148 CEATEEOPODIDJE. 



of the Sutlej I have not heard of its occurrence. It also doubtless 

 breeds throughout the hill-ranges running down from Assam to 

 Burmah. 



Mostly the birds lay in May, affecting well- watered and jungle- 

 clad valleys and ravines. They place their nests in thick bushes, 

 at heights of from 2 to 8 feet from the ground, and either wedge 

 them into some fork, tack them into three or four upright shoots 

 between which they hang, or else suspend them like an Oriole's or 

 White-eye's nest. 



The nest varies from a rather shallow to a very deep cup, and is 

 composed of dry leaves, moss, and lichen in varying proportions, 

 bamboo-leaves being great favourites, bound together with slender 

 creepers, grass-roots, fibres, &c., and lined with black horse- or 

 buffalo-hair, or hair-like moss-roots. The nests differ much in 

 appearance : I have seen one composed almost entirely of moss, 

 and another of nothing but dry bamboo-sheaths, with a scrap or 

 two of moss. They are always pretty substantial, but sometimes 

 they are very massive for the size of the bird. 



Three is certainly the usual complement of eggs. 



According to Mr. Hodgson's notes, this species breeds in the 

 central mountainous region of Nepal, and lays from April to August. 

 The nest, which is somewhat purse-shaped, is placed in some upright 

 fork between three or four slender branches, to all of which it is 

 more or less attached. It is composed of moss, dry leaves, often 

 of the bamboo, and the bark of trees, and is compactly bound 

 together with moss-roots and fibres of different kinds ; it is lined 

 with horse-hair and moss-roots, and contains generally three or 

 four eggs. 



The following note I quote verbatim : 



" Central Hills, August ~L2th. Male, female, and nest. Nest in 

 a low leafy tree 5 cubits from the ground in the Shewpoori forest ; 

 partly suspended and partly rested on the fork of the branch ; 

 suspension effected by twisting part of the material round the 

 prongs of the fork ; made of moss and lichens and dry leaves, well 

 compacted into a deep saucer-shaped cavity; 3*62 high, 4'5 wide 

 outside, and inside 2-25 deep and 3 inches wide ; eggs pale verditer, 

 spotted brown, and ready for hatching. The bird found in small 

 flocks of ten to twelve, except at breeding-season." 



A nest sent to me last year by Mr. Grammie was found by him 

 on the 24th April, at an elevation of about 5000 feet, in the 

 neighbourhood of E-ungbee. It was built by the side of a stream 

 in a small bush, at a height of about 3 feet from the ground, and 

 contained three eggs. The nest is a deep and, for the size of the 

 bird, very massive cup, exteriorly composed entirely of broad flag- 

 like grass-leaves, with which, however, a few slender stems of 

 creepers are intermingled, internally of grass-roots; the egg-cavity 

 being thinly lined with coarse, black buffalo-hair. Externally the 

 nest is more than 5 inches in diameter and nearly 4 inches high ; 

 but the egg-cavity, which is very regularly shaped, is 2J inches 

 in diameter and 2 inches in depth. 



