^ther 

 eggshada china-white ground, with more gloss than the specimens 

 previously described, with numerous small, blackish bro Jnish red 

 spots and specks, almost exclusivelv confined to the larffe end 

 where they are more or less enveloped in a pinkv-red nimbus. 



to 6. in bStr" " '■'' '' '''' '" ^'""^'''^ '-^"^^ f^-^ ^''56 



