632 Mr. J. D. D. La Touche— Field-Notes on 



the female at it. It was found on the ground on the hills 

 in a tussock of grass. This nest was a somewhat fragile cup, 

 made of grass-stems, grass-blades, and a few small roots and 

 twigs, with a lining of very fine grass-stems, fine roots, and 

 hair. The outer measurements were: depth about 2f in., 

 diameter 4x 44 in. ; the inner measurements . depth of cup 

 between 1| and 2 in., diameter 2| in. The eggs, five in 

 number, were fresh. The colour is greyish white, very 

 thickly stippled and faintly streaked with light brown. Two 

 of the eggs have besides an underlying stippling of grey. 

 The shape varies from oval, with both ends pointed, to 

 broad ovate. They measure: 0*76x0 60" (two eggs), 

 0-77 X 0-59", 0-77X0-61", and 0-80XO61". 



Five other nests with eggs, which I can only refer to this 

 Bunting, were procured from natives on May 12, June 16, 

 June 28, July 2, and August 17. These nests had apparently 

 all been found on the ground among grass on the hills. The 

 nest and eggs obtained on May 12 are very similar to those 

 taken by our men. The inner measurements of the nest are 

 the same, the outer measurements being rather smaller. The 

 eggs are greyer in appearance ; they are marked, but not so 

 thickly, with streaks and a stippling of greyish brown over 

 underlying grey stipples ; they are also smaller on average 

 (075 x 0-58" to 0-76 x 0*60") . The clutch taken on July 2 

 contained five slightly incubated eggs, resembling these two 

 clutches, but larger (0-77x0'61" to 0'80x0-65") and more 

 lightly and sparsely marked. The man who took them 

 caught a full-fledged bird of the year, to shew me to what 

 species they belonged. Two clutches of four eggs each, 

 slightly incubated, taken on the 16th and 28th of June, are 

 very different, being blotched, spotted, and speckled with 

 brown (in one clutch bright brown) over underlying violet- 

 grey spots, chiefly at the broad end. In most of these 

 eight eggs some of the underlying marks are streaky, 

 approaching the style of those of the finely marked clutches. 

 The nests containing these have a final lining of hair from 

 cows' tails over the fine root-lining. Otherwise, in measure- 

 ments, build, and materials, they are much the same as the 



