MOTACILLA. 



207 



the egg. The colour of the markings is sometimes earthy brown, 

 sometimes dark olive-brown, and sometimes purplish brown. In 

 some eggs the whole surface is covered with markings more or less 

 uniformly ; in others they are far more dense on the large end, 

 and comparatively sparse elsewhere. 



In length these eggs vary from 0-82 to O98, and in breadth from 

 0-6 to O7 ; but the average of twenty-nine eggs is O9 by rather 

 less than 0-66. 



MtT . 3illa melanope (Pall.). The Grey War/tail. 



Calobates sulphurea (Bechst.*), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 2^0. 

 Calobates boarula (Perm.), Hume, Rough Draft N. 8? E. no. 592. 



The Grey Wagtail breeds plentifully, Mr. Brooks tells us, along 

 the mountain-streams of Cashmere, at elevations of above 6000 

 feet. 



All the nests of which I have received any record were takmi 

 during the latter half of May and the early part of June. 



Four or five appear to be the usual number of eggs. 



Mr. Brooks remarks : "I have examined a good series of both of 

 Calobates sulphurea and C. melanope, Pallas, and though the color- 

 ation is the same, there is such a very great difference in length of 

 tail that I cannot conclude them to be the same. 



" The situation chosen for the nest is different, and C. melanope 

 is not nearly such a noisy bird when breeding as C. sulphurea. 



" One nest that I found in Cashmere, at Kagari, was placed in 

 a small bush on an island in the Sind Eiver, about 5 feet above 

 the ground. The situation was that of a Finch's nest ! It was 

 composed of moss, fibres, &c., and lined with hair, a neat compact 

 nest, and placed in the forks of the branches near the top of the 

 bush. 



" The other nest was placed under a large boulder on the dry 

 bed of the river, and was composed of the same materials. The 

 eggs out of this nest were more pinkish than those of any sulphurea 

 I have ever seen." 



Major Wardlaw Eamsay says, writing of Afghanistan : " Com- 

 menced to breed in May. On the 5th June I found a nest in the 

 roots of a tree which was lying in the dry bed of the stream near 

 our camp ; it contained four young ones just hatched, and one 

 addled egg, which I secured with the old bird." 



The eggs are pretty uniform, both in size and shape broad 

 ovals at the larger end, and much compressed and pointed towards 

 the small end. Typically the ground-colour is yellowish or 

 brownish white, closely mottled and clouded all over with pale 

 yellowish brown or brownish yellow ; these markings, always pale, 

 dull, and smudyy, are somewhat darker in some specimens and 

 lighter in others. Almost all the eggs have a very fine black hair- 

 like line twisted about somewhere near the large end. Mr. Brooks 

 took a nest, which he feels certain belonged to this bird, in which 

 the eggs are similar in shape, size, and character of markings to 



