310 PICID^E. 



bank near Hansie. The hole was about 17 feet from the ground, 

 and contained no lining of any kind, the eggs being laid on the 

 bare wood chips." 



Colonel Gr. F. L. Marshall, writing from Saharunpoor, remarks : 

 " The bird is very common here. I found a nest early in June 

 in a hole in a mango-tree, the orifice about 3| inches in diameter 

 and the hole about 8 or 9 inches deep ; the orifice was concealed 

 by a small spray growing out of the main trunk just beside it, and 

 was about 20 feet from the ground. There were three eggs, oval, 

 shining, white after being blown, and with a pale salmon tinge 

 before blowing ; they were laid on the small chips at the bottom 

 of the hole, which had no other lining whatever." 



1 have found the nest-holes at all heights from the ground from 

 3 to 40 feet. 



Sometimes a natural hollow is taken possession of and only 

 rounded off internally. 



Both sexes assist in incubation. I find the following amongst 

 my notes : 



" On the 23rd of March I caught a bird (a male) in its hole, 

 with two fresh eggs, very pyriform, and now when blown just like 

 highly polished alabaster. I had the live bird 24 hours in a box, 

 and when I popped him on to the trunk of the large peepul tree 

 overhanging my portico, instead of flying away he ran about 1 foot 

 up the tree and, taking no earthly notice of me, set to work 

 devouring black ants at a great rate ; whilst in the hand he erected 

 his crest, screamed lustily, and pecked most vigorously at my 

 fingers, or indeed anything put near him; he was a very bold 

 bird." 



And, again : " Brooks took a nest, if I may use the expression, 

 on the 12th of March, out of a mango-tree near the Line ; ten days 

 previously we had seen the bird fly out of the hole, and had much 

 enlarged the opening so as to allow a boy to introduce his arm. 

 Yet, after all this, the bird still laid its eggs there. I caught a bird 

 near Oreyah on the llth of March, in an excavated hole about 

 3 feet from the ground, in the trunk of a mango-tree. There were 

 three very delicate white eggs, quite fresh, showing pinkish and 

 somewhat orange where the yolk was, till blown, but pure white, 

 very glossy, and like polished alabaster when blown. They were 

 very thin-shelled, rather long and pyriform, not a pin to choose 

 between them. There was no nest ; the eggs were laid on the 

 wood chips." 



Mr. George Eeid, writing from Lucknow, says : " B. aurantius 

 breeds, I believe, twice a year first in March and April, and again 

 after the rains set in. I have on two occasions found its nest, but 

 could not get at the eggs without cutting into, and probably 

 destroying, the large mango-trees they were in." 



Colonel Butler remarks : " Mr. J. Davidson sent me an egg 

 taken in the Satpuras, Khandesh, 8th March, 1881." 



Typically these eggs are a lengthened pyriform oval when un- 



