Nidification of Indian Birds. 341 



seemed to be congregated. Still there were a few birds 

 about ray ledge, and I could watch two jjairs building only 

 a few yards from me, and two other nests were also in sight. 

 None of these nests were retort-shaped, all being mud semi- 

 cups fastened against the surface of the rock, and in each 

 case well protected by a projecting piece of rock which over- 

 hung them. None of these four nests were completed, so I 

 ordered my two Nagas on to the next ledge, and from that 

 they pointed out to me a nest which they said contained four 

 eggs, and which was within their reach. On this nest I had 

 a noose set, and, making the Nagas keep out of sight of it, 

 soon had one of the birds captured. The nest and its con- 

 tents, together with the bird, were then brought down to 

 me, but the mud part of the nest broke into pieces as it was 

 being removed. The mud-work was very bulky and of con- 

 siderable thickness, and it seemed to me to have been much 

 larger than the normal nest of H. rustica. It contained an 

 immense mass of feathers mixed wdth straw, completely 

 hidden in which were the eggs, not four, as first reported, 

 but three only. These are pure white eggs, with a very 

 fine smooth texture, showing a very faint gloss. They are 

 rather broad, true ovals in shape, and measure 0"'84x 0"*60, 

 0"-84 X C"-59, and 0"-81 x 0"-50. 



On a former occasion I had a nest and four eggs brought 

 to me, with a bird of this species. The nest was just like 

 that of H. rustica, and had been built between and against 

 two rafters in a house in the Gunjong village. The eggs 

 wei'c, however, very richly spotted, even more so than are 

 nine out of ten eggs of H. rustica or H. gutturalis, and I am 

 afraid that in this case a nest of the last bird was palmed off 

 on me as belonging to H. striolata, a bird of that species 

 having been captured by the Naga. At the time this nest 

 was brought to me a number of Striated Swallows had been 

 observed by me to frequent the Naga houses, and I offered 

 a reward to any one who would show me a nest in situ. 

 Every year a number of H. gutturalis breed in these villages, 

 and it would not have been a matter of much difficulty to 

 knock over a Swallow of the striated form and then take a 



