Nidification of Indian Birds. 321 



The texture of the shell is that of the normal Drongo's 

 egg. The shape is broad oviform typically, but all shapes 

 occur, from the broad pegtop, which is very rare, to the more 

 common long, narrow oval. One hundred eggs average 

 0"-90xO"-73, and they vary from 0"-80 to l"-02 in length 

 and from 0"-68 to 0"-77 in breadth. 



The full clutch of eggs seems to number either three or 

 four, the former most frequently. 



This Drongo, like most others, is a very early breeder, 

 April being their favourite month, while a few lay in March, 

 and not many after the middle of May. They breed in 

 large numbers all over the North-Cachar hills, but I have 

 not heard of their breeding in the plains, though I think it 

 is probable that they do so. 



36. Certhia NEPALENsis. [Oiites, op. cit. i. p. 330.) 



I have seen but one nest of this bird, which was taken on 

 the 16tli May, 1890, from a large tree growing on a peak 

 towards the east of the Cachar hills. The elevation was 

 close on 6000 feet. The bark of this tree was in a very 

 ragged state, large pieces projecting here and there all over 

 its surface in a semi-detached manner. In one of the larger 

 of these fragments of bark, which only adhered to the tree 

 by its basal quarter, a pair of Tree-creepers had made their 

 nest, a small, shapeless mass of moss and moss-roots, with 

 snug little cup of some 2" in diameter. It was placed at the 

 very bottom of the hollow, and no other materials than moss 

 and moss-roots had been used. 



The eggs, of which there were three, are white, boldly, 

 but not very thickly, spotted with light reddish, the spots 

 being most numerous towards the larger end, at the extremity 

 of which they form a fairly distinct ring. The texture is 

 fine and close, but glossless, and the shell is strong in pro- 

 portion to the size of the egg. They measure 0""59 X 0"*45, 

 0"-60 X 0"-47, and 0"-60 x 0"-46. 



37. Elachura haplonota. 



The mode of nidification of this bird was recorded in ' The 

 Ibis' (1892, p. 62), when I first described the bird itself. 



