NILTATA. 21 



" At Darjeeling," Dr. Jerdon says, " I several times procured 

 the nest of this bird, situated on a bank, or in the cleft of a rock, 

 or against the fallen stump of a tree. It is loosely made of moss, 

 lined with a few black fibres ; and the eggs, three or four in 

 number, are reddish white, with the large end nearly covered with 

 minute brick-red spots, forming a large patch of dull brick-red. 

 The eggs are remarkably long-shaped." 



Mr. Grammie says : " I found a nest of this species in a cleft 

 of a rock near Bungbee, at an elevation of 3800 feet, on the 19th 

 May. The nest was of the usual type a pad of beautiful soft 

 green moss, lined with the finest and softest moss-roots, and con- 

 tained three fresh eggs. These, though of the normal type of 

 colouring, were quite abnormally small, measuring 0-77 and 0*8 inch 

 in length, and 0-58 and 0'59 inch in breadth. We snared the bird 

 on the nest, so that there could be no doubt about the species." 



The eggs are commonly a rather long oval, somewhat pointed 

 towards one end, but spherical and pyriform varieties occur ; as 

 usual in this family, they are almost entirely devoid of gloss. The 

 ground-colour is a pale reddish buff, somewhat paler than that of 

 Stoparola albicfiudata, and the egg is throughout very faintly freckled 

 and mottled with a sort of dingy pink, which is most apparent 

 towards the large end. This mottling is only apparent when the 

 eggs are closely looked into ; at a little distance they appear a 

 uniform very dingy pale buff, slightly darker towards the large end. 



In length the eggs vary from 0*87 to 1 inch, and in breadth from 

 0-68 to 0-75 inch ; but the average of a large series is 0-93 by 0-7 1 

 inch nearly. 



595. Niltava macgrigoriae (Burt.). The Small Niltava. 



Xiltava macgrigoriae (Burt.\ Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 475 : Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. $ JE. no. 315. 



The Small Niltava breeds in Xepal and Sikhitn from April to 

 June at elevations of from 3000 to 5000 feet. 



The nests sent me from Darjeeling (along with the eggs and 

 parent birds) closely resemble those of Stoparola melanops and S. albi- 

 caudata, but are larger and more carefully built. They were placed, 

 I am informed, on the ground, and are composed of beautiful soft 

 moss of different kinds, the egg-cavity being partially lined with 

 excessively fine blackish-brown moss-roots. The nests are fully 

 5 inches in external diameter, and the egg-cavity is about 2| inches 

 in diameter and 1 f inch in depth. A few dead leaves are sometimes 

 incorporated in the base of the nests, which otherwise are entirely 

 composed of beautiful soft feathery mosses and their delicate roots. 



One nest found at Eishap, Darjeeling, on the 7th May, at an 

 elevation of 4000 feet, contained three fresh eggs, but four is, I 

 believe, the full complement. 



According to Mr. Hodgson this species breeds in Nepal in April 

 and May, laying three or four unspotted pinkish or fawny-white 

 eggs ; the nest is entirely composed of green moss, in which fine 



