60 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on the 



its larger end vvitli the extremity cut off in a rather slanting 

 direction. All the nests were made of shreds of sun-grass ; 

 two entirely^ the others more or less mixed with scraps of 

 bamboo-leaves, oue being, in fact, half formed of this 

 material. Three nests were lined with fine grasses, two with 

 fine grasses and bamboo-roots mixed, and one with a fine 

 fibrous-looking material, which I think consists of strips of 

 the bark of fine bamboo-roots. In size the nests vary from 

 al)out 5" to 6" in height, and are rather over 4" in diameter ; 

 the diameter of the cavity is a little over 2", the depth being 

 more than half as much again. 



The first nest was brought to me by a Cachari, together 

 with the male bird, which he had trapped on it. On being 

 questioned he said he found it in a clump of bamboos, 

 standing in mixed bamboo- and bush-jungle. Two nests 

 taken by myself were both found in thick masses of twigs 

 on the outside of bamboo-clumps, one about four feet from 

 the ground, the other about six. A third was taken from 

 low down in a very dense bush little over two feet high. It 

 was quite covered by the thick clusters of leaves and ex- 

 tremely well hidden, whereas those in the bamboo-clumps 

 were rather consjjicuous. 



The eggs differ in no respect from those of S. ruficeps, 

 except that as a whole they are slightly duller. In shape they 

 are broad, very obtuse ovals, the shell fine and close, but 

 glossless, and decidedly fragile. In colour they are white, 

 sparsely speckled and spotted with yellowish and reddish 

 brown, and with a few secondary small blotches of pale 

 lavender. In oue clutch the marks are scattered all over 

 the egg, being rather more numerous at the larger end, to 

 which, in all the other eggs, they are almost entirely con- 

 fined, forming a fairly well-marked ring. Ten eggs average 

 G""64 X 0""53, and vary very little in size, the extremes in 

 length being C"-62 and 0"-65, and in breadth 0"-50 and 0"-55. 



They are early breeders, April being the principal month 

 for eggs. I have taken none later than May. 



18. SCHCENIPARUS MANDELLII. {OciteS, Op. cit, i. p. 169.) 



To describe the nest of this Tit-Babbler would be merely 



