100 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on /he 



The texture is tine and close, but the extent of gloss 

 varies greatly and seems to be most highly developed in 

 the palest type of egg and least in the brownest, where in 

 some cases it is practically absent. The shell is decidedly 

 stout for so small an egg. 



Eighty eggs in my collection and that of Dr. Coltart 

 average in size '78" by w ol" , and vary between '75" and *82" 

 in length and between *55" and "61" in breadth. 



The birds are early breeders, laying principally in the last 

 few days of March, in April, and early May ; but they continue 

 to nest in June and July, and I have one clutch of eggs from 

 Dr. Coltart taken on the 14th of August. It is possible, 

 therefore, that this species has two broods in the year, though 

 I do not think that such is often the case in the family 

 Crateropodidae. 



83. Thringorhina oglii. 



Blanford, F. B. Ind. i. p. 156. 



This extremely rare Babbler was for a very great many 

 years known only from the type-specimens obtained by 

 Godwin-Austen near Sadiya in this district. In 1901, how- 

 ever, Dr. Coltart procured two specimens through a tribe 

 of Nagas living some days' journey from our boundaries, 

 where the mountains rise to a height of about 9000 feet. 

 Since then we have yearly, by means of bribes and presents, 

 induced the Nagas to hunt for them; but they must be very 

 rare everywhere, for, in spite of all our offers, we can get 

 but one or two birds each season. There are now two pairs 

 in the Tring Museum, one pair in the Asiatic Museum, and 

 besides these only those retained by Dr. Coltart and myself. 



In 1902, on the 9th of May, Dr. Coltart had the nest of 

 this bird brought in by some of his Naga collectors, together 

 with one parent and four eggs. This he most generously 

 made over to me. Since then we have had four other nests 

 brought in, each time with one of the parent birds, and all 

 of them agree well together, so that, although we have never 

 seen the nest in situ, there is little chance of our having been 

 deceived in the matter. 



