Nidiji cation of Indian Birds. 235 



The nest itself was very similar in appearance &c. to many of 

 Molpastes bengalensis, differing principally in being somewhat 

 more neatly and stoutly built than the majority of nests of 

 that species. Outwardly it was composed of the tough flat 

 stems of a species of wild bean, with, here and there, a soft 

 pliant twig or coarse strip of sun-grass, the first-mentioned 

 material predominating and giving the general grey-brown 

 liue to the nest. The neat but scanty lining consisted of 

 fine sienna-coloured grass-stems and a single skeleton leaf. 

 The nest measured in diameter outwardly about 4" by about 

 3" inwardly, and the depth about 2"-2 by l"-4. 



It was very strongly attached to three strong shoots of a 

 young sapling growing in the centre of a thorny bush, even 

 when removed still holding well together, in spite of being 

 thoroughly soaked by the heavy rain which had fallen for 

 some days previously. The eggs, Avhicli were three in 

 number and slightly incubated, can also be matched by many 

 of M. bengalensis. The ground-colour is a pale fleshy pink, 

 the markings consisting primarily of freckles and large and 

 small blotches of reddish and purplish brown, and secondarily 

 of others of pale dull inky. A few of the superior blotches are 

 very large, some measuring as much as from 0"'l to 0"*3 in 

 length by more than half as broad. 



In two eggs both kinds of markings are very numerous, 

 and are very equally distributed over the whole surface of 

 the egg, but in the third egg the primary markings are far 

 less plentiful. The three eggs measure 0"-97xO"-65, 0"-9G 

 x0"-60, and0"-93x0"-64. 



In shape they are long ovals, somewhat pointed, though 

 not much compressed at the smaller end. With the excep- 

 tion of having a slight gloss, the texture of the egg does not 

 differ from that of the eggs of the genus Molpastes. 



33. MicROT.ARsus ciNEREivENTRis. [Oates, op. eit. i. 

 p. 295.) 



Of this bird also I have seen but one nest, which in every 

 respect resembled that of M. melanocephalus, already de- 

 scribed, and which was found in the same valley and on the 



