STACHTRHIDOPSIS. 113 



creepers and shoots, and is composed almost exclusively of dry 

 bamboo-leaves neatly, but rather looselj, interwoven, and lined 

 also w,t_htiiese leaves One which he measured was rather ovaHn 

 hMSl?; ^"^A: ^7'^^^ "^ ^^f ?^te^; o"« vvay, by 4 the other, and 3-6 in 

 he ght. The leaves used m the rim of the cup were projected a 

 h e mwards, so as to make the mouth of the cavity a little sn.aller 



un the diameter ot this latter within. The diameter of the mouth 

 Nvas 2 inches, that of the cavity 2-5, and the latter is about 1-5 

 deep iour eggs are laid a sort of brownish white, speckled and 

 spotted with brown or recld.sh brown. The egg fig'urLl measures 

 U /by o2, and is a moderatelv broad, regular oval 



Dr Jerdon says :-" A nest and eggs, said to be "of this species 

 were brought to me at Darjeeling. fhe nest was a loose stX ure 



clurZ^^ ""'T^ '°'^'""^^^ ^"-^ 'SS^ -t" ^ g^-eenish-white 



colour with some rusty spots. 



Prom 8ikhim Mr. Gfammie writes .— I took two nests of this 

 Jiabbier in April ; one of them at an elevation of 3500 feet the 

 other at 5U00 f.et, but it no doubt breeds also both lo.?r'and 

 higher They are of a neat egg-shape, uiih entrance at side, and 

 vveie fixed vertically betweeu a few upright sprays, within three feet 

 o±_ the ground, in open situations near large trees. Mr. Hod-son 

 evidently did not take the one he describes with his own hands 

 for he plares it horizontally, which gives a height of 3-6 inches 

 only The external dimensions are about o'S inches in height and 

 4 m diameter Internally the diameter is 2 inches, and the depth, 

 from roof, 3-2o. The entrance is 2 across. They are composed of 

 dry bamboo-leaves only, put neatly and firmly together, and are 

 lined with a very few grassy fibres. They each contained four 

 well-set eggs. 



Mr Mandelli, however, took a nest of this species at Lebong on 

 the -Mrd June, in the middle of a tea-bush which grew at the side 

 ot a small ravine, which was neither hooded nor domed. The nest 

 was about 1 8 inches from the ground and completely sheltered from 

 above by tea-leaves It was a deep cup composed externallv chieHy 

 ot bamboo-lea^■es, but with a good many dead leaves of trees in- 

 corporated m the base, and lined with ^ery fine srass-stems It 

 contained four fresh eggs. It is quite clear that this species, like 

 ^. nKjria-ps, only domes its nest in certain situations 



The eggs obtained by Mr. Gammie and Mr. Mandelh are very 

 regular, slightly elongated ovals. The shell is very fine and com- 

 pact but has only a faint gloss. The ground is white and round 

 he larger end is a zone or imperfect cap of specks and spots of 

 brownish red, generally intermingled \^ith tiny spots, usually very 

 famt of pa e purple. A few specks and spots brown, yello^^■ish, 

 or reddish brown, and sometimes also pale purple, are" scattered 

 about the rest of the egg. 



A I'c^ ^'?^i^^ !^^f ''*^^ ^'^''''' ^'^-^ ^° ^'■"^' '^"d ^'^ breadth from 

 U-au to U-&J, but the average of eight eggs was 0-6« by Oo2 



VOL. I. - o 



