216 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION OF CERTAIN SPECIES IN 



found a nest containing three young birds on the 6th May — one 

 of which I kept and have succeeded in rearing. 



248 quint.— Sitta neumayeri, Mich. 



This Nuthatch is very common on the hills. It appears to 

 choose very different localities to build in. In some instances 

 a hole in the face of a rock is selected, and this it lines with 

 agglutinated mud and resin, continuing the lining case until 

 it projects in the shape of a cone to fully eight inches. It seems 

 fond of decorating its little palace with feathers to a distance 

 of two or even three feet, and is thus a conspicuous object ; 

 but most nests are found in holes in trees, and even here 

 feathers are stuck into crevices all around. They are usually 

 well lined with camel's hair. 



They breed in March and April. The eggs are usually four in 

 number (I have sometimes found five), are oval in shape, more 

 or less glossy white, and more or less densely or sparsely 

 (generally most densely towards the large end) spotted and 

 blotched, with varying shades of chestnut to reddish brown, 

 more or less intermingled with pale purple and occasionally 

 purplish grey. Some eggs are very richly marked. Some 

 are almost pure white. They average 0-87 by 0'57. 



254.— Upupa epops, Lin. 



The European Hoopoe arrives during March, and commences 

 to breed soon after. I have been very unfortunate in pro- 

 curing eggs, although I have many times found young birds. 

 All the nests I have examined have been in holes in trees, 

 slightly cleared out by the birds, and all having an offensive 

 smell. 



The only egg I have was obtained in a peculiar manner, but 

 in such a way as to leave no doubt of its identity. An Afghan 

 found a nest containing three eggs, which he accidentally broke ; 

 he caught the parent bird which, strange to say, laid another 

 egg in his hand. I confined the bird in a cage, hoping she 

 would lay again, but during the night she escaped. The egg 

 is a very pale skim milk-blue, nearly white, rather rough and 

 chalky in texture and oval in shape. 



25@.— Lanius lahtora, Sykes. 



The Grey-Backed Shrike is extremely common, breeding 

 about the end of March, in much the same situations as in 

 India. I have collected many specimens, and failed to detect any 

 difference between the Indian species and that found here. Of a 

 large series, the average of 12 is *97 by '75. 



