Mr. A. Anderson on the Nidification of Indian Birds. 237 



being lifted they vomited a clear oil. This seems to be the 

 experience of every one. I was told that they breed on the 

 Cyanean rocks (the Symplegades) at the Black-Sea entrance to 

 the Bosphorus. I planned an expedition to these rocks, but 

 was unable to carry it into execution. 



There is plenty of ground and opportunity in Turkey for a 

 sporting ornithologist. Wildfowl are plentiful, and compara- 

 tively tame. There are Snipes and Woodcocks in all suitable 

 localities. Two officers of Engineers, who went on a surveying 

 expedition previous to the arrival of the allied troops, told me 

 that they saw abundance of Grey and Red-legged Partridges 

 and Bustards not far from Gallipoli, also quantities of wildfowl 

 near Buyuk Chekmedji and along the Maritza river and near 

 the Gulf of Enos. 



XXVIII. — On the Nidification of certain Indian Birds. Part I. 

 By Andrew Anderson, F.Z.S. 



BuRNEsi A LEPiDA, Bly th, = Malurus gracilis, Riippell (accord- 

 ing to Blyth) *. 



I first became acquainted with this interesting little bird in 

 April 1871 ; but although it was far from uncommon, I found 

 it very local, and confined entirely to the tamarisk-covered islands 

 and " churs^^ along the Ganges. From dissections made it was 

 evident that these birds were then breeding : and any doubts there 

 may have been on this score were speedily removed; for shortly 

 afterwards I saw young fledgelings being fed by the parent birds. 

 I need hardly say that the acquisition of the nest and eggs of 

 this diminutive bird was looked forward to with no small degree 

 of pleasure ; but, unfortunately, it was then too hot for me to work 

 at the subject personally, and the matter was left in the hands of 

 my native collectors, with the usual unsatisfactory results. 



This season, having returned from my cold-weather tour 

 somewhat earlier than usual, I devoted my mornings to exploring 

 the islands, determined to become possessed of this desideratum ; 

 but fresh difficulties had to be overcome. Not only had the river 



* Cf. Blyth's "Identifications of Synonymy," Ibis, 186.5, p. 44. 



