MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 253 



The nests are generally built either on trees or bushes on the edges of 

 forests, though it is by no means unusual to find them towards the middle, 

 or in the heart of a thickly covered hill-side. 



The nests are placed either at the ends of branches, or on one of the 

 upper forks, or where several small twigs shoot upwards from a horizontal 

 branch, and no matter what their position, they are, as a rule, well 

 concealed. In fact, they are very difficult nests to find, but the birds 

 themselves sometimes give away the show by uttering a sharp twitter, if a 

 person happens to approach too close to the tree containing the nest. 

 And here I take the opportunity of giving other oologists a "tip." When 

 the hen is sitting on eggs, the cock generally hangs about in the vicinity, 

 and when his loud notes are heard constantly issuing from a particular 

 tree, it is always best to examine carefully, not only that tree, but all the 

 other likely ones close by : by observing this, I have been rewarded on 

 two or three occasions by finding the nests-on the last, I remember get- 

 ting a beautiful clutch of three fresh eggs. 



So far as my experience goes, the trees which are preferred in Simla for 

 nesting by these birds are either Oaks or Rhododendrons. Only once I 

 have found a nest placed on a small Holly. 



The heights of the nests varied from 8 to 60 feet, but the average of 17 

 nests was 26|- feet. 



The nests are neat cup-shaped structures, composed exteriorly of a 

 layer of moss, in which a good many leaves, strips of bark, and cobwebs are 

 occasionally incorporated, and lined interiorly with the roots of the 

 maiden-hair fern and other plants. One nest, which I have in my collection, 

 is of a very unusual shape : it is something like an inverted cone, and is 

 7f inches in height. It was placed against the trunk of a medium sized 

 Rhododendron, and was beautifully concealed by some twigs shooting at 

 right angles from below it. The drawing below shows the difference in 

 shape between this nest and that of a normal one. 



The materials composing the nests are firmly interwoven together, and 

 the structures themselves are securely attached to the surrounding twigs. 

 Some of the nests situated at the extreme ends of branches appeared to 

 occupy most prscarious positions, but I have never yet known one to be 

 blown down by the Vvind. 



The dimensions of six nests (excluding the abnormal one) were as 

 follows : — 



Diameter of egg-cavity . . . . . . 3" 



Depth of ditto . . . . varies from l"7o" to 2-2" 



External diameter 

 Height.. 



Thickness of bottom 

 Thickness of sides 



4-25" to 4-5" 

 3" to 3-5" 

 1" to 1-6" 

 •66" to -75" 



