136 CEATEROPODrDJE. 



211. Actinodura egertoni, Gould. TJie Rufous Bar-winy. 



Actinodura egertoni, Gould^ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 52 ; Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. $ E. no. 427. 



There is no Ggure of the Rufous Bar-wing's nest or eggs amongst 

 the original drawings of Mr. Hodgson now in my custody, but in 

 the British Museum series there appears to be, since Mr. Blyth 

 remarks : '* Mr. Hodgson figures the nest of this bird like that of 

 an English Eedbreast, with pinkish -white eggs." 



From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes : " On the 27th April I took 

 a nest of this Bar-wing in a large forest at an elevation of about 

 5000 feet. It was placed about 20 feet from the ground, in a 

 leafy tree, between several upright shoots, to which it was firmly 

 attached. It is cup-shaped, mainly composed of dry leaves held 

 together by slender climber-stems, and lined with dark-coloured 

 fibrous roots. A few strings of green moss were twined round the 

 outside to assist in concealment. Externally it measures 4*2 inches 

 wide by 4 deep ; internally 2-8 wide and 2*4 deep. It contained 

 but two slightly-set eggs. 



" I killed the female off the nest." 



Several nests have been obtained and sent me by Messrs. Gammie 

 and Mandelli. One was taken on the 4th May by Mr. Mandelli, 

 at Lebong, at an elevation of 5500 feet, which contained three fresh 

 eggs ; this was placed on the branches of a small tree, in the midst 

 of dense brushwood, at a height of about 4 feet from the ground. 



Another, taken in a similar situation at the same place on the 

 22nd May, contained two fresh eggs, and was at a height of about 

 12 feet from the ground. 



These nests vary just in the same way as do those of Troclialo- 

 plerum niyrimentum ; some show only a sprig or two of moss about 

 them, while others have a complete coating of green moss. They 

 are cup-shaped, some deeper, some shallower ; the chief material 

 of the nest seems to be usually dry leaves. One before me is coin- 

 posed entirely of some Polo/podium, on which the seed-spores are all 

 fully developed; in another, bamboo-leaves have been chiefly used ; 

 these are all held together in their places by black fibrous roots ; 

 occasionally towards the upper margin a few creeper-tendrils are 

 intermingled. The whole cavity is lined more or less thickly, and 

 the lip of the cup all round is usually finished off with these sains 

 black fibrous roots ; and then outside all moss and selaginella are 

 applied according to the taste of the bird and, probably, the situa- 

 tion a few sprigs or a complete coating, as the case may be. 



Two eggs of this species sent me by Mr. Gammie are regular, 

 slightly elongated ovals, with very thin and fragile shells, and fairly 

 but not highly glossy. The ground is a delicate pale sea-grean, 

 and they are profusely blotched, spotted, and marked with curious 

 hieroglyphic-like figures of a sort of umber-brown ; while about 

 the larger end numerous spots and streaks of pale lilac occur. 



These eggs measure 0-93 in length by 0'65 and 0-63 in breadth. 



