142 



" We had now to get the eggs, if eggs there were, because as 

 vet we could only guess and surmise in regard to these. Just 

 above the recess, the cliff bosomed out with a full swell for some 

 2 or 3 feet, effectually preventing any one's looking down into the 

 nest from above, or, except by an accidental cannon in the broad 

 groove, such as my boatman had made by a fluke at the very first 

 shot, from even throwing anything down into it. Above the swell 

 the cliff was as nearly perpendicular as might be, and it really did 

 seem as if getting into that nest would be no easy matter. How- 

 ever, some 6 feet east of the nest, passed a sort of fault or crack 

 which traversed the cliff at an angle of about 45 degrees, and 

 down this, a stout rope round the waist, with infinite trouble and 

 no little danger, a way was found after all to the nest. Once 

 there, it was a firm platform of sticks at least 5 feet by 3|. In 

 the centre of this a circle of about 20 inches in diameter was 

 smoothed over with fine green twigs of the peeloo, and on this, 

 again, a circle of about a foot in diameter was smoothly spread 

 with the green leathery leaves of the same tree, and on these re- 

 posed the coveted treasures, two fresh eggs. One of these eggs 

 was bluish white, blotched and speckled very feebly, but thickly 

 towards the larger end, \v\t\\pale reddish brown. It measured 3 

 inches in length by 2'19 in breadth. The other was almost pure 

 bluish white, with scarcely any traces of markings anywhere, and 

 measured 2*81 inches in length by 2*13 inches in breadth. 



" A few days later, in similar cliffs a few miles higher up, I 

 found another nest. This time, however, the platform was much 

 larger, and was only about 6 feet below the top of the cliff. One 

 could look into it without the slightest difficulty, and a jackal 

 could assuredly have made his way there with ease, as even I got 

 down to it without help and without a rope. The platform of 

 sticks was fully 5 feet in diameter ; there was the same smooth 

 patch of twigs and smaller smooth circle of green leaves, this time 

 of the peepul (Ficus reliyiostf), and, as in the former case, on the 

 leaves, about 5 inches apart, lay two fresh eggs. These had a 

 bluish-white ground, blotched all over, but thinly and very feebly, 

 with pale dingy reddish brown ; and they measured, the one 2-02 

 by 2 inches, and the other 2'51 by 2 inches. The eggs were there- 

 fore considerably smaller thfin those above described, while the 

 female, which 1 shot as she left the nest, was a much younger and 

 smaller one than the magnificent bird first killed." 



Captain Hutton, writing from Mussoorie, says : " Eutolmaetvs 

 bondlii remains here all the year, breeding in places similar to 

 those selected by G. barbatus, but although we have several times 

 found the nest, we never could get at them. It stoops to fowls 

 and is destructive to the larger game-birds." 



Mr. E. Thompson has the following note in regard to this 

 species in Kumaon and Gurhwal : " I have never been up to 

 examine the nests of these birds, because they are always placed 

 on the most inaccessible precipices, but I can vouch for the time 

 of iheir breeding, viz., from April to June. I had a nest for 



