STURNIA. 371 



" The birds during the breeding-time confine themselves closely 

 to their breeding-ground, so much so, that except when close 

 to their haunts none are ever seen. 



" The size of the eggs varies from 1*00 to 1*10 in length, and 

 from *70 to '80 in breadth. The average of twelve eggs is 1*03 in 

 length and '79 in breadth." 



He subsequently wrote : " I first noticed this bird breeding on 

 the llth March ; on the 10th, while marching, I saw some on the 

 side of the road and shot one, and on opening it found it was breed- 

 ing. Accordingly on the llth, on searching, I found their breeding- 

 ground, which was in the middle of a Dhund thickly studded over 

 with kundy trees, in the holes of which they had their nests. The 

 nest lay at the bottom of the hole, which was generally some 18 inches 

 deep, and consists of a few bits of coarse sedge-grass and feathers 

 of T. leucocephalus and P. leucorodia (which were breeding close 

 by). Five was the maximum number of eggs, but four was the 

 normal number in each nest. 



" I afterwards found these birds breeding in great numbers all 

 along the Eastern Narra wherever there were suitable trees (kundy 

 trees). At the place 1 first found them in, the young ones are now 

 many of them fledged and flying about, while in other places they 

 are just beginning to lay. 



" The total length of their breeding-ground in any district must 

 be close on 200 miles, but entirely confined to the banks of the 

 river. If you looked four miles from the river, one side or the 

 other, you would not see one. Can Pastor roseus breed in India 

 in some similar secluded spot ? I have been rather unlucky in 

 getting their eggs, as at each place which I visited personally the 

 birds had either young ones or were just going to lay." 



The eggs of this species are moderately broad ovals, sometimes 

 slightly elongated, always more or less appreciably pointed towards 

 the small end. The shell is extremely smooth and has a fine gloss. 

 The colour, which is extremely uniform in all the specimens, is an 

 excessively delicate pale blue with a faint greenish tinge, a very 

 beautiful colour. They vary from 1 to 1*18 in length, and from 

 0-71 to 0-82 in breadth. 



537. Sturnia blythii (Jerdon). BlytVs Myna. 



Temenuchus blythii (Jerd.), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 331. 

 Sturnia blythii (Jerd.), Hume, Cat. no. 689. 



Mr. Iver Macpherson sent me from Mysore three eggs and a 

 skin of a Myna, which latter, although in very bad order, is un- 

 doubtedly S. blythii. He says : " It is very possible that the bird 

 now sent is S. malabarica, and it is such a bad specimen that I 

 fear it will not be of much use to you for the purpose of identifi- 

 cation. I think it is Sturnia blythii, as Jerdon says that S. mala- 

 barica is only a cold-weather visitant in the south of India. 



" I will, however, try and procure you a good specimen of the 



24* 



