Uttle-knoicn Bird g from near Be'ira. 43 



After waiting a few minutes quite near the tree, tliree 

 h'lrds flew on to it, and each one in turn fed t/ie younr/sters and 

 after settling on a bough for a minute or so, continually 

 chattering, flew away, only to retarn soon after and repeat 

 the performance. I watched these birds feeding the young 

 for about 40 minutes ; to be certain of the identification, I 

 shot one of them, which proved to be a young male. This 

 seems to me to be an extraordinary occurrence, where a young 

 male helps the parents of another nest in feeding their young. 



I was unfortunately unable to visit the nest again in time 

 to procure the young birds or the nest, but hope I may be 

 able to produce further records of observations of this 

 interesting bird later on. 



9. Yellow-spotted Shrike. Nicator gularis, Finsch & 

 Hartl. 



A nest was found on Dec. 17th, 1909, built in a low bush 

 in thick woods ; a somewhat rough structure of twigs, grass, 

 fibrous roots, and bits of bamboo-leaves, cup-shape and 

 measuring 3 inches across the top, inside diameter. 



The female was snared on the nest to make certain of 

 identification. 



The colours of the eggs are so similar to those of P. layardi 

 that unless I had the parent bird to prove the species I should 

 certainly have taken them for the Bulbul's ; the blotches of 

 deep rich purple-brown, chiefly at the larger end of the eggs, 

 are rather larger and heavier than on most specimens of 

 P. layardi, and a number of lighter brown spots show up on 

 the backo-round somewhat indistinctlv. 



Three clear eggs were found in the nest. 



All the eggs w^ere of the same size : I" x f ". 



10. Blue-throated Sunbikd. Anthreptcs reichenowii, 

 Gunning. 



A nest was found on Oct. 22nd, 1909, built about 15 feet 

 from the ground in a tall thick-leaved bush and suspended to 

 a bough on the outside of the bush, but under a canopy of 

 thick foliage. 



I first heard the birds calling and then located them, and 

 vol. VI. 5 



