CRYPSIRHINA. 25 



is at all pinkish then the markings are more or less of a reddish 

 brown. Besides these primary markings, all the eggs exhibit a 

 greater or smaller number of faint lilac or purple spots or blotches, 

 which chiefly occur where the other markings are most dense. In 

 length they vary from 1'06 to 1*22, and in breadth from O8 to 

 I/O, but the average of 34 eggs is 1'14 by 0*85. 



21. Crypsirhina varians (Lath.). The Black Racket-tailed Magpie. 

 Crypsirhina varians (Lath.\ Hume, Cat. no. 678 quat. 



This Magpie is very common in Lower Pegu, where Mr. Gates 

 found many nests. He says : 



" This bird appears to lay from the 1st of June to the 15th 

 of July : most of my nests were taken in the latter month. It 

 selects either one of the outer branches of a very leafy thorny 

 bush, or perhaps more commonly a branch of a bamboo, at heights 

 varying from 5 to 20 feet. 



" The nest is composed of fine dead twigs firmly woven together. 

 The interior is lined with twisted tendrils of convolvulus and other 

 creepers. The uniformity with which this latter material is used 

 in all nests is remarkable. The inside diameter is 5 inches, and 

 the depth only 1, thus making the structure very flat. The ex- 

 terior dimensions are not so definite, for the twigs and creepers 

 stick out in all directions ; but making all allowances, the outside 

 diameter may be put down at 7 or 8 inches, and the total depth at 

 1| inches. 



" The eggs are usually three in number, but occasionally only 

 two well incubated eggs may be found. In a uest from which 

 two fresh eggs had been taken, a third was found a few clays 

 later. 



44 The eggs measure from 1-09 to '88 in length, and from '76 to 

 68 in breadth. The average of 22 eggs is '98 by -72." 



In shape the eggs are typically moderately broad, rather regular 

 ovals, but some are distinctly compressed towards the small end, 

 some are slightly pyriform, some even pointed, though in the great 

 majority of cases the egg is pretty obtuse at the small end ; the 

 shell is compact and tolerably fine, and has a faint gloss. The 

 ground-colour seems to be invariably a pale yellowish stone-colour. 

 The markings vary a good deal : in some they are more speckly, in 

 others more streaky, but taking them as a whole they are inter- 

 mediate between those of Dendrocitta and those of Garrulus, 

 neither so bold and streaky as the former, nor so speckly as the 

 latter. The markings are a yellowish olive-brown ; they consist of 

 spots, specks, small streaky blotches and frecklings ; they are 

 always pretty densely set over the whole surface of the egg, but 

 they are always most dense in a zone or sometimes a cap at the 

 large end, where they are often, to a great extent, confluent. In 

 some eggs small dingy brownish-purple spots and little blotches 

 are intermingled in the zone. The eggs differ in general appear- 



