94 TUEDID7E. 



7 1 inches in external diiimeter — beautiful masses of moss, lichen, 

 and dry feathery fern, standing something like 5 inches high, with 

 deep egg-cavities, 3^ inches across by 2| in depth. As far as I 

 can judge, M. houlhoul employs less mud in the construction of its 

 nest than the southern alHed species; but their general appearance 

 is very similar, though the Himalayan nests seem to be generally 

 rather the lightest, although the largest. 



Four is the normal number of the eggs, but I have taken five. 

 From Nepal Mr. Hodgson notes that he " found a nest on the 

 6th June at Jaha-powah containing three fresh eggs ; a dull 

 verditer green, much obscured by reddish-brown freckles. The 

 nest measured externally 6 inches in diameter, and 2-6 inches in 

 height; the cavity was 1-5 inch in diameter and 1'6 inch in 

 depth. The nest was in a wood, on a thick stump of a cut tree 

 about 2 feet high, and completely hidden by the new shoots spring- 

 ing up from the stump. The nest was entirely composed of moss, 

 firm and compact, and lined with hair-like fibres." 



Mr. Gammie says : — " I took a nest of this species out of a large 

 tree within reach of the ground at an elevation of about 4000 feet 

 on the Government Cinchona plantations, Sikhim. This was on 

 the 20th May, and the nest contained three fresh eggs. The nest 

 was a very beautiful, finely woven cup, composed entirely of fine 

 roots, but with a little green moss and a few dead leaves inter- 

 mingled externally. No mud at all had been used in the construc- 

 tion of the nest. The cavity measured 3-5 inches in diameter and 

 over 2 inches in depth, and was nowhere above an inch in thick- 

 ness. The eggs w ere of the usual type : a delicate sea-green 

 ground richly blotched and streaked with red and brownish red, 

 and with a little pale purple intermingled at the larger end, 

 where also the markings are more dense, in fact almost con- 

 fluent." 



Later on, he again wrote : — " This Ouzel breeds in the Darjeeling 

 district from May to August, most commonly about the elevation 

 of 5000 feet, near the edges of large forests. It sometimes builds 

 in forks of ti*ees at no great distance from the ground, but its 

 favourite position is, at the height of 20 or 30 feet, right on the 

 summit of a stump of a I'icus-tree, from which the'Bhutias have 

 cut the top, and pollarded for the sake of the leaves for their milch 

 cows. The nest is kept in its place, and concealed, by the up- 

 right shoots springing away from below thp stump end, and, 

 usually, the bottom of the nest fits the end of the stem. Eor 

 better concealment a little loose moss is allowed to hang a short 

 way dov\n the stem. A rather isolated tree is generally chosen, 

 the bird, 1 suspect, objecting to the drip off lofty trees. In build- 

 ing, a neat compact shell is first Jiiade of twigs and moss, then a 

 good coating of mud, and finally a thick linijig of fibry roots. 

 Externally it measures about (5 inches across by 3'2 in height ; 

 internally the cavity is 3-5 inches in diameter by 2 in depth. The 

 number of eggs is four." 



Mr. Brooks, \\ritiug to me on 2'Jth August, 1SG8, mentioned 



