46 CRATEROPODID^:. 



and has a very fine gloss ; they may be said to be almost white with 

 a delicate bluish-green tinge. In length they vary from 0'95 to 

 1*1, in breadth from 0*6 to 0'83 ; bat the average of forty-one 

 eggs is 1'02 by O75. 



65. Dryonastes caerulatus (Hodgs.). The Grey-sided Laughing- 

 Thrush. 



Garrulax cserulatus (Hodgs.}, Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 36 ; Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. % E. no. 408. 



A nest of the Grey-sided Laughing-Thrush found by Mr. Gam- 

 mie on the 17th June near DarjeeKng, below Kishap, at an elevation 

 of about 3500 feet, was placed in a shrub, at a height of about six 

 feet from the ground, and contained one fresh egg. It was a large, 

 deep, compact cup, measuring about 5-5 inches in external diameter 

 and about 4 in height, the egg-cavity being 4 inches in diameter 

 and 2f inches in depth. Externally it was entirely composed of 

 very broad flag-like grass-leaves firmly twisted together, and 

 internally of coarse black grass and moss-roots very neatly and 

 compactly put together. The nest had no other lining. 



This year (1874) Mr. Gaunnie writes : " This species breeds in 

 Sikhim in May and June. I have found the nests in our Chinchona 

 reserves, at various elevations from 3500 to 5000 feet, always in 

 forests with a more or less dense undergrowth. The nest is placed 

 in trees, at heights of from 6 to 12 feet from the ground, between 

 and firmly attached to several slender upright shoots. It is cup- 

 shaped, usually rather shallow, composed of dry bamboo-leaves 

 and twigs and lined with root-fibres. One I measured was 5 inches 

 in diameter by 2-5 in height exteriorly ; the cavity was 4 inches 

 across and only 1*3 deep. Of course they vary slightly. As far 

 as my experience goes, they do not lay more than three eggs ; 

 indeed, at times only two." 



Dr. Jerdon remarks that " a nest and eggs, said to be of this 

 bird, were brought to me at Darjeeling ; the nest loosely made with 

 roots and grass, and containing two pale blue eggs." 



One nest of this species taken in Native Sikhim in July, was 

 placed in the fork of four leafy twigs, and was in shape a slightly 

 truncated hi verted cone, nearly 7 inches in heightand 5'5 in diameter 

 at the base of the cone, which was uppermost. The leaves attached 

 to the twigs almost completely enveloped it. The nest itself was 

 composed almost entirely of stems of creepers, several of which 

 were wound round the living leaves of the twigs so as to hold them 

 in position on the outside of the nest ; a few bamboo-leaves were 

 intermingled with the creeper's stems in the body of the nest. The 

 cavity, which is almost perfectly hemispherical, only rather deeper, 

 is 3*5 inches in diameter and 2*25 in depth, and is entirely and very 

 neatly lined with very fine black roots. Another nest, which was 

 taken at Eishap on the 21st May, with two fresh eggs, was placed 

 in some small bamboos at a height of about 10 feet from the 



