44 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the 



the place where he found it, which was a low thick bush in 

 which Rickett saw one of these birds hopping restlessly 

 about. The nest was replaced, but when visited a few days 

 later was found to have been deserted. It was a deep 

 open cup, composed of seeding spikes of " sword-grass," 

 and contained one Munia-like egg. La Touche when at 

 Tamsui had similar nests brought to him, but was unable 

 to identify them with certainty. 



Chloris sinica (Linn.). 



A common resident in the plains. Breeding begins in 

 April, when several nests are often to be found in the same 

 grove. They are usually placed in a pine-tree near the 

 extremity of a branch; we, however, obtained one in a fruit- 

 tree, built in the angle formed by a branch with the trunk, 

 and another in Rickett's garden was placed in a similar 

 position in a Grevillia (Grevillia 7-obusta). 



The nest is always well concealed and is a beautiful 

 compact little cup with very thick sides. It is composed 

 of fine twigs, moss, dry grass, pine-needles, roots, fibres, 

 vegetable down, and feathers, lined with very fine dry grass, 

 roots, hair, or feathers. One brought to Rickett was lined 

 with the short curly chestnut and black tail-feathers of a 

 domestic cock. These curved over the egg-cavity, and at 

 first glance gave the nest the appearance of a domed 

 structure. The measurements are: — external diameter about 

 4 inches, internal diameter 2£, outer depth 1\, depth of 

 cup 1^. 



The eggs are from two to four in a clutch. In shape they 

 are more or less ovate. The ground-colour when fresh is a 

 light opalescent green, with a few specks or comma-like 

 markings of black and red of various shades. There are 

 occasionally some pale reddish grey underlying marks. 



Seven eggs in Rickett' s collection average - 73x"54 in. 

 Two in La Touchers are much larger, viz. '77 x "56 and 

 •82X-52. 



Passer montanus (Linn.). 



This is our common " House-Sparrow. " It builds in any 



