MOTACILLA. 207 



the egg. The colour of the markings is sometimes earthy brown, 

 sometimes dark olive-brown, and sometimes purplish brown. In 

 some eggs the whole surface is covered with markings more or less 

 uniformly; in others they are far more dense on the large end, 

 and comparatively sparse elsewhere. 



In length these eggs A'ary from 0-82 to O-'JS, and in breadth from 

 0"(3 to U"7 ; but the average of twenty-uiue eggs is O'O by rather 

 less than 0-66. 



Motacilla melanope (Pall.). The Grey Wagtail. 



Calobates sulphurea (Beckst.), Jerd. B. Incl. ii, p. 220. 

 Calobates boarula (Penn.), Hiwie, Hough Draft N. S,- E. no. 592. 



The Grey "Wagtail breeds plentifully, Mr. Brooks tells us, along 

 the mountain-streams of Cashmere, at elevations of above 6000 

 feet. 



All the nests of which I have received an}^ record were taken 

 during the latter half of May and the early part of June. 



Four or five appear to be the usual number of eggs. 



Mr. Brooks remarks : — "I have examined a good series of both of 

 Calobates sulphurea and C. mclanojpe, Pallas, and though the color- 

 ation is the same, there is such a very great dii5:erence in length of 

 tail that I cannot conclude them to be the same. 



"The situation chosen for the nest is different, and C. melanope 

 is not nearly such a noisy bird when breeding as C. sulpihurea. 



" One nest that I found in Cashmere, at Kagan, was placed in 

 a small bush on an island in the 8ind River, about 5 feet above 

 the ground. The situation w as that of a Finch's nest ! It was 

 composed of moss, fibres, &c., and lined with hair, a neat compact 

 nest, and placed in the forks of the branches near the top of the 

 bush. 



" The other nest was placed under a large boulder on the dry 

 bed of the river, and was composed of the same materials. The 

 eggs out of this nest were more pinkish than those of any stdjyhurea 

 I have ever seen." 



Major Wardlaw Eamsay says, writing of Afghanistan : — " Com- 

 menced to breed in May. On the 5th June I found a nest in the 

 roots of a tree which was lying in the dry bed of the stream near 

 our camp ; it contained four young ones just hatched, and one 

 addled egg, which I secured with the old bird." 



The eggs are pretty uniform, both in size and shape — broad 

 ovals at the larger end, and much compressed and pointed towards 

 the small end. Typically the ground-colour is yellowish or 

 brownish white, closely mottled and clouded all over with pale 

 yellowish brown or bi'ownish yellow ; these markings, always pale, 

 dull, and smudiji/, are somewhat darker in some specimens and 

 lighter in others. Almost all the eggs have a a ery fine black hair- 

 like line twisted about somewhere near the large end. Mr. Brooks 

 took a nest, which he feels certain belonged to this bird, in Mhich 

 the eggs are similar in shape, size, and character of markings to 



