BIRDS- NESTS FROM B.AKA, CHIN HILS. 629 



TURDID^. 



Saxicolin^. 



(615) Dark-grey Bush-chat, Oreicola ferrea. — Very common. 

 Eleven clutches of eggs and nests were taken, the earliest on 13th 

 April and the latest on 28th April. The usual number of eggs 

 in a clutch was four but two clutches of five were found. Out of 

 the eleven clutches, found six consisted of pure (pale turquoise) 

 blue eggs, without spots or markings of any sort. The others 

 consisted of eggs similarly coloured but with a faint circle of 

 brownish spots near the larger end, sometimes so faint as to be 

 almost unnoticeable unless closely examined. One clutch taken 

 on 21st April was remarkable in having one egg on which no 

 mai4<;ings were discoverable, one egg with just a faint smudge of 

 brown near the larger end and the other three marked in the 

 normal way. 



[On two or three occasions (see B. N. H. Journals) I have point- 

 ed out the difierence in the Burmese and Chinese eggs from the 

 Indian which are pale greenish profusely spotted with rustj^ red ; 

 and when at home I told Hartert about it, and I see in his book 

 he has found that the birds are diiferent and has called the Burma 

 bird after me. Here is the description : — 



" Die Vogel der Palaarktischen Fauna," p. 711, by Dr. E. Har- 

 tert. 1080 Oreicola ferrea iMringtoni, Subsp. nov. Cat., eggs British 

 Museum, Vol. IV, plate VII, fig. 18. 



(Translation) " Distinguished from 0. ferrea ferrea by the con- 

 stantly shorter tail. Tail 57-61, 61*5 mm. Wing 65-68 mm. 

 Mupin and other parts Szetchuan to Fokeni in S. E. China, also 

 Burma and the Hill tracts S. of the Brahmaputra. Eggs darker 

 blue than 0. ferrea ferrea and in particular unspotted like those of 

 the hedge-sparrow." This is not quite correct. — H. H. H.] 



RUTICILLINiE. 



(638) White-capped Redstaut, Chwiarrhomis leucoceiohalus. 

 AVas a cheerful visitor, always announcing his arrival with a loud 

 piping whistle but disappearing during the breeding season to 

 slightly lower levels. I do not think he bred at Haka as I never 

 (tould find any traces of him just during the breeding season unless 



