Birds of Sold/tern Cameroun. 599 



Four eggs (Nos. 188 a, 189 «, 241, and 316) vary in length 

 from 22 to 21 mm, and in width from 16 to 17 ram. 



[Tlicy differ somewhat from the green-grounded eggs 

 ah'eady described (' Ibis/ 1909, p. 56) in having the ground 

 of a pale stone-colour, but the markings are much the 

 same.— W. R. O.-G.] 



Phyllostrophus SIMPLEX. [Nkcs.] (Plate XI. figs. 12- 

 14, eggs.) 



Bates, Ibis, 1909, p. 57. 



Bleda simplex Sharpe, Ibis, 1901, p. 632 ; 1907, p. 459 ; 

 Bates, Ibis, 1905, p. 96. 



At least a score of nests of this Nkcs have now been found, 

 and identified by the birds caught or killed in them. They 

 are always placed on low bushes near the ground, in bikotdk 

 or gardens, a favourite breeding-site being the triple or 

 quadruple fork of a cassava plant, or the similar fork 

 of the big weed Triumfetta. They are shallow cups, 

 rather rudely built, and very similar to other nests of 

 Pycnonotidaj ; but they have one invariable mark of dis- 

 tinction, for among the materials of the base or outside 

 part a few dry tendrils of some wild or cultivated vine 

 of the Gourd or Vine families are always to be found. 

 The number of eggs in a clutch is invariably two. Most 

 of the nests were found in the months of j\[arch, August, 

 and September. 



Nestlings have the inside of the mouth flesh-red, and the 

 SAvollen margin of the gape pale yellow. 



Seventeen eggs have been measured : two from two nests 

 measure 26 X 18 mm. ; these were the largest, though two 

 others, from different nests, were wider — 25 x 18*5 mm. ; 

 the smallest one, afterwards broken, measured 22 X 16 mm. ; 

 the two smallest that were saved, both from one nest, 

 measure 22 5 x 17 mm. 



[A large number of eggs vary considerably in shape from 

 a regular oval to a rather long oval. They are distinctly 

 glossy. The ground-colour varies from white to pale stone- 

 colour, and the Bunting-like markings consist of long 



2 s 2 



