OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS. 459 



619.— Minla castaneiceps, Sodgs. 



On the 20th of February, when encamped jnst under the 

 summit of Mooleyit on its North- West slope, I fouud a nest of 

 Minla castaneiceps, containing three eggs, but so hard set, that it 

 was only with the greatest difficulty that I managed to pre- 

 serve them. 



The nest, a deep cup, was placed about 5 feet from the ground 

 in a mass of creepers growing up a sapling. It (the nest) was 

 composed externally of green moss, and lined with fibres and 

 dry bamboo leaves. 



On the 29th of the same month I took another nest also 

 containing three eggs, precisely similar to those in the first nest, 

 but these were so far incubated, and the shell was so fragile, 

 that they were all lost. 



This nest was also composed externally of green moss, beauti- 

 fully worked into the moss growing on the trunk of a large 

 tree, and it was only with considerable difficulty and after look- 

 ing for some time that I found it. The egg-cavity of this nest 

 was also lined with fibres and dried bamboo leaves. 



The first nest found was open at the top and measured 5*5 

 in depth, 3-0 across the top externally ; the egg-cavity 3'5 in 

 depth by 1*8 in diameter at top. 



The second nest was completely domed at the top, and 

 measured externally 7 inches in depth by about 35 at top ; 

 the egg-cavity 2"5 inches deep by 1/5 across the mouth. 



Three eggs measured 0*7 to 0*75 in length and 0*55 to 0"59 

 in breadth. 



u The eggs are broad ovals, a little pointed towards the small 

 end; the shell white, almost devoid of gloss ; a dense ring or zone 

 of excessively small black spots surrounds the large end, and 

 similar specks are rather sparsely distributed over the whole 

 of the rest of the surface of the egg, having however a tendency 

 to become obsolete towards the small end ; sometimes a little 

 brown and sometimes a little lilac is intermingled in the zone." 



622 bis.— Proparus dubius, Hume. 



On the 21st of February I took a nest of this species con- 

 taining two eggs, and out of the female, which 1 shot off the nest, 

 I took another egg, ready for expulsion, which was in every 

 particular precisely similar to those in the nest. 



The nest was a large globular structure, composed externally 

 of dried reed leaves, very loosely put together ; the egg-cavity 

 deep and lined with fibres. It was placed on the ground close 

 to a rock, and at the foot of a Zinziberaceous plant, and rather 

 exposed to view. The nest was not unlike that of Pomatorhinns, 

 but of course considerably smaller, not so domed, and with the 

 mouth of the egg-cavity pointing upwards. 



b9 



