HIEUIS^DO. 187 



to occupy the nest at night, or, more correctly, to occupy the edge 

 of the nest, for they do not get into it, but merely sit close together 

 on its edge. The same nest is occupied the following year, the 

 upper feathers being only removed and replaced by fresh ones. 

 Should the nest have been destroyed a fresh one is' built on the 

 same site. 



" The bird does not begin to sit till the full complement of eggs 

 are laid, and both birds take part in the task of incubation." 



Mr. Wait, writing from Conoor, to the eastward of Ootacamund, 

 remarks that they " breed from April to June, building under eaves, 

 bridges, open sheds, &c., and generally against the sides of the 

 rafters. The nest, composed of mud pellets worked together and 

 lined with soft feathers, is somewhat irregular in its external shape, 

 and has a rather shallow cup-hke egg-cavity some 2^ inches in 

 diameter ; they lay from two to five eggs, very round ovals, white, 

 spotted with reddish brown.'' 



Miss M. Cockburn, writing from Kotagherry, remarks : — " They 

 are fond of returning to the same places in which they build every 

 year, and ai)pear to prefer erecting their httle nests in verandahs 

 and eaves of outhouses. Many years ago I remember watching 

 for some days a battle between a cock Sparrow and a pair of 

 House-Sw^allows. The latter had finished their neat nest in our 

 verandah, \Ahen the Sparrow discovered it, and never left it except 

 for the purpose of satisfying his appetite. The poor Swallows saw 

 they could do nothing, so they disappeared and told their friends 

 the sad tale in Swallow language ; and as ' in the multitude of 

 councillors there is wisdom,' some time after, to our surprise, we 

 saw a great number of House-Swallows, each with a wee lump of 

 clay in its bill. They flew up to the nest, and succeeded in build- 

 ing up the sides, the Sparrow inside doing his utmost to stop their 

 work; but they, being accomplished artisans in their own masonry, 

 did not take a second to fix each piece of clay. It became a most 

 exciting scene, and we fully expected the Sparrow would have been 

 imprisoned for life ; but no, he was much too crafty to allow that. 

 AVith one effort he burst through the very small hole which was 

 unclosed, and escaped, being attacked by all the Shallows at the 

 same instant. This conflict ended by the rightful owners having 

 possession of their nest. They buUd here in the month of April, 

 and lay two white eggs with dark specks and spots." 



Dr. Jerdon says : — " I fouud it breeding chiefly in deserted 

 bungalows and outhouses at Ootacamund, also at the Government 

 wooden bungalows at the Avalanche. The nest small, open at 

 the top, and profusely lined with feathers ; the eggs were two or 

 three, \\hite, spotted with reddish brown. It also breeds in houses 

 in Nuwera EUia, in Ceylon." 



Mr. Ehodes W. Morgan, writing from South India, says : — " It 

 breeds in the Neilgherries in the roofs of houses and verandahs, 

 also on large rocks and cliff's. In shape the nest resembles a 

 pocket or the half of a teacup. It is formed of small clay pellets, 

 agglutinated together with the saliva of the bird, and is very 



