FOR NORTHERN INDIA 132 



marked by various shades of deep chocolate 

 and reddish-brown. As Hume remarks : 

 " nothing can exceed the beauty or variety 

 of markings, which are a combination of bold 

 blotches, clouds and spots, with delicate, 

 intricately woven lines, recalling somewhat 

 . . . those of our early favourite the yellow- 

 hammer." 



The ashy wren- warbler (Prinia socialis) 

 builds two distinct kinds of nest. One is 

 just like that of the tailor-bird, being formed 

 by sewing or cobbling together two, three, 

 four or five leaves, and lining the cup thus 

 formed with down, wool, cotton or other 

 soft material. The second kind of nest is 

 a woven one. This is a hollow ball with 

 a hole in the side. The weaving is not so 

 neat as that of the baya and the Indian wren- 

 warbler. Moreover, several kinds of material 

 are usually worked into the nest, which is 

 invariably lined. 



The building of two totally different types 

 of nest is an interesting phenomenon, and 

 seems to indicate that under the name Prinia 

 socialis are classed two different species, which 

 anatomically are so like one another that t 

 systematists are unable to separate them. 



