Birds of Lucknow. 553 



known as the Sliama in Lucknow, where, though not 

 numerous, a few are always to be found amongst old ruins. 

 It breeds from March to July ; but most eggs, I think, are 

 hatched by the end of April. A couple of pairs or so always 

 frequent the main building of the Martini^re, making their 

 nests in the dormitories, in spite of the frequency with which 

 they are robbed. I have been unlucky with their eggs ; the 

 only specimens which I have found were in a nest in a ravine 

 near Cawnpore. Once or twice I have found young birds. 

 The few eggs which I have seen have been light blue, 

 sparsely spotted with yellow-brown or brownish red. 



Average of 8 Luckuow eggs "80" x "61" 



Measurement of largest eg^ '81" x "61" 



„ smallest e^^ -78" x •CO" 



No. 644. EuTiciLLA RUFiVENTRis. Indian Redstart. 



Lalgonda [H., teste Reid]. Devil-bird [Anglo-Indian 

 boys] . 



A very common Avinter visitor, arriving in September or 

 earlier, and staying on into May. 



No. 647, Cyanecula suecica. Indian Blue-throat. 

 Cut-throat [Anglo-Indian boys] . 



Very common in the cold weather, especially so in the 

 crops lying along the river-banks. 



No. 661. Thamnobia cambaiensis. Brown-haclzed Indian 

 Robin. 



Dama [H., and Anglo-Indian boys]. 



A very common and permanent resident. It has a 

 pretty song in the breeding-season, and, at this period, as 

 remarked by Reid, it has the habit of " dancing about all 

 the time with its wings in a trailing position and its tail 

 erect.'" 



It breeds from March to July, making a Robin-like nest 

 of grass, moss, hair, &c., in holes in buildings, walls, ravines, 

 or occasionally amongst the leaves of the aloe and cactus. 

 The eggs, three, or occasionally four, in number, are white or 

 greenish white, rather thickly spotted and blotched with 

 reddish brown, chiefly at the larger end. In the nests of 



