THE BIRDS OF THE LUCKNOW CIVIL DIVISION, 45 
trying to get ‘a fairly distant shot at it (Ihad already blown 
two to pieces), when I saw it suddenly sneak into a small 
patch of “ doob” grass, and rushing up I caught it between the 
rooting runners of the grass and the ground, so tightly 
squeezed in that I had some difficulty in getting it out. 
530.—Orthotomus sutorius, Penn. Native name— 
Phutki. 
The Indian Tailor-bird is a common and permanent resident, 
frequenting gardens, hedgerows, groves, and all kinds of 
jungles. In gardens it sometimes nests in brinjad bushes, but 
more frequently in the low shoots of guava trees, sewing two 
or three of the leaves together, which it lines with some soft 
material—cotton or wool preferred—if procurable either by fair 
means or foul. I have known it to enter verandahs, and even 
rooms, to pick the fibre out of cotton and other ropes. Its 
eggs are usually white, spotted with reddish brown, but some 
are of a very pale bluish green color, similarly, but more 
minutely, spotted with a lighter shade of brown. Of the two 
varieties, I have nine eggs of the former and four of the 
latter; they measure respectively :— 
Bluish variety. 
Average measurement ... ‘65 by °46 inches, 
Measurement of largestegg ... ‘69 ,, ‘48 ,, 
Measurement of smallest egg ... °63,, “43 ,, 
White variety. 
Average measurement ... ‘64 by *46 inches. 
Measurement of largestegg ... ‘70 ,, °48 ,, 
Measurement of smallestegg ... ‘64 ,, 43 ,, 
It breeds very generally in June and July. 
535.—Prinia stewarti, Bly. Native name—Phutki.* 
Stewart’s Wren-Warbler is about as common and frequents 
the same localities as the last species, being particularly 
abundant in dhak and thorn jungles. It is very destructive in 
gardens, where it destroys peas with a vengeance, snapping its 
tailf at any one who attempts to interfere with its apparently 
favorite pastime. ‘This it habitually does when disturbed, 
excited or frightened. It makes its nest in any low bush, with 
leaves large enough to answer its purpose when two or three 
are tacked together. The nest is very much like a tailor bird’s ; 
* Applied generally, in this Division, to all small Warblers. 
+ How does it perform this remarkable and unusual operation ?—Ed. 
