CYANOPS. 321 



AVhether the Barbets caii possibly themselves collect these pads, or 

 whether they take possession of holes in which other species have 

 already collected them, I have not been able to ascertain. 



The eggs vary from rather broad to considerably elongated ovals, 

 and are not uncommonly slightly pointed towards one end. The 

 shell is fine and compact, and in some specimens has a slight gloss, 

 in others is dull and almost entirely glossless. The colour is, of 

 course, pure \vhite. 



In length the eggs vary from 1-03 to 1-13, and in breadth from 

 0-79 to 0-87 ; but the average of eight eggs is 1-09 by O83. 



Cyanops davisoni (Hume). Davison's Barbet. 

 Megalaema davisoni, Hume ; Hume, Cat. no. 195 bis. 



Major C. T. Bingham writes from Tenasserim : " This Barbet, 

 allied very closely to C. asiatica, is common in the Thoungyeen 

 valley, and I have shot it on the western side of the Dawna range, 

 in the pass leading from Tunbine on the Salween to Koosaik near 

 the mouth of the Thoungyeen. On the 16th March, while moving 

 camp from the head-waters of the Meplay choung to some ten 

 miles lower down the stream, I was fortunate enough to observe a 

 Barbet of the above species leaving a hole in the underside of a 

 large branch of a pyma tree (Lagerstrcemia Jfas-regince) . On 

 sending up a man, who with ease enlarged the entrance in the 

 half-rotten wood with a ' dah ' or Burmese knife, he found two 

 rather glossy white eggs resting on the bare wood. I found these 

 slightly set. As soon as he announced that there were eggs, I 

 shot the bird, which had flown to a neighbouring tree, and on 

 which I had kept a watch. 



" On the 20th of the same month a second nest was discovered 

 for me by a Karen. This also contained two eggs, one of which, 

 however, was smashed in getting it down. The nest-hole was in 

 a teak-tree, and similar to the first, as were the eggs. The three 

 eggs measure respectively 1-13 by 0-81 inch, 1-13 by 0-81, and 

 1-08 by 0-78." 



The eggs of this species are of course pure white; all are 

 slightly glossy, and some quite fresh ones have a fine gloss. In 

 shape they are, perhaps, normally slightly elongated ovals, a little 

 pointed towards the small end ; but tolerably broad ovals occur, 

 and others which are very obtuse at both ends and decidedly 

 pyriform. 



Cyanops flavifrons (Cuv.). The Yellow-fronted Barbet. 

 Megakeina flavifrons ( Guv.), Hume, Cat. no. 196 ter. 



Colonel W. Y. Legge writes from Ceylon : " The eggs of this 

 Barbet have been at last thoroughly identified. Mr. Mac Vicar, a 

 gentleman in the Public "Works Department, found two nests in 

 the Western Province in the beginning of last May. This is the 



VOL. ii. 21 



