291 



Flying in a large upper room (unheated), in company with 

 Tanagers, Red-throated Thrush, Chopi Starling, Spectacled 

 Thrush, Bahhlers, Fruitsucker, Toucanette and several other 

 varieties ; they have stood the severe weather of the past few 

 weeks with impunity, and are as fit as the proverbial fiddle. 

 Fearless though confiding, bonny in their handsome garb without 

 being gorgeous, full of quaint mannerisms, these birds make a 

 fine addition to our already copious list of Foreign birds. I 

 sincerely hope Dr. Walker will supplement these notes with a 

 more detailed account of their habits and mannerisms. 



" Coloration : Lores, front of face, chin and supercilium bright fulvous ; forehead, 

 " crown and nape blackish brown; ear coverts chestnut; upper back and sides of neck 

 "fulvous, with broad black subterminal marks on all the feathers, which are also tipped 

 " fulvescent ; scapulars, wing coverts, lower back, rump and upper tail coverts reddish 

 " brown, with white spots preceded by black marks ; quills tipped with white, the earlier 

 " primaries black on the outer webs becoming progressively ashy then chestnut ; middle 

 " tail feathers chestnut tipped white, the others rufous at base, then ashy and finally black 

 "with white tips; centre of throat with blackish narrow rufous edges; side of throat 

 " rufous, barred with black ; breast fulvous buff, broadly barred with black ; remainder 

 " of lower plumage same as the breast but not barred ; the flanks were olivaceous, with a 

 " few paler fulvous bars. 



" Hill yellowish, dusky on the ridge and tip ; legs dull yellow , iris yellow brown 

 " (Jerdon). 



" Length about 13 inches ; tail 65 ; wing, 5'2 ; tarsus i'8 ; bill from gape 15. 



" Distribution Nepal and Sikhim, at elevations from 8,000 to 10,000 feet. 



•' Habits, &c. Our knowledge of the nidification of this bird is unsatisfactory. A 

 " nest and two eggs, taken in Sikhim in May, and sent to Hume, are described, the former 

 " as being composed of fern, moss, grass and roots, and the latter as pale blue, one of the 

 " two eggs being spotted with brown at the thicker end. The two eggs measured n8 by '86 

 " and 1*25 by '85." — (Fauna of British India). 



HDv Hvianes. 



By H. L. SlCH. 

 (Continued from page 262). 

 NESTING NOTES. 

 By the end of May the aviary* was finished. On the 30th I turned 

 the following birds out : one pair each of Yellow-runiped Mannikins (IMunia 

 Jtaviprytnna), Ringed Finches {Stictoptera annulosa). Masked Grass-finches 

 (Poephila personala), odd hens of Ringed, Masked and Cherry Finches 

 (Aidemosyne modes/a), with two young Bronze-winged Mannikins (Spennes- 

 tes cucullata). On June 1st : one cock and two hen Bush Quail (Perdicula 

 asiatica), one pair of Island Bustard Quail [Ttltnix pugnax). July 7th : a 

 cock Cherry Finch; and July 12th: a pair of Beugalese, which turned out 

 to be two cocks, my usual luck ! 



Vide plate opposite page 261. 



