530 Mr. II. P. Wxthcrhy— Ornithological 



near Naksh-i-Bahram (3100 ft.), contained three eggs on 

 April 20th. I watched the bird return silently and stealthily 

 to the nest. On dissection it proved to be the male. 



53. BURNESIA GRACILIS LEPIDA (Blytll). 



Drymcpca gracilis (Licht.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 200. 



Burnesia lepida (Blyth); Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, pp. 484 & 

 496, 1891, p. 109. 



14. <J ad. ; 23. <J ad. March 22nd, Bushire. 



189. cJ ad. April 17th, near Nudan (3500 ft.). 



This charming little bird was fairly common in the fields 

 in the valleys between Bushire and Shiraz. In flight it 

 looks like a bit of straw blown hither and thither by the 

 wind. Besides a squeaky "zit-zit" note and a locust-like 

 song, it makes a curious small sucking noise as it hovers 

 and flits over the corn. Its habits of flitting the wings and 

 jerking the tail from side to side when perched reminded 

 me much of Spiloptila damans. A nest, made of dry grass 

 and feathers and lined with seed-down, and shaped like that 

 of a Long-tailed Tit, was found in a clump of short reeds on 

 the borders of a marsh near Shiraz on May 3rd. It con- 

 tained one egg, of a pale blue colour thickly spotted with 

 red. The egg measures 155x110 mm. 



54. Scotocerca inquieta (Cretzschm.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 207 ; 

 Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 109. 



ISO. S ad. April 7th, near Dasht-i-arjan (7000 ft.). 



231, 232, 233. Juv. April 23rd, near Pul-i-mard (3800 ft.). 



I saw this little bird in three localities only, viz. : on rocky 

 bush-covered hill-sides near Dasht-i-arjan, at Shul (6800 ft.), 

 and at Pul-i-mard. At the last place a party of seven fully- 

 fledged young birds was seen on April 23rd. As Dr. Blan- 

 ford remarks, these birds try to hide themselves in the bushes 

 when danger threatens. They have a faint " chuck, chuck " 

 note. They climb about the twigs of the bushes and wag 

 their tails from side to side. 



55. Cettia sericea (Temra.). 

 Bradypterus cetti (Marm.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 200. 

 Cettia orientalis Tristr. ; Sharpe, Ihis, 1891, p. 108. 



