A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 265 



4'6 to 4-9; tarsus, M to 1-15; bill from gape, 0*9 to 0*95 j 

 bill at frout, 0-58 to 0-67 ; closed wings short of tail, 3-1 to 3'4. 



Bill black ; base of lower mandible slaty horny ; irides dark 

 broAvn ; feet leaden black. 



Three young males, Valley, July, August and September. — 

 Length, 8'6 to 9-4 ; expanse, 11'3 to 11-8; wing, 3*55 to 3*65 ; 

 tail, 4-3 to 4'6 ; tarsus, 1*0 to I'l ; bill from gape, 0*9 to 

 0-93; bill at front, 0*57 to 0'65 ; closed wings short of tail, 

 3-1 to 3-2. 



Upper mandible brownish black ; the lower dusky at tip, dark 

 grey iu centre, and livid fleshy at base ; gape white or yellow 

 fleshy ; irides blackish brown ; lower eyelid bluish grey ; feet 

 and claws black. 



The parts which in the adults are pure, are in these young 

 birds dull and brownish, and the colours generally are paler and 

 less well marked ; the head above is spotted and barred, and 

 there are a few bars on the back and upper tail-coverts, 

 but the whole lower surface is, in all cases, without undulations. 

 All the specimens, both adult and young, show a prominent white 

 bar on the wing. 



The Black-headed Shrike is common in the Nepal Valley from 

 the beginning of March to the end of September, and mi- 

 grates to the Dun, Tarai, and plains in winter. In December it is 

 common about Hetoura and Bichiakoh. It frequents scrub 

 jungle, euphorbia and other hedges near hamlets, and small trees 

 on the borders of woods. It has the usual habits of the tribe, 

 perching on the tops of bushes and treeSj and uttering a harsh 

 chattering cry. It breeds on the hill sides of the valley, usually 

 in places where there is no tree forest, and not uncommonly in 

 the neighbourhood of hamlets. Several nests were obtained in 

 May and June; these were large cup-shaped structures, com- 

 posed of grass roots, fibres, and fine seed down intermixed. The 

 Qgg cavity was circular, lined with fine grass stems, about four 

 inches in diameter, and two inches deep in the middle. The 

 usual number of eggs is five ; the ground colour pale greenish 

 white, boldly blotched and spotted with olive marks in an irre- 

 gular zone round the large end. A clutch of five eggs taken on 

 the 14th June gave the following dimensions : — 0'94 to 0'97 in 

 length, and 0'65 to 0*7 in breadth. 



265.— Tephrodornis pondicerianus, Qm. 



Male, December.— Length, 7*1 ; expanse, 11; wing, 3-55; 

 tail, 2-9; tarsus, 07; bill from gape, 1'03; biU at front, 07 ; 

 closed wings short of tail, 1'5. 



Bill dusky ; the lower mandible brownish at base ; irides 

 brown; gape whitish fleshy. 



