Birds of North-west Fohkien. 197 



18 iDches from the ground, the entrance, which is near the 

 top, being also in front. Tiie nest was worked in the living 

 moss with which the trunk was covered, and projected but 

 slightly when seen sideways. The aperture is nearly circular, 

 2 inches in diameter. The outer length of the nest is 

 7^ inches, the width about 5 inches, the depth from front 

 to back wall about 4^ inches. The distance from outside 

 the entrance to the inner wall is 2| inches, the diameter of 

 the egg-cavity about 2 inches, the depth of the egg- cavity 

 about 1 inch. This nest is made of moss exteriorly, the 

 inner part being of dead leaves, and the egg-cavity thickly 

 lined with, or rather made of, moss-roots. 



The other nest brought back with us on this trip was 

 taken by the collectors on the 16th May. This nest, 

 according to Chunkai, was built about 4 feet from the 

 ground, and was fixed sideways, the tree-truuk forming one 

 side of the nest, which now looks as if the upper part of 

 one side had been sliced off. Like the other, it is made 

 outwardly of moss, the cavity has a foundation of dead 

 leaves, and the interior is thickly lined with moss-roots. 

 The inner height of this nest is 3^ inches ; the egg-cavity is 

 about 1 inch deep, with a diameter of 2 inches. The outer 

 length, including some loose moss at the base of the nest, 

 is 9 inches. 



I have three full clutches of the eggs of this Brachypteryx. 

 The eggs of the first clutch, dated 24th April, 1897, are 

 ovate, as are those of the clutch taken on the lltli May, 

 1898. Of the three eggs taken on the 16th May two are 

 ovate, inclining to oval, and one is of pyriform shape with 

 blunt apex. The colour is orange or pinkish buff, the first 

 two clutches being darker than the third. The large end is 

 of a darker tint in all save the abnormal pyriform egg. 

 Two eggs of the first clutch and three of the second are 

 speckled with a slightly darker tint of orange. The texture 

 of these eggs is smooth when seen by the naked eye, but 

 pitted and somewhat uneven when seen through a low-power 

 lens. There is a very slight gloss. The first clutch measures 

 0*84 X 0-60 inch (2 eggs) and 0'83 x 0'60 inch ; the second. 



