230 SYLVIID^l. 



both, but the sexes were not ascertained ; still I doubt whether 

 the two birds can possibly be merely different sexes of the same 

 species. Anyhow, the female bird which he figures (No. 826) is 

 really brunneipectus, and under that name I notice the nest and 

 eggs on which the female figured was captured. Mr. Hodgson 

 notes : " GosaintTian. In the snows ; female and nest. 



" August 2nd. Nest in a bunch of reeds placed slantingly : ovate 

 in shape ; aperture at one side ; placed about half a foot above the 

 ground, made of grasses and moss, 4 or 5 inches in diameter ex- 

 teriorly, interiorly between 2 and 3 inches." The eggs are figured 

 as moderately broad ovals, measuring 0-65 by 0'48, of a uniform 

 deep cinnabar-red, reminding one of the eggs of Prinia socialis, but 

 much deeper in colour*. 



Mr. Mandelli sends me three nests of this species, all found near 

 Yendong, in Native Sikhim, at an elevation of about 9000 feet, on 

 the 15th, 17th, and 21st July. The nests contained two, two, and 

 three fresh eggs respectively, and were placed, two of them in 

 small brushwood, and one in a clump of rush or grass, from 9 to 

 18 inches above the ground. They seem to have all been rather 

 massive little cups, composed exteriorly of broad grass-blades 

 rather clumsily wound together, and lined with rather finer, but 

 by no means fine grass. In two of them some dead leaves have 

 been incorporated in the basal portion. 



They are rather dirty, shabby-looking nests, obviously made of 

 dead materials, old withered and partially-decayed grass, and not 

 with fresh grass ; they seem to have measured 3 inches in diameter, 

 and 2*5 in height externally ; the cavity was perhaps 1-5 to 1*75 

 in diameter, and 1 inch more or less in depth. 



From Sikhim Mr. Grarnmie writes : " Nest among scrub in 

 small bush, 2 feet from ground, at 5000 feet above the sea. Found 

 on the 3rd June, when it contained two eggs; taken on the 5th, 

 with four eggs. I dissected the bird killed off the nest, and found 

 it to be a female ; in her stomach were the remains of a few 

 insects. The nest is cup-shaped, loosely made of dry leaves and 

 grass, lined with, for the size of the bird, coarse grass-stalks. Ex- 

 ternally it measures 3'5 inches in breadth by 2'5 deep ; internally 

 2 broad by 1'5 deep." 



This nest taken by Mr. Gammie near Eungbee on the 5th June, 

 1875, at an elevation of about 5000 feet, contained four eggs. It 

 was a massive little cup about 3 inches in diameter externally, and 

 with an internal cavity about 2 inches in diameter and If inch 

 deep ; was rather loosely put together, externally composed of dead 

 leaves and broad flags of grass, internally lined with grass-stems. 



The eggs of this species are very regular broad ovals, the shells 



* There can be no doubt, I think, that T. affinis and T. brunneipectus are the 

 same species as T. thoracica. I reproduce Mr. Hodgson's note on the nesting 

 of this species together with Mr. Hume's remarks, but I feel sure that the nest 

 described by Mr. Hodgson and the egg figured by him cannot belong to the 

 present species. ED. 



