4 Mr. A. Hume on Indian Ornithology 



with horsehair. In this lay three tiny, delicate, bluish-white 

 eggs, with a few pale reddish-brown blotches at the large ends, 

 and just a very few spots and specks of the same colour else- 

 where. The eggs were all very similar in appearance and size, 

 and measured '625 in. in length by '434 in breadth*. 



To the left of us rose a number of splendid trees of the sirris 

 {Acacia sirissa), the favourite haunt earlier in the season of the 

 common green Parrakeets {Palaoniis torquatus), who find its 

 soft wood easy to bore for nest-holes. High up in one of these, 

 at the end of a huge branch, I caught sight of what from below 

 seemed a round bunch of fine grass inserted at the last fork : close 

 at hand sat a brilliant yellow bird, here called the " Mango-bird^^ 

 by Europeans, and ^'Peeluk" {i.e. the yellow one) by the natives. 

 A stone sent it flying, while simultaneously from the nest, 

 where it had previously remained unnoticed, darted its mate. 

 Closely allied to the Golden Oriole of Europe, Oriolus kundoo 

 is one of the pure yellow-headed group. Of Orioles I know 



* The nest of this bird varies much iu appearance, according to the 

 number and description of leaves which it employs, and the manner in 

 which it employs them ; but the nest itself is usually chiefly composed 

 of fine cotton-wool, with a few horse-hairs and, at times, a few very fine 

 grass stems as a lining, apparently to keep the wool in its place and 

 enable the cavity to retain permanently its shape. I have found them 

 with three leaves fastened, at equal distances from each other, into the 

 sides of the nest, and not joined to each other at all. I have foimd them 

 between two leaves, the one forming a high back and turned up at the 

 end to form the bottom of the nest, the other hiding the nest in front 

 and hanging down below the bottom of the nest, the tip only of the first 

 leaf being sewn to the middle of the second. I have found them with 

 four leaves sewn together to form a canopy and sides, from which the 

 bottom of the nest depended bare ; and I have found them between two 

 long leaves, whose sides from the very tips to near the peduncles were 

 closely and neatly sewn together. For sewing they generally use cob- 

 web ; but silk from cocoons, thread, and vegetable fibres are also used. 

 The eggs also vary much. The most normal are, before blowing, of a 

 delicate pink — when blown, of a still more delicate white — with pale 

 reddish-brown specks and spots, always most numerous towards the large 

 end, and sometimes forming there an irregular cap. In size they vary 

 little, only from -594 to -687 in. in length, and from •437 to •434 in. 

 in breadth. Four is the greatest number of eggs I have found in any 

 nest. 



