234 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on the 



bushes heino^ selected for the purpose which stood in com- 

 paratively open ground, in two cases just beside a well- 

 worn gaur and buffalo track. 



Three appears to be the full number of eggs laid, and 

 these closely resemble many of Molpastes bengalensis ; but, 

 taken as a series, they are far brighter and more boldly 

 marked than 99 in 100 of that bird. 



Of the five clutches, tiiree are much alike ; the ground- 

 colour is a creamy white, and the markings consist of small 

 irregular blotches of rather light reddish, subordinate to 

 which are others of pale lavender and equally pale brown. 

 The primary markings are rather numerous everywhere, and 

 extremely so on the larger end, where they form a broad 

 ring, the blotches here running one into another ; the 

 secondary blotches are few in number, and are scattered here 

 and thei'e over the whole surface. A fourth clutch has the 

 ground-colour slightly darker, and it is thickly covered every- 

 where with specks, spots, and large blotches, which vary in 

 colour from a dark reddish purple to a purple so deep as to 

 appear almost black. The secondary blotches, which are 

 few in number, are rather dark inky grey in colour. The 

 fifth clutch difPers in wanting the freckles and spots of the 

 last, and in being rather more brightly tinted, the absence 

 of the smaller markings heightening the effect of the others. 

 The texture is smooth and close, and there is a slight gloss. 

 The shell is stout and strong, more so than any other BulbuFs 

 eggs I know, with the exf^eption of Criniger flaveolus. 



Fourteen eggs average 0""87x0"*58. The greatest length 

 and breadth is C"'91 and 0"*60 respectively, and the least 

 both ways is 0"-84 and 0"-56. 



All my eggs were found in May, and, with the exception 

 of one nest taken at about 1000 feet, all were found at a very 

 low level. 



32. MiCROTARSUS MELANOCEPHALUS. {OutCS, Op. cit. i. 



p. 294.) 



The only nest I have seen of this bird was one I took on 

 the 12th of May, 1891, at an elevation of some 1600 feet. 



