106 On Birds observed in the Island of Negros. 



in the river, I caught sight of its nest in a prickly bamboo- 

 clump. It was built in a fork almost over the water, and is 

 exactly like that of Tchitrea cristata, of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 If I had not found that at the Cape, I should never have re- 

 marked this. Last Sunday there were two eggs in it exactly 

 like a Fiscal's {Lanius coUaris), only smaller of course. I cut 

 out and brought home nest and eggs.^"* 



The nest sent home is a very beautiful structure, composed of 

 fine fibres, roots, and hairs, most artistically constructed on a 

 lateral bamboo shoot, at the junction of two other smaller 

 branchlets. It is very closely woven, and so densely covered on 

 the outside with cobwebs as to be almost impervious to light. 

 It has no lining, and is perfectly round and cup-shaped inside, 

 having a diameter of 2| inches, with a depth oil\ inch; thick- 

 ness of walls ^ inch. The base is prolonged into a funnel- 

 shaped cone, the pipe being composed of coarse bents of dry 

 grass loosely hanging together. Its resemblance to the nests 

 fabricated by all the Tchitrea is apparent. 



The eggs are of a pale creamy- grey colour, marked (in the 

 form of a ring) at the obtuse end with close-set, often coalescing, 

 small, faint purplish and brown spots ; some of these are faintly 

 visible over the rest of the shell. Axis 9'", diam. 6|"'. 



MuNiA jAGORi, Cab. ? 



" Eggs of a little Amadavat, with red body and black head." 

 These are probably the eggs of the little MMm'a^V/r/on, which 

 accords with this description. They are pure white. Axis 7'", 

 diam. 5'". 



CORYDALLA MALAYANA (Eyton) ? 



" Two sets of Larks' eggs." These are unaccompanied by any 

 description ; they may be those of C. malayana, or of an unde- 

 scribed species. They evidently belong to the same bird, though 

 two are somewhat darker than the other three. They are of a 

 pale-grey ground, profusely speckled (chiefly at the obtuse end, 

 and in some in the form of a ring) with minute brown and 

 purplish specks. Axis 10'", diam. 8'". 



EXCALFACTORIA CHINENSIS (LiuU.) ? 



A single " egg of a Quail " we suppose to belong to this 



