Nidification of Indian Birds. 259 



elevation. This scrub consists chiefly of dwarf juniper, 

 Lonicera, and a small yellow-flowering rhododendron which 

 grows only two or three feet high. There are few trees, 

 except here and there a birch, and the bird keeps chiefly to 

 the low scrub. It has a rather loud monosyllabic chirp, 

 which it frequently utters. After a considerable search I 

 was rewarded by finding two nests of this species, both in the 

 above-described scrub and raised about one foot from the 

 ground. The nests were domed, with a small side entrance, 

 and were made of grass and lined with feathers. 



" The eggs were four in each nest, very broad ovals, either 

 pure white or white with a few very pale pink spots. They 

 gave the following measurements : — 



" Largest egg '61 by "48 in . 



Smallest egg *56 bv '46 in. 



etc) f 



Average of 8 eggs *(>0 by " 47 in." 



Since this was written nests and eggs have been taken by 

 numerous collectors, who have confirmed what was written 

 by Osmaston. The majority of the eggs are, perhaps, pure 

 white, but many have specks and spots of red, as a rule very 

 sparsely scattered over the larger end and very pale, but 

 sometimes fairly distinct and plentiful. 



Mr. S. L. Whymper writes to me from Kashmir, 1200 

 feet : — le This is a most common nest up here and I have 

 taken numbers. The birds generally seem to lay four eggs, 

 three pure white and the fourth faintly speckled with red ; I 

 have, however, found one clutch of four in which all were 

 spotted." 



I have had clutches of four sent me which were all 

 pure white ; on the other hand, I have seen clutches all 

 spotted, and some again containing eggs of both kinds, so 

 that there would seem to be no certainty as to what may be 

 expected. 



The eggs in my collection vary between '54 by •00 in. in 

 length and between 45 by "48 in. in breadth. 



Typically they arc broad ovals, distinctly pointed at the 

 smaller end, though occasionally quite obtuse. The grain is 



s2 



