1872.] MR. DRESSER ON REGULOIDES AND PHYLLOSCOPUS. 25 



Mr. H. E. Dresser, F.Z.S., exhibited some skins and eggs of 

 various species of Reguloides and Phylloscopus, and made the fol- 

 lowing remarks : — 



"On the 7th of Feb. last, I had the honour to exhibit before 

 this Society some eggs, which I then had good reason to believe 

 were those of Reguloides sujierciliosus ; but since then I have ascer- 

 tained that such was not the case. I have now the pleasure of 

 bringing to your notice the true eggs of the last-named bird, collected 

 by the well-known Indian naturalist, Mr. W. E. Brooks of Etawah. 

 This gentleman undertook, at considerable expense, a journey to 

 Cashmere in May last, chiefly for the purpose of finding out the 

 breeding-haunts of this species, and was fortunate enough to pro- 

 cure a splendid series of eggs, obtaining likewise, in almost every 

 instance, the old bird along with the eggs. 



" I will not enter into full details of the nidification of this 

 species (although I have received very full particulars from Mr. 

 Brooks), as I understand from him that he has sent a paper to the 

 Editor of ■ The Ibis' on the subject, but will merely state that the 

 Dalmatian Regulus places its nest on the ground, most generally on 

 a bank-side, whereas its near ally, Reguloides proregulus, the eggs 

 of which were procured by Mr. Brooks's friend, Capt. Cock, places 

 its nest, like the Gold Crest {Regulus cristatus), high up in a fir tree. 

 The nest of Reguloides superciliosus is dome-shaped, built of grass, 

 and sometimes lined with hair, the entrance being at the side. 



" I have also much pleasure in exhibiting an egg of Reguloides 

 occipitalis, procured by Mr. Brooks at the same time as the above- 

 mentioned eggs of R. superciliosus. Mr. Brooks wrote to me some 

 time ago, suggesting that the white eggs which I exhibited as those 

 of 2i. superciliosus might possibly be those of R. occipitalis ; and it 

 is probable that he is correct in his surmise, as will be seen by com- 

 paring the egg of this species procured by Mr. Brooks with (as it 

 now appears) the spurious eggs I exhibited on the 7th of Feb. last. 

 The twenty-four eggs of Reguloides superciliosus and the one egg 

 of R. occipitalis were all taken by Mr. Brooks himself at Gulmurg, 

 Cashmere, between the 31st of May and 7th of June last. 



" The former, as will be seen from the specimens now exhibited, are 

 white, more or less spotted with red, and in some instances purplish 

 brown, and in character are intermediate between the eggs of our 

 common Willow- Wren and the Chiffchaff. The egg of Reguloides 

 occipitalis is of a pure white. 



" I may also take the present opportunity of exhibiting a new 

 European Chiffchaff, described by Mr. E. F. von Homeyer at the 

 meeting of the German ornithologists, held in May last at Gorlitz, 

 under the name of Rhyllopneuste brehmi. It is only fair to Mr. 

 Brooks to state that he wrote to me early in March last to say that 

 he had discovered, amongst some Warblers sent to him by the Rev. 

 Canon Tristram, a new species which he proposed to call Phyllo- 

 pneuste tristrami, which now proves to be the bird described by Mr. 

 von Homeyer. Mr. Brooks sent to Canon Tristram a short paper 

 describing this species at the time that he wrote to me ; but, owing 



