146 PLOCEID.II. 



AVaxbill, my men discovered two uests — one complete, aud the 

 other all but fiuished — built on, aud firmly attached to, the stalk- 

 euds of two or three of the upper leaves. They were somewhat 

 oblong in shape, aud verj^ neatly and compactly made. The inte- 

 rior lining was of fine grass, the exterior of coarse grass and long 

 strips of only sugarcane- leaves, well interwoven with the coarse 

 grass. The men told me that the birds had deserted the nests ; 

 but, on inspection, I had reason to discredit their statement. 



" Two years ago, in January, my men shot on the banks of a 

 stream here, in high grass, a young bird that had but just left the nest. 

 E\ery search was made all along the bank of the nuddee for nests, 

 but unsuccessiuUy. It would thus appear that S. fonnosa breeds 

 twice a year." 



Later, however, Mr. Ble\\'itt did succeed in getting the eggs. 

 He says : — " On the 17th July we Mere encamped in the open 

 forest country in the immediate vicinity of the A\'estern flanks of 

 the hill-ranges of the extreme eastern section of the Bhuudara 

 District. 



" In a sugarcane-field of about t\\o acres in extent, on the bank 

 of a broad hill-torrent, I found four unfinished and three complete 

 nests, each containing five eggs, of S. formosa. 



" The nests, one aud all, were some five feet from the ground, 

 in the upper portion of the sugarcane, the stalk forming a side- 

 support opposite the entrance. The frame\\"ork of the nest is first 

 strongly and neatly secured by lacings of coarse grass between two 

 of tlie cane-leaves, one above and the otlier below ; but as the 

 building proceeds, three if not four, additional leaves are caught on 

 to the sides of the nest and firmly interlaced in the exterior 

 material. The inner portion or lining is completed last. AVhen 

 finished, the nests are large globular structui-es, made exteriorly of 

 coarse grass and strips of the cane-leaf itself, the inner cavity 

 being thickly lined M'ith very fine grass, all somewhat compactly 

 put together. 



" The entrance-hole, which is prolonged into a short neck, is 

 invariably in the centre, opposite the sides supported by the cane- 

 stalk, and is well-concealed by projecting grass-fibres. 



" Five is apparently the normal number of the eggs, and both 

 sexes are equally employed in building the nest and incubating the 

 eggs. One male wan shot busily at work at the short neck of the 

 nest, the female the while sitting on the eggs. Evidently a new 

 nest is prepared each successive season, and I think they always 

 breed in society, several nests being found in close proximity."' 



The eggs, as might be expected, are snow-white and entirely 

 devoid of gloss. In shape they arc somewhat elongated o\als, 

 some few of them slightly compressed towards one end. 



In length they vary from 0-01 to 0-7, and in width from 045 to 

 0-48 ; but the average of fourteen is a little more than 0*66 by 

 nearly 0*47. 



