158 CEATEROPODID^. 



composed of dead twigs lined with leaves, and was about 4 inches 

 broad and very slightly indented." 



As will be remembered, Dr. Jerdon states that "Mr. Ward 

 obtained, what he was informed were, the nest and eggs ; the nest 

 was large, made of roots and fibres and lined with moss ; and the 

 eggs, two in number, were pale greenish, much spotted A\ith dusky :" 

 and I have no doubt that Mr. Ward's eggs were genuine. 



The egg is an elongated oval, compressed almost throughout its 

 entire length, very blunt at both ])oints ; a long cone, the apex 

 broadly truncated and rounded off obtusely, seated on half a very 

 oblate' spheroid. In no one single point — shape, texture of shell, 

 colour or character of markings — does this egg approach to those 

 of either the Oriole or the Chloropsis. This shell is very close- 

 grained and fine, but only moderately glossy. The ground is pale 

 green, and it is streaked and blotched with pale dull bro\\n. The 

 markings are almost entirely confluent over the large end (where 

 they appear to be underlaid by dingy, dimly discernible greyish 

 blotches), and from the cap thus formed they descend in streaky 

 mottlings towards the small end, growing fewer and further apart 

 as they approach this latter, which is almost devoid of markings. 



It is impossible to generalize from a single specimen as to the 

 position this bird sJwuld hold, but this one egg renders it quite 

 certain to my mind that the nearest allies of Irena are neither 

 Oriolus nor Chloropsis, and that it is quite impossible to place it 

 with the Dicrvruhv, The eggs of Psaroglossa spiloptera are not very 

 dissimilar, and I expect that it is somewhere between the Para- 

 diseidce, Sturnidce, and Icteridce that Irena Mil] ultimately have to 

 be located. 



The egg measures I'l by 0'73. 



Mr. Fulton Bourdillon writes : — " The last note I have to send 

 you at present is that of a Blue-bird's nest (Irena puella). Of this 

 there can be no possible doubt, as my brother and I shot both the 

 male and female birds, and I took the nest with my own hands. It 

 was in a pollard tree beside a stream among some thick branches 

 about 20 feet from the ground. The nest was neatly but very 

 loosely constructed of fresh green moss, which formed the bulk of the 

 nest, and hned with the flower-stalks of a jungle shrub. It was 

 very well concealed, and was about 4 inches broad with a cavity 

 not more than 1| inch deep. It contained two eggs slightly set, 

 measuring respectively 1-11 x -84 and 1-16 x -81. These eggs 

 tally very fairly in colour, shape, and size with those sent last 

 year ; of the identity of which I was doubtful at the time, though 

 now I think there can be no mistake. 



"Since writing last I have had another nest of Irena puella 

 brought me with two fresh eggs. The nest was very loosely put 

 together and similar in all respects to the one last sent. The eggs 

 measure -95 x -81 and -92 x -79, with the same well-defined ring 

 round the larger end. The nest was in a small tree about 10 feet 

 from the ground and was w^ell concealed. It was composed of 

 twigs, without any lining." 



The nest sent me by Mr. Bourdillon is a very flimsy affair. 



