34 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the 



Eighty-two eggs average "96 X - 74 in. : the largest l - 04x 

 •76, the smallest -86 X '68. 



The parents attack and drive away with great fury 

 any Kite, Crow, or Magpie that passes near the nest-tree, 

 displaying at such times great power and command of wing. 

 It was when our men were taking the eggs that we saw 

 these powers to perfection, as the birds swept swiftly but 

 silently to and fro among the branches, now and again 

 darting towards the nest as if to defend it. 



Chibia hottentota (Linn.). 



A summer visitor, breeding on the plains and in Central 

 Fohkien. The nests are, so far as our experience goes, 

 always placed in bamboos at a height of from fifteen to twenty 

 feet from the ground. They are slung to two or three sprays 

 near the top, and can only be obtained by carefully cutting 

 down the canes. 



The nests, though flimsy in appearance, are strongly built of 

 fine twigs, tough roots, and tendrils, with occasionally some 

 dry grass, moss, or dead leaves, those from Central Fohkien 

 being more substantial than others taken in the Yuen Fu 

 Valley. 



The eggs are laid in May or early in June. They are four 

 or five in number, and vary but little in shape, being usually 

 ovate. The ground-colour is more or less deep pinkish 

 creamy. The markings are, as a rule, as follows : — 



(a) Blotches or speckles of pale red over underlying spots 



and blotches of reddish lilac. 



(b) Speckles of pale red over lavender-grey specks. 



(c) Same as the last, but the marks are short streaks 



and V-shaped spots. 



(d) Sparsely speckled with very dark crimson or madder- 



brown over spots of violet-grey. 

 Forty-four eggs average l'14x*82 in. : the largest 1*26 X 

 •84, the smallest 102 x -80. 



Orthotomus sutorius (Forst.). 



This very common resident species appears to confine itself 

 to the plains. It nests in the groves of fruit-trees in the 



