OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS, II. 51 



Karens. Fortunately the nests are so frequent that there is no 

 difficulty, in the course of a morning, in finding accessible ones 

 in plenty. 



November 11th was a trifle too early. Many nests were still 

 being built ; others had no eggs in them, and only a few had the 

 full complement of three eggs. 



The nest is made entirely of coarse sticks, and it is of such 

 a size that the sitting bird cannot be seen from below, except 

 when she stretches her head out. It is wedged into a fork as 

 near the exterior of the tree as possible whether at the top or 

 side. 



The eggs, three in number, are originally pure white and 

 tolerably, in some specimens very, smooth to the touch. As 

 incubation proceeds the shell gets much stained and becomes a 

 dark earth brown. The interior lining is very dark green. 

 They are very regular ovals, much the same shape at both ends. 

 Size from 8-1 to 2*82 by 2-25 to 2'08. 



These Adjutants utter only one sound, and it resembles the 

 lowing of a cow when separated from her calf. It was the 

 only sound heard in these gloomy forests. (N. & E., p. 605.) 



114.— Leptoptilos javanicus, Horsf. (916). 



While taking some nests of L. giganteus, I sent some of the 

 party to look for accessible trees. They misunderstood me, and 

 finding a tree which could be climbed, a man ascended and took 

 two eggs, which he brought me as the eggs of the Hair-crested 

 Adjutant. I failed to see any of these birds myself, but they 

 are common enough in the same forest, for subsequently I pro- 

 cured young birds which I am now rearing. I see no reason to 

 doubt the authenticity of the eggs. I was in the forest only 

 one morning- and might easily have failed to notice this species. 

 In fact the Burmans told me it was too early for them, as they 

 breed later than the Pouched Adjutant. 



The two eggs measure 3'16 and 2-98 by 2*25 and 2*2, res- 

 pectively. These dimensions are rather larger than the largest 

 e S£ °f giganteus I procured. In color they are precisely the 

 same. This year I hope to get more reliable specimens. 



115.— Xenorhynchus asiaticus, Lath. (917). 



The breeding of this bird is well known. In the Pegu plains 

 they select an isolated tree and make a large nest near the 

 summit. On the 1st December I took two eggs, and on the 

 6th January a clutch of four. Young birds reared from the 

 nest are now (June) moulting into the adult plumage. (N. & E., 

 p. 607.) 



