DICRURTTS. 201 



The instance of sagacity related by Mr. Phillips, and quoted by 

 Jerdon, was related to him by the late Mr. Davis, my old Collector 

 of Customs. 



" I have on two or three occasions myself witnessed similar in- 

 stances of sagacity. This bird, during the breeding-season, is pug- 

 nacious to a degree, fearlessly attacking every bird that approaches 

 the tree on which the nest may be." 



Writing from the Sambhur Lake, Mr. R. M. Adam says : 

 " Very common here. The King-Crow breeds here in June and 

 July. The eggs vary much with regard to colouring ; some are 

 pure white without spots, some have dark brown spots on the white 

 ground, whilst others have a pale rufous ground darker at the 

 broader end, with spots of deep rust-colour and lilac." 



Colonel G-. P. L. Marshall writes: "At Bheem Tal, fully 4000 

 feet above the sea, I found two nests of this species on the 24th 

 May, one contained four eggs, and the other three ; the eggs varied 

 much in size, and out of the seven, six were pure white, almost 

 like Barbet's eggs, and the seventh had only a faint sprinkling of 

 tiny dark spots at one end. The birds, all four of which I shot, 

 were typical D. ater, with the white spot well developed. On the 

 same day, and in the same place, I found eggs of D. lonyicaudatus. 

 I record this, as it is not usual to find D. ater breeding at this 

 elevation. It may be noticed that the eggs of this species found 

 by Hutton in the Doon were all pure white, while in the plains 1 

 think white is more exceptional." 



Dr. Scully says : " In Nepal it breeds freely at elevations of 

 from 4000 to 5000 feet. Three nests were taken in the valley, in 

 May and June ; these contained each three or four pure white eggs." 



Major C. T. Bingham remarks : " 1 have found many nests of 

 the King-Crow both at Allahabad and Delhi. In both places they 

 begin laying towards the end of May, and I got fresh eggs at Alla- 

 habad as late as the 13th August. The nests and eggs have been 

 nearly always of the same type. The former, a shallow, but well- 

 made saucer, rather small sometimes for the size of the bird, of 

 grass-roots and twigs, and absolutely without lining ; the latter 

 white, when fresh with a pink tinge, spotted, chiefly at the larger 

 end, rather scantily with claret-colour and dark brown. I have 

 never found a pure white egg." 



Lieut. H. E. Barnes, writing of Eajputana in general, tells us : 

 " The King-Crow breeds during May and June. A few nests may 

 be found in July, but by far the greater number are to be found 

 during the latter part of May and the commencement of June." 



Colonel Butler informs us that " The Common King-Crow breeds 

 in the neighbourhood of Deesa during the rains. I have taken 

 nests on the following dates : 



"June 6, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs. 



" June 7, 1875. 4 fresh eggs. 



" June 9, 1875. 2 fresh eggs. 



4 young birds. 



" June 10, 1875. 4 fresh eggs. 



