o94 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



The texture is fine and close and there is a fair gloss ; the shape 

 is the usual broad peg-top of all snipe's eggs. 



Mr. H. A. Hole wrote me in 1890-1892 that he was sure that a 

 certain number of snipe bred every year in the plains of Cachar, 

 and that he had frequently put up snipe in the newly ploughed 

 fields in June, July and August. 



In 1890 and the following year he failed to obtain any eggs, 

 but on the 14th June 1902, he got, amongst a great number of 

 painted snipe's eggs, a clutch of three and a single egg which are 

 undoubtedly true snipe's eggs and almost equally, certainly, those 

 of the Pintail. 



In both these cases the nests were found on the bands or banks 

 bordering rice fields and were placed at the water's edge in dense 

 grass and weeds. The rice fields in this part of Cachar are very 

 small and consist of the low ground running between and around 

 the small broken hills at the foot of the higher ranges. They are, 

 as usual, divided by narrow banks of a foot or two in height, but 

 in country of this character the borders of the field and the banks 

 themselves are always much overgrown with grass, weeds and 

 small bushes. 



All four of these eggs are of the same type as those described 

 above, merely differing in having a somewhat greener ground 

 colour and the markings rather less heavy and more evenly 

 distributed. They average 1-58" x I'll". 



I have also an oviduct egg in my possession which was taken 

 from a female Pintail in the early part of August 1889, shot by some 

 one in Cachar on the bheel surrounding the Rifle Range. The 

 bird was dissected arid the egg sent me by the late Col. Evans, 

 I. M. S., at that time attached to the Regiment stationed in 

 Silchar. 



This egg differs from all others I have seen in being very dull 

 in colour and curiously brown in general hue. The markings are 

 like those in the Silchar ones, but have the distribution reversed, 

 'i.e., they are principally confined to the smaller instead of the 

 larger end. 



The underlying spots are also unusually dark, and are of a 

 purplish brown. The egg measures 1-55" x 1"14". 



