348 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on the 



texture is decidedly chalky, and the surface is without any 

 gloss, while it is extremely fragile. 



Typically the eggs are rather long, obtuse ovals, not much 

 compressed towards the smaller end, but they vary a great 

 deal in shape, and I have seen broad, but pointed ovals — 

 one pair regular peg-top shape^ — and also narrow pointed 

 eggs. In size, also, they vary a great deal; of the 18 eggs 

 seen I have measurements of 12, and these vary in length 

 between 0"*76 and 0""65, and in breadth between 0"*50 

 and 0"-59, the average of the 12 being 0"-72 by 0"-54. 

 If, however, the two smallest eggs be deducted, the length 

 only varies between 0"'70 and 0"'76, and the average is 

 increased to 0"*73, or rather over, by 0""54. To show the 

 variation in size and shape, I may mention that two eggs 

 in my collection measure respectively 0"'65xO"'57 and 

 0"-76x0"-51. 



These birds do not breed here at any great elevation, and 

 they are more common in the plains at the foot of the hills, 

 and thence up the valleys from 500 to 750 feet, than they are 

 higher up, and I have not seen any nests taken at a higher 

 elevation than 1000 feet. They generally build their nests 

 in tree-forest with very dense undergrowth, especially in 

 such as have it composed of plants, patches of grass, and 

 similar vegetation, and not of bush and cane. The nest sent 

 me from Darjeeling was taken from a forest at an elevation 

 of over 5000 feet. 



56. Dic.EUM CHRYSORRHEUM. [Otttes, op. cit. ii. p. 378.) 

 I have taken very few of the nests of this Flower-pecker, 

 though the bird is by no means rare. Such nests as I have 

 seen have all been of the same description and character as 

 those made by the other Dicasidse. They are very neat, 

 small, oval purses, made of seed-down, cotton, and other 

 similar material — not feathers — and lined with the very finest 

 seed-down, collected from fallen and burst pods of bombax- 

 trees. This lining is very neatly matted down into the nest, 

 so as to cover the whole interior, with the exception of quite 

 the top, and even here there is sometimes placed a small 



