IMERrLA. 91 



Blackbird's, but smaller, and the same may be said of the eggs, 

 except that they are rather rounder. These birds nest regularly 

 near the Cat ton bungalow ; and directly this important business 

 is over they retire to the higher jungle, assembling in more or less 

 numerous parties. I have seen as many as forty or fifty at the 

 same time, in ^hat might be termed scattered company ; but this 

 is a rare habit, and only to be accounted for by the abundance of 

 favourite food in a particular locality.'" 



6G9. Merula bourdilloni, Seebohm. Bourdillon's Blackbird. 



Captain Horace Terry found the nest of this Blackbird on the 

 Pulney Hills. He says : — " I found two nests at Kodikanal in 

 1883 of what I identified as this bird, and in each case shot one of 

 the parent birds, which I sent to Mr. Hume *. There now seems 

 to be great doubt as to the correctness of this identification, but I 

 send description of nests for what it is worth. The first nest 

 (May 18) was placed in the fork of a tree some fifteen feet from 

 the ground, and was just like the nest of M. simillima. The body 

 of mud, lined with fine grass and the outside with coarse grass 

 and roots wound round it, and covered all over with green moss. 

 A strongly built, rather shallow cup 3-5 inches across and 2 inches 

 deep inside ; 5 inches across and 4 inches deep outside. It con- 

 tained one very slightly incubated egg, just like the egg of M. 

 simiUima. On 3rd June I found a similar nest with two fresh eggs, 

 and shot the male bird." 



671. Merula nigripileus (Lafr.). The Black-cajiped Blackbird. 



Merula nigropileus (Lafr.), Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 523: Hume, Cut. 

 no. 359. 



Mr. H. Wenden has found many nests of this Blackbird on the 

 Ghats near Khandala. He says : — 



" 6th July, 1879. Lonauli. Found nest with three young birds 

 in a small euphorbia bush, 4^ feet above ground. 



" 27th July. Davidson and I found two nests, each with three 

 eggs. One situated in the fork of a horizontal bough about 5 feet 

 from ground, and the other on the point of a pollarded branch 8 feet 

 from ground. 



" 2nd August. I found another nest with three eggs, 12 feet up 

 in a euphorbia bush. I have found several other nests, some old 

 and others building. This species seems to be breeding very freely 

 about here (Lonauli, from 1800 to 2400 feet above the sea). 



" On 27th July I shot both male and female from a nest, and 

 Davidson and I identified them. The nests are composed of stout 

 twigs and grass, covered externally with much earth and moss. 



* These birds are now in the British Museum, and Captain Terry has identi- 

 fied them quite correctly. — Ed. 



