358 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on the [Ibis, 



The coloration of the individual eggs in the same clutch 

 is often very unequal, one or two eggs being much more 

 freely marked than the others, or three out of four may be 

 well-marked and the fourth almost immaculate. So, too, 

 the character of the markings varies greatly both in clutches 

 and in individuals of the same clutch. As a rule, they 

 consist of large blotches and smears of colour scattered very 

 irregularly over the whole egg, and more numerous on the 

 larger than the smaller end ; sometimes, however, they are 

 confined to the larger end, where they may be more or less 

 confluent ; in others, again, they may be confined to wide 

 zones round the egg. Sometimes they are very large, and 

 consist of two or three marks only, whilst rarely they are 

 reduced to tiny specks and blotches, and are numerous 

 everywhere. The ground-colour is a white, almost always, 

 when first laid, with a faint skimmed-niilk tinge of bluish, 

 but as incubation progresses this tinge dissappears, and the 

 effffs often become stained and discoloured with reddish. 

 Occasionally a fresh egg may be taken with a pinkish-white 

 ground-colour, but I have seen very few such eggs. 



In shape and texture they closely resemble the eggs of 

 the European Sparrow-Hawk. 



The longest and broadest eggs measure respectively 40"4 

 and 322 mm., and the shortest and most narrow 35"0 and 

 28*8 mm. The average of 50 eggs is 37" 7 x 30-0 mm. 



The Himalayan Sparrow-Hawk is, I think, more of an 

 insect-eater than its English relation, and during the time 

 the termites are on the wing, these form a very considerable 

 portion of its diet. At the same time, it kills large numbers 

 of small birds, mice and other small rodents, bats, and the 

 smaller lizards and reptiles. I have seen the remains of the 

 small grey flying-squirrel in one of their nests, and many 

 remnants of comparatively large birds, such as barbets, 

 thrushes and bulbuls. It is a most inveterate hunter 

 after nests with the object of stealing the young, and I am 

 sure many thousands of nestlings meet with an untimely 

 end through this agencv. Although it is such a thief, it is 



