26 Mr. W. E. Brooks un theBreeding of certain 



noisy, and continually uttered their song. This song is not 

 that described by Mr. Blyth as being similar to the notes of the 

 English Wood-Wren (P. sibilatrix), but fainter. It is a loud 

 double chirp or call, hardly worthy of being dignified with 

 the name of song at all. While the female was sitting, the 

 male continued vigorously to utter his double note, as he fed 

 from tree to tree. To this note I and my native assistants paid 

 but little attention ; but when the female, being off the nest, 

 uttered her well-known " tiss-yip," as Mr, Blyth expresses the 

 call of a Willow- Wren, we repaired rapidly to the spot, and 

 kept her in view. In every instance, before an hour had passed, 

 she went into her nest, first making a few impatient dashes at 

 the place where it was, as much as to say, " there it is ; but I 

 don't want you to see me go in.'' 



When a nest was found by one of the natives, the eggs were 

 not removed till I had seen the bird come out of the nest, and 

 had heard her well-known note. From the first few nests I 

 shot the females : but this was needless slaughter j for the note 

 is so peculiar and decided that no other mode of authentication 

 is necessary. 



In the woods frequented by this bird at Gulmerg, the only 

 other lleguloides were R. occipitalis and a few of R. proregulus. 

 Of PhyUoscopi the only species were P. magnirostris, very 

 scarce, and P. tytleri, described above, equally scarce. 



The nest of Reguloides superciliosus is always, so far as my 

 observation goes, placed on the ground, on some sloping bank or 

 ravine-side. The situation preferred is the lower slope near the 

 edge of the wood, and at the root of some very small bush or tree — 

 often, however, on quite open ground, where the newly growing 

 herbage was so short that it only partially concealed it. In 

 form it is a true Willow-Wren's nest, a rather large globular 

 structure, with the entrance at one side. Regarding the fiist 

 nest taken, I have noted that it was placed on a sloping bank, 

 on the ground, among some low ferns and other plants, and 

 close to the root of a small broken fir tree, uhich, being some- 

 what inclined over the nest, protected it from being trodden 

 upon. It was composed of coarse dry grass and moss, and 

 lined with finer grass and a few black hairs. The cavity was 



