36 MUSCICAPIDJi. 



quantity of material hanging from the bottom, so as to produce the 

 appearance of a funnel. The peculiarity is much more strongly 

 marked in Mr. Gould's figure of the nest of Rhipidura alblscapa ; 

 but he says of that species that it has invariably but two eggs, 

 whereas the nest of L. fascoventris here figured contained three. 

 These much resemble the eggs of Sylvia curruca (Oarruca garrula, 

 Brisson), being of a sullied white with few scattered spots, except 

 those forming a broad zone towards the large end, and the colour 

 of which are greenish olive-brown, mingled with some dark ashy 

 spots." 



Captain Hutton remarks: "These curious little Fan-tailed 

 Flycatchers are only seen upon the hills at about 5500 feet in the 

 warmth of summer, and occasionally they breed at that elevation. 

 More generally, however, they are confined to the Dehra Doon, 

 where they frequent the mango trees, darting out occasionally with 

 a tumbling flight as if falling from the tree, and suddenly return- 

 ing to their perch. It keeps up an almost incessant sharp snapping 

 sound with the beak as it hawks about the tree for insects, and 

 indulges occasionally in a not unpleasing little song. 



" Its nest was taken on the 25th of May from a lofty tree, and 

 contained three small eggs of a faint carneous white with a ring of 

 earthy-brown spots at the larger end, and a few of a fainter hue 

 scattered over the shell. Diameter -|-J- by T ^. 



" The nest is a very neat and beautifully constructed little cup, 

 being a perfect miniature of that of Tchitrea (Terpsiphone) paradisi, 

 and composed entirely of very fine grassy fibres compactly held 

 together by a complete and thick coating of cobwebs smoothly 

 plastered all over it. It was placed upon a single twig which ran 

 obliquely from beneath it up one side and formed its sole support. 

 Internal diameter about 1| inch ; over all 2 inches." 



"Writing from Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall says : " The 

 nest of this species differs from that of R. attnfrontata, being the 

 shape of an inverted cone, beautifully made, lined with the finest 

 grass, and covered with cobwebs ; it was situated in a clump of 

 thin branches. Eggs like those of R. albifrontata, only smaller 

 and rounder. These nests are found in the lower ranges, at about 

 5000 feet up." 



Colonel (I. F. L. Marshall writes : " I found a nest of this 

 species on the 5th June, near Bheem Tal, at about 4500 feet 

 above the sea. It was in a deep shady ravine choked up with 

 brier bushes, the upper branches of which were all green, and the 

 lower boughs shut out from the light were dead and bare. The 

 nest was fixed on to one of the bare dead boughs about three feet 

 from the ground. I had heard the birds singing down the ravine, 

 and creeping under the bushes on my hands and knees to watch 

 them, I came upon the nest; it contained three fresh eggs, and 

 was cone-shaped with the usual tail." 



Writing from the Kuimton Bhabur, Mr. R. Thompson says : 



" Many nests of this bird I have found, but not in similar localities 

 to those of R. albifrontata. The present species prefers deep 



