SOME BURMESE BIRDS. NO. III. 167 



The nest is a cradle^ and the whole of it lies below the fork to 

 which it is attached. It is made entirely of small branches of 

 weeds and creepers, finer as they approach the interior. The 

 egg" cup is generally, but not always, lined with dry grass. 



The outside dimensions are 6" in diameter and 3'^ deep. The 

 interior measures 4" by %". In one nest the sides are bound to 

 the fork by cotton thread in addition to the usual weeds and 

 creepers. 



The eggs have very little gloss, and differ among themselves a 

 good deal in color. In one clutch the ground color is white, 

 spotted and blotched, not very thickly, with neutral tint and 

 inky purple, chiefly at the larger end. Other eggs are pinkish 

 salmon, and the shell is pretty thickly covered with pale neutral 

 tint and orange brown spots and dashes. 



They vary in size from 1'2 to 1-06 in length, and '85 to '8 in 

 breadth. ('' Nests and Eggs," p. 193.) 



127.— Chibia hottentotta, Lin, (286.) 



In the first week of May I took several nests of this bird, but 

 in all cases the nests were situated in such dangerous places that 

 most of the eggs got broken. There were three in each nest. 



The position of the nest and the nest itself are so much like 

 those of Z). gvandis'yA&i described, that no separate description is 

 necessary. Comparing many nests of both species together, the 

 only difference appears to be that the nests of the Hair-crested 

 Drongo are slightly larger on the whole. 



The only two eggs saved measure 1*10 by '8 and 1*11 by "81 ; 

 they are slightly glossy, dull white, minutely and thickly freck- 

 led and spotted with reddish brown and pale underlying marks 

 of neutral tint. 



I may add that at the commencement of May all the eggs 

 were much incubated. ('^ Nests and Eggs,^' p. 194.) 



128.— Alsocomus puniceus, Tioh. (782.) 



27i/i July. — Kyeikpadein. — Nest in a fork of a horizontal 

 bamboo bough, about 10 feet from the ground, composed of a 

 few twigs woven carelessly together. Male bird sitting. One 

 egg quite fresh. Color, white, very glossy. Size, I'47 by 1-15. 

 Probably only one Q^g is laid. 



129.— Excalfactoria chinensis, Lin. (831.) 



A nest found on the 14th July was a mere pad of grass, placed 

 in a clump of coarse grass. It contained five fresh eggs. They 

 are slightly glossy and rather rounded. The ground color is 

 olive browu, and the shell is speckled with a few minute reddish 



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