364 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NAXmAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



(110) Galeeita cristata. — The Crested Lark. 

 Oates, No. 874 ; Hume, No. 769. 

 I have seen very few in the subdivision, but near the Bagho-wnie and Has- 

 owlie Factories they were rather common. Tbey commence building in 

 February and I have taken their eggs near Btighownie in March and April. 

 All the nests were under clods in paddy land and the birds were very wary 

 in approaching them. Native name Chandool. 



(Ill) Gr. DEVA. — Sybe's Crested Lark. 

 Oates, No. 875 ; Hume, No. 765. 

 Blanford in Vol. IV of Stray Feathers gives Behar as within the range of 

 this species, but I have not come across it here, 



(112) Pykrhulauda grisea. — The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark. 

 Gates, No. 879 ; Hume, No. 760. 

 Very common. I have taken eggs from February to May in the same situ- 

 ations as G. cristata. Some birds breed earlier in January and I saw a pair 

 building in the beginning of September. A hen bird was seen trying to feed 

 a dead young one which was lying in the nest. Name according to Mir-shikar 

 Gotowli, 



Family Nectariniidce. 

 Sub-family Nectariniince. 

 (113) Arachnechthea asiatica. — The Purple Sun-bird. 

 Gates, No. 895 ; Hume, No. 234. 



Abundant. It breeds from February to May. I have taken nests from 

 many situations. Some were found hanging under the eaves of houses and 

 others hanging from bamboos, creepers, thorny hedges, twigs of small bushes, 

 pomegranate, peach, kheir and mango trees. Most were from 2 to 5 ft. from 

 the ground, one was about 20 and another about 40 ft. up in a mango tree. 

 The earliest nest was taken on the 2fith February, the latest with eggs on the 

 30th May. I have seen them picking small insects off the ground and often 

 watched them flying up and catching insects on the wing. Only the female 

 builds the nest and hatches the young, and an egg is laid daily till the number 

 is complete. These sun-birds can be reared as I kept an ^1. seylonica for 

 about six months in a cage feeding it on sugar mixed in sattoo. It died from 

 the cold as it had an iron perch which I omitted to cover during the cold 

 weather. It lived from August to January. 



Family Dicceidce. 



(lU) DicEUM eeythrorhvnchds. — Tickell's Flower-pecker. 



Gates, No. 919 ; Hume, No. 238. 



Common. They breed here in March and April. I have found very few 

 nests and have not succeeded in getting the eggs ; though one nest had two 

 ewgs in it which were destroyed by D. rufa. I have found two young in a 

 nest and probably two is the full complement of eggs laid, T'hese birds 

 commit a good deal of damage to the ripe mangoes and guavas. 



