OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS. 145 



scaffolding than anything else ; the chicks were half formed ; 

 the egg-shells have been considerably soiled from the bird's 

 droppings. On the 18th May another nest was found ; this time 

 in heavy tree jungle, about 12 feet off the ground j the nest was 

 the same as the foregoing, and contained only one fresh egg. 

 During the breeding season this bird's call, a low sweet hoot, 

 is heard every now and then. 



" On the 30th June 1875 a female, with three eggs, was brought 

 to me with the nest, which was placed in the fork of a small 

 tree (about 15 feet high,) where three branches met and some 6 

 feet off the ground. A number of the small living twigs had 

 been bent down, and over these were placed a layer of twigs 

 overlaid with a layer, 1^ inch thick, of leaves which had been 

 plucked green. There was hardly any egg cavity perceptible ; 

 the eggs were partly incubated." 



From Sikhim Mr. Gammie writes : — 



" On the 10th May a native brought me a nest containing 

 three partially-incubated eggs, aud a female of this species 

 which he said he had caught on it. The nest, he said, was 

 placed in the middle of a large bamboo bush, on the branch- 

 lets, within eight feet off the ground. The man declared that 

 he had brought me the whole of the nest, but I do not feel 

 sure about this ; of what he brought, the egg cavity was little 

 better than a mere depression, about 4 inches in diameter, and 

 gradually deepening inwardly to about 1'25 inches in the centre. 

 The body of the nest was a collection of twigs about the 

 thickness of a goose quill. On the top of the twigs came a 

 quantity of green tree leaves and dry bamboo leaves ; then 

 a neat lining of quite green leafy twigs for the eggs to rest 

 on. It was taken at Mongphoo at 3,000 feet elevation." 



The eggs obtained by Mr. Gammie, in Sikhim, Mr. 

 Cripps, in Sylhet, and Mr. Davison, in Tavoy, are quite of the 

 Centropus and Taccocua type. Long cylindrical eggs, obtuse 

 at both ends, often not unlike in shape some of our turtle's eggs ; 

 in color dead glossless white, with larger or smaller portions 

 of the surface covered with dirty yellowish brown, more 

 or less glazy, stains. 



Five eggs varv from 1"33 to 137 in length, and from 0'98 

 to 1-05 in width.— A. O. H.] 



17.— Centropus intermedius, Hume. (217 sex.) 



August 2ith. — Nest four feet from the ground in thick ele- 

 phant grass, to several stalks of which the nest was attached. 

 A domed structure 18 inches in height and 14 outside diameter. 

 The bottom, 4 inches thick and the walls and roof very strong 

 but thin, aud allowing everywhere of the fingers being inserted. 



