116 PLOCEID^E. 



pushed through by the male, and re-inserting them in their proper 

 place and smoothing all carefully. Considerable time is spent in 

 completing this part of the nest, the egg-chamber being formed on 

 one side of the loop, and the tubular entrance on the other, after 

 which there appears to be an interval of rest. It is at this stage 

 of the work, from the formation of the loop to the time that the 

 egg-compartment is ready, that the lumps of clay are stuck on 

 about which there are so many conflicting theories. The original 

 notion, derived entirely, I believe, from the natives, was that the 

 clay \\SLS used to stick fire-flies on to light up the apartment at 

 night. Layard suggests that the bird uses it to sharpen its bill 

 on ; Burgess that it serves to strengthen the nest. I, of course, 

 quite disbelieve the fire-fly story, and doubt the other two sug- 

 gestions. Prom an observation of several nests, the times at 

 which the clay was placed in the nests, and the position occupied, 

 I am inclined to think that it is used to balance the nest correctly, 

 and to prevent its being blown about by the wind. In one nest 

 recently examined there was about 3 ounces of clay in six different 

 patches. It is generally believed that the unfinished nests are 

 built by the male for his own special behoof, and that the pieces 

 of clay are more commonly found in it than in the complete nests. 

 I did not find this the case at Eangoon, where my opportunities 

 of observing the bird were good, and believe rather that the un- 

 finished nests are either rejected from some imperfect construction, 

 weak support, or other reason, if built early in the breeding-season, 

 or if late that they are simply the efforts of that constructive 

 faculty which appears at this season to have such a powerful effect 

 on this little bird, and which causes some of them to go on building 

 the long tubular entrance long after the hen is seated on her 



"I have generally found that the Baya lays only two eggs, 

 which are long, cylindrical, and pure white ; but other observers 

 record a larger number. Sundevall states that he found three in 

 one nest ; Layard says from two to four; Burgess six to eight; 

 Tickell six to ten. Llyth thinks that four or five is the most usual 

 number. From my observations I consider two to be the usual 

 number, but have found three occasionally. In those exceptional 

 instances where six or more eggs have been found, I imagine they 

 must have been the produce of more than one bird. The Baya is 

 stated not to use the same nest for two years consecutively, and 

 this I can quite understand without having actually observed" it." 



I can entirely endorse this excellent account, and I would only 

 add that sometimes in Southern India they construct the nest 

 entirely of coir, these being the handsomest nests made by this 

 species. With Dr. Jerdou I am perfectly convinced that two is 

 the normal number of eggs. I have certainly examined a hundred 

 nests and never found more than three, and only two or three 

 times more than two. The majority of the birds lay, I believe, 

 everywhere in August ; though Dr. Jerdon does not state it 

 explicitly, it is, I believe, a fact that this bird alivays breeds in 



