Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 35 



valleys, and in gardens, building as a rule low down in some 

 bush or small tree ; but creepers on walls, crotons growing 

 in pots, and the leaves of arum lilies are also resorted to. 

 In the latter case the edges of a leaf are sewn together, and 

 in the cone thus formed the nest is placed. As a rule, two 

 leaves are used, but Rickett once found a nest in a small- 

 leaved creeper on a wall, where five or six leaves had been 

 drawn together. The materials used are wool, cotton, moss, 

 hair, fine roots, and vegetable fibres. 



One morning a Tailor-bird entered Rickett's room, and 

 picking up a piece of cotton-wool that was lying on the floor 

 carried it to the verandah-rail. Holding the cotton under 

 its feet, it proceeded, by means of its bill, to spin it into a 

 piece of thread, with which it flew off. 



Three eggs are usually laid, but four and five may be found. 

 They are of two types of colouring : — 



(a) Pale green, with large blotches of two shades of pale 



brick-red over underlying spots of a somewhat 

 violet-red. 



(b) Pale bluish green, with small spots of madder-brown, 



almost wholly confined to the larger end. 



Twenty-two eggs average - 63 x "46 in. : the largest '67 X 

 •47, the smallest "59 x '45. 



The old birds exhibit great anxiety when the nest is 

 approached, and flit about restlessly, uttering an incessant 

 nervous " twit, twit, twit." 



Suya crinigera Hodgson : Ibis, 1899, p. 187. 



La Touche has already described nests of this bird taken 

 by him at Peling. It no doubt breeds also in Central 

 Fohkien. 



Suya superciliaris Anderson. 



This species was first recorded as Chinese by Rickett in 

 ' The Ibis ' for 1894, p. 218. 



A nest sent to him in May by Dr. Stenhouse, R.N., may 

 pretty safely be assigned to it. The parent bird was shot, 

 but, being a good deal damaged, Dr. Stenhouse unfortunately 

 threw it away. He said that it had a conspicuous white stripe 



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