148 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION 



used. Some huge pieces of bark, nearly as large as the bird 

 itself, were suspended by cobwebs from the lower part of the 

 nest. 



The nest is pear-shaped, about 6 inches in height, and barely 3 

 inches outside diameter at the thickest part. The upper 2 iuches 

 are solid. The entrance is about half way down and measures 

 1-| by 1. The bottom of the egg chamber is.about one iuch below 

 the tip of the entrance, and the thickness of the walls everywhere 

 is about one-third of an inch. The wonderful part of the nest is 

 the verandah or portico. This springs from the upper edge of 

 the entrance and extends to two or three inches below the bot- 

 tom of the nest. Laterally it extends to rather more than the 

 width of the nest, and the sides are incorporated with the main 

 structure all the way down. It is made of the same materials 

 as the other portions, is about a quarter of an inch thick, and 

 very strongly woven and elastic. 



20.— Arachnechtlira flammaxillaris, Bl. (234 far.) 



I have found the nest of this bird from the commencement 

 of July to the end of August. On the 3rd of the former 

 month I observed a female of this species attaching a piece of 

 grass to a twig. On the 8th the nest looked quite finished, 

 and on the 14th I took two eggs from it. Another nest also 

 with two eggs was found on the same day, and subsequently, 

 during July and August, other nests were found by me. 



Two appear to be invariably the number of eggs laid. 

 They have little or no gloss ; the ground colour is pale green- 

 ish white, and this is nearly all covered with dashes of greyish 

 ash which run one into the other at the thick end and form a 

 cap. In addition, the egg is sparingly marked with fine, round 

 spots of dark brownish black running at the edges like inkspots 

 on blotting paper. 



All the nests I have met with have been placed in secondary 

 jungle, on shrubs and bamboos, seldom more than four-feet, 

 occasionally only two, and in one instance about six feet from 

 the ground. 



The nest is generally pear-shaped, the upper part tapering up 

 to the point of attachment. Occasionally the shape is more that 

 of a long cylinder. The total length varies from 6 to 8 inches 

 and it is 3 in its widest part. The entrance 1^ by 1 is centrally 

 situated and is overhung by a rude porch, an inch wide and 

 about 1^ long. The walls are half an inch thick, but at the 

 base fully an inch. 



The materials are chiefly fine grasses mixed up with scraps 

 of dead leaves, moss bark and cobwebs. The interior is entire- 

 ly of very fine grass, and the egg chamber has usually a few 



