36 MUSCICAPID^. 



quantity of material hangins; from the bottom, so as to produce the 

 appearance of a funnel. The ]3eculiarity is much more strongly 

 marked in Mr. Gould's figure of the nest of llliipidura alhiscapa ; 

 but he says of that species that it has invariably but two eggs, 

 whereas the nest of L. fuscoventris here figured contained three. 

 These much resemble the eggs of Si/lvia curruca (Oamica r/nrnda, 

 Brissou), being of a sullied white \\'ith few scattered spots, except 

 those forming a broad zone towards tlie large end, and the colour 

 of which are greenish olive-brown, mingled \\ith some dark ashy 

 spots." 



Captain Ilutton remarks: — "These curious little Fan-tailed 

 rivcatchers are only seen upon the hills at about 5500 feet in the 

 warmth of summer, and occasionally they breed at that elevation. 

 More generally, bow ever, they are confined to the Dehra Doon, 

 where they frequent the mango trees, darting out occasionally with 

 a tumbling flight as if falling from the tree, and suddenly return- 

 ing to their perch. It keeps up an almost incessant sharp snapping 

 sound with the beak as it hawks about the tree for insects, and 

 indulges occasionally in a not unpleasing little song. 



" Its nest was taken on the 25th of May from a lofty tree, and 

 contained three small eggs of a faint carneous white with a ring of 

 earthy-brown spots at the larger end, and a few of a fainter hue 

 scattered over the shell. Diameter -f^ by -{^. 



" The nest is a very neat and beautifully constructed little cup, 

 being a perfect miniatm*e of that of Tihitvea {Terpsi'jjlwnc) paradisi ^ 

 and composed entirely of very fine grassy fibres compactly held 

 together by a complete and thick coating of cobwebs smoothly 

 plastered all over it. It was placed upon a single twig which ran 

 obliquely from beneath it up one side and formed its sole support. 

 Iiiternai diameter about 1| inch ; over all 2 inches." 



Writing from Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall says :— " The 

 nest of this species differs from that of 11. alhifrontata^ being the 

 shape of an inverted cone, beautifully made, lined with the finest 

 grass, and covered with cobwebs; it was situated in a clump of 

 thin branches. Eggs like those of 11. alhifrontata, only smaller 

 and rounder. These nests are found in the lower ranges, at about 

 5000 feet up." 



Colonel G-. Y. L. Marshall writes : — " I found a nest of this 

 species on the 5th June, near Bheem Tal, at about 4500 feet 

 above the sea. It was in a deep shady ravine choked up with 

 bri(^r bushes, the upper branches of which were all green, and the 

 lower boughs shut out from the light were dead and bare. The 

 nest was fixed on to one of the bare dead boughs about three feet 

 from the ground. I had heard the birds singing down the ravine, 

 and creeping under tlie hushes on my haiuls and knees to watih 

 them, I came u])on the nest; it contained threes fresh eggs, and 

 was cone-shaped with the usual tail." 



AVriting from the Kumaon Bhabin-, INTr. 1^ 1"hom])soii says: — 

 " Many nests of this bird 1 have I'ound, but not in similar localities 

 to those of 11. albijrotduiu. 'Vha present species prefers deep 



