388 STURNID.^. 



are blue, spotless, and commonly brillianily o-lossy. In shade they 

 vary from a delicate bluish white to a pure, thou<2;h somewhat pale, 

 sky-blue, and not uncommonly are more or less tinged with green. 

 They vary in length from 0-95 to 1*25, and in breadth from 

 0-75 to 0-9 ; but the average of one hundred eggs is 1-11 by 0-82 

 nearlv. 



556. Sturnopastor superciliaris, Blyth. The Burmese Pled Mi/na. 



Stm-uopastor superciliaris, £1., Hume, liout/h Draft N. Sj- E. no. 683 

 bis. 



Of the Burmese Pied Pastor, or Myna, Mr. Eugene Gates says 

 that it is common and resident throughout the plains of Pegu. 

 Writing from Wan he says : — 



" On the 2Sth of April, having a spare morning, I took a very 

 large number of nests and eggs. The eggs were in various stages 

 of incubation, but the majority were freshly laid. On May 7th I 

 took another nest with two eggs. These were quite fresh. 



"The nest is a huge cylindrical structure, about 18 inches long 

 and a foot in diameter, composed of straw, leaves, and feathers. It 

 is placed at a height of from 10 to 25 feet from the ground, in a 

 most conspicuous situation, generally at the end of a branch which 

 has been broken off and where a few leaves are struggling to come 

 out. A bamboo-bush is also a favourite site. This Myna will, 

 by preference, build near houses, but in no case in a house ; it 

 must have a tree." 



The eggs, which I owe to Mr. Oates, are, as might be expected, 

 very similar indeed to those of our Common Pied Pastor, but they 

 seem to average somewhat smaller. 



They are moderately broad ovals, a good deal pointed towards 

 one end, and in some cases more or less compressed there, and 

 slightly pyriform. 



The specimens sent are only moderately glossy. In colour they 

 vary from very pale bluish green to a moderately dark greenish 

 blue, but the great majority are pale. 



In length they vary fi-om 1*0 to 1-1, and in breadth from 0-73 to 

 0-S2: but the average of fifteen eggs is 1-04 by 0-77. 



