116 



own photographs of Indian birds' nests. The following is a summary 

 of his remarks. 



The country is very varied, and the conditions under which the 

 photographs were taken were often most difBcult. In the plains 

 the heat was often so intense that it was impossible to place one's 

 hand on the sand ; in the hills on the other hand it was cold, and 

 the country was frequently covered by forests and dense under- 

 growth. The Thrushes and warblers were first dealt with ; the nest 

 of the Great Indian Reed Warbler [Acrocephalns stentoreus) being 

 built in dense reed beds, which can only be approached in a narrow 

 punt, owing to the depth of mud and water. The Paddy-field Reed 

 Warbler (A. auricnla) builds its nest slung between the stems of a 

 reed growing on the floating islands of peat and weeds, a most 

 inaccessible locality, and rarely approached. The Short-billed 

 Minivet {Pericrocotim brerirostris), a most brilliant bird, the male 

 clothed in vivid scarlet and black, makes a most beautiful little nest, 

 carefully covered with cobwebs and lichens, and attached to the ends 

 of the boughs of the tallest trees. A slide was shown of the only 

 authentic nest of the European Golden Oriole in the Indian limits. 

 Passing on to the Flycatchers— to photograph the nest of the White- 

 browed Fantail {Rhipidnra albifrontata) in the intense heat of May, 

 ice has to be used to prevent the film melting off the plate. Among 

 the Redstarts the Plumbeous Redstart {RJn/acornis fiiUfiinoms) is the 

 only one found in the Himalayas (up to 13,000 ft), where it builds 

 in small hollows near water. The Common Weaver-bird {Ploceus 

 haya) is very like our Sparrow, and it builds in large companies, 

 which suspend their nests from the outermost twigs of the boughs 

 of trees. On one occasion he had climbed out to a nest, which 

 overhung the water, when the bough broke, dropping him into the 

 stream. When he laid the nest on the ground a very poisonous 

 snake wriggled out. These nests are wonderful structures, the 

 strips of grass are passed through backwards and forwards and the 

 rough edges hold together, preventing the structure being dragged 

 to pieces. The Finches and Larks were next dealt with. A sub- 

 species of our British Nightjar, of a lighter colour, occurs at about 

 7.000 ft. in the Himalayas, and has similar habits and precisely 

 similar eggs. Our common Moorhen has also quite similar habits 

 in India/ ej^cept that it frequents larger stretches of water. The 

 nests of several waders were shown, including a slide of the Pheasant- 

 tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chiriiryns), &hird with very long toes, 

 which runs with ease on the leaves of water plants in the larger 



